Everyone feels great after a well done therapeutic massage. Massage has been documented back to 2700 BC and found in many ancient cultures. For example, it is documented that the Chinese, Egyptians, Indians, Greeks, and Romans all benefited from therapeutic massage. In fact, Hippocrates wrote of the benefits of massage in the 5th century BC. However, even with widespread awareness and rich history, few people realize how many health benefits there are to getting a massage and why it has such profound effects. Therapeutic massage can be used for pain control/relief, healing, and overall wellness.
Naming just a few benefits, a good massage, especially one that works into your muscles such as a deep tissue massage, can help alleviate back pain, enhance the immune system, exercise weak muscles, increase flexibility, lessen depression, improve circulation, and relieve tension. With all these benefits, the primary advantages can be summed up as reduced fatigue and increased energy.
A number of methods are used in professional massage, including moving pressure, fixed pressure, holding, kneading, point pressure, and distributed pressure. A professional therapist may use hands, elbows, forearms, and even knees and feet to release the tension deep in your muscles. Professional massage therapists may also use a device or machine to assist in massage. Small hand-held devices that can provide point pressure are common as are professional massage machines that use percussion to drive the massage deep into your muscle tissue. A machine-assisted massage can be provided quicker and deeper than a manual massage and causes less fatigue on the massage therapist.
Therapeutic massage helps the patient with pain control/relief by sending impulses to the brain through the same nerves that transmit pain signals. By doing so, the receptors in the brain never receive pain impulses because they are effectively blocked. As a patient receives a therapeutic massage, natural pain killing endorphins are released which act very much like a high power drug in dulling the senses to pain. In addition, muscles are loosened which improves circulation allowing oxygen and nourishment to reach painful muscles, thereby allowing them to relax.
A therapeutic massage stimulates the lymph system. The lymph system brings nutrients to every cell in the body and takes away waste products produced by the body's cells. Sore and tight muscles are usually starved for oxygen and nutrients because their tightness is preventing the lymph system from operating effectively. A therapeutic massage dilates blood vessels while loosening muscles. This restores the lymph system, allowing for nutrients to pass and waste to be taken away.
Healing through therapeutic massage is a common practice, especially among professional athletes and others who are hard on their muscles and overall body. A weak, injured, or sore muscle can have a profound effect on someone who is required to operate at peak performance. A sports therapist is likely to use a mechanical motorized massager in their work. This allows them the quickly provide deep tissue massage without wearing themselves out. Massagers used by professionals, such as a Thumper massager, use percussion as their primary massage action. A high quality professional percussion massager is much different than most consumer models which only vibrate and rub the skin. While a vibrating massager may feel nice, it lacks the ability to penetrate through thick muscle.
This ancient form of healing and rejuvenation has been refined over thousands of years. While still retaining the same basic principles, massage is applied to many different ailments and situations. A deep tissue massage that exercises and relaxes muscles can provide relief to pain, heal, and enhance overall wellness.
Jack Webster writes for Better Health Innovations. Also check out the Thumper Mini Pro 2 Massager.
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