The Benefits of Massage

1.                 Massage relaxes muscle contractions, spasms and relieves general body tension.

2.                 Massage dilates the blood vessels, thus improving the circulation.

3.                 Massage increases the number of red blood cells especially in cases of anemia.

Anemia – deficiency of red blood cells or their hemoglobin causing pallor or weakness.

4.                 Massage acts as a ‘mechanical cleanser’ pushing along lymphatic fluids and hastening the elimination of wastes and toxic debris.

Lymphatic Fluids – colourless fluid from the tissue of the blood, containing white blood cells.

5.                 Massage increases the blood supply and nutrition to muscles without adding to their load of toxic lactic acid, produced through voluntary muscle contraction. Massage thus helps to overcome harmful ‘fatigue’ products resulting from strenuous exercise or injury.

6.                 Massage improves muscle tone and helps prevent or delay muscular atrophy resulting from forced inactivity.

Atrophy – wasting away through disuse.

7.                 Massage can compensate, at least in part, for lack of exercise and muscular contraction in persons who because of injury, illness, or age are forced to remain inactive. In these cases, massage helps return venous blood to the heart and so eases the strain on this vital organ.

8.                 Massage may have a sedative, stimulating or even exhausting effect on the nervous system depending on the type and length of massage treatment given.

9.                 Transverse massage separates muscle fibers, undoing or preventing the formation of adhesions and trigger points.

Trigger points – are hyperirritable spots or zones that produce pain when stimulated by compression.

10.            According to some authorities, massage may burst the fat capsule in the subcutaneous so that the fat exudes and becomes absorbed. In this way, massage combined with a nutritious calorie-deficient diet can be an aid to reducing fat.

Subcutaneous – under the skin.

11.            Massage improves the general circulation and nutrition tissues. It is accompanied or followed by an increased interchange of substances between the blood and tissue cells heightening tissue metabolism.

12.            Massage increases the excretion (via the kidneys) of fluids and nitrogen, inorganic phosphorous and salt in normal healthy individuals.

13.            Massage encourages the retention of nitrogen, phosphorous and sulphur necessary for tissue repair in persons convalescing from bone fractures.

14.            Massage stretches connective tissues, improves circulation and nutrition and so breaks down or prevents the formation of adhesions and reduces the danger of fibrosis.

Fibrosis – inflammation of fibrous tissues.

Adhesion – unnatural union of body tissue due to inflammation.

15.            Massage improves the circulation and nutrition of joints and hastens the elimination of harmful particles. It helps lessen inflammation and swelling in joints and so alleviates pain.

16.            Massage dispenses the edema following injury to ligaments and tendons, lessens pain, tissue damage and helps facilitate movement.

Edema – a local or generalized condition in which the body tissue contain an excessive amount of body fluid.