How Can Massage Therapy Benefit You?
Massage therapy can be tremendously beneficial for people (and horses!) of all ages and conditions. While it is known best to benefit the ill, the injured and the stressed, massage is also a great treatment in preventing illness and conditions before they develop.
Regular massage therapy from a Registered Massage Therapist such as Kathleen, can be an excellent part of your health maintenance by:
- Reducing or eliminating pain
- Improving joint mobility
- Improving circulation
- Improving immune system functioning
- Increasing lymphatic drainage
- Reducing depression and anxiety
- Reducing tension within muscles
- Increasing body awareness
Massage therapy not only treats those parts of you that are causing a problem, but also affects your whole body. It is not only your muscles that are treated during a massage, but also your circulatory and nervous systems. This helps to restore an overall feeling of well being.
Many of today’s health problems arise from stress. Because stress upsets the delicate balance of all your body’s functions, regaining this balance requires a holistic (whole body) approach.
Massage therapy is safe and effective for stress management, but is also highly effective for various other problems, including, but not limited to:
- Anxiety and depression
- Asthma and Emphysema
- Back, neck and shoulder tension
- Breast tenderness/inflammation
- Cancer
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
- Cerebral Palsy
- Chronic Fatigue syndrome
- Circulatory problems
- Digestive/lower bowel problems
- Dislocations
- Edema (Inflammation)
- Fibromyalgia
- Fractures
- Frozen shoulder
- Gastrointestinal disorders
- Headache/ Migraine
- Inflammatory conditions such as arthritis and bursitis
- Insomnia
- Kyphosis and Scoliosis
- Low back pain
- Multiple sclerosis
- Muscle spasm
- Neuritis/neuralgia (Nerve Pain)
- Parkinson’s disease
- Muscle tension and spasm
- Palliative care
- Post-injury rehabilitation
- Post-surgical rehabilitation
- Pregnancy and labour support
- Respiratory problems
- Repetitive Strain Injuries
- Sciatica
- Sports injuries
- Strains and sprains
- Stress and stress related conditions
- Stroke
- Tendonitis
- Whiplash
There are conditions where massage may not be recommended. Some examples are: acute inflammation (swelling), severe osteoporosis, hemophilia, red, irritated or rash on the skin, difficulty breathing or directly on varicose veins.
A massage should be a relaxing, pleasurable experience. It is normal to have some pain or tenderness during a massage, but it should always be within your pain tolerance. It is important for you to tell your massage therapist if the pressure is too much, or not enough.
It is also normal to feel some stiffness, tenderness and/or aching in areas that were worked on for 2 to 3 days afterwards. This is a result of the toxins that have been building up in the tight muscles, being flushed out of your system. Having an epsom salts bath after your massage will help reduce this, as well as drinking plenty of water.