The 7 Benefits of Registered Massage Therapy

“I’ve gotta go,” you announce to the friends you’ve been visiting with in the local coffee house. “I have a massage appointment.” You sip your last few dregs, set down your cup & pull on your coat.

“Oh, really,” someone says & you glance up from your buttons to see several of your friends smirking. “Just a little bit indulgent, don’t you think?”

“No, honestly,” you answer. “I have this neck thing…

Sure, receiving a massage feels fantastic & the beneficial effects can last for weeks afterward. But what does a massage really do?

Actually, the physiological effects of massage have been well documented through both historic & contemporary research. Massage Therapy eases pain & restores movement by:

As the massage therapist’s hands move over the muscles, the individual muscle fibres experience a slight stretch. This inhibits muscle spasm & encourages circulation.

Increased blood-flow to your muscles has the effect of delivering life-sustaining nutrients & sweeping away the waste. If massage is used to treat an injured area it has the extra benefit of taking away the waste produced by the injury & bringing in the nutrients that facilitate rebuilding & healing.

We’ve all suffered through the muscle soreness that flares up within twenty-four to forty-eight hours after a workout. If you have a massage before you start to feel this pain, not only will you experience a decrease in the delayed-onset-muscle-soreness resulting from your workout, your tissue recovery process will be enhanced.

Massage is also preventative. Loosened muscles & increased circulation will contribute to ease of movement & improve your tissue health, thereby diminishing the chance of injury.

Collagen fibres & elastin fibres are found in varying amounts throughout our soft tissues. Through both aging & injury, there is an ongoing cross-linking of both of these fibres. The cross-links are usually laid down in an irregular manner causing us to lose extensibility & resiliency.

There is a theory that regular massage therapy orients the cross-linking collagen & elastin fibres in a more organized & linear direction that is in keeping with the body’s stress-lines thereby leaving the soft-tissue more pliable & mobile.

An even more optimistic school of thought is that massage therapy actually breaks down & rids the soft-tissue of the excess cross-links, thus freeing movement.

Although not many studies exist to scientifically prove either of these theories, there is a definite release of tension & increased extensibility that comes with receiving massage therapy. So, although massage therapy cannot actually lengthen your muscles permanently, it definitely sets up your muscles’ readiness to be stretched & therefore, dramatically increases the benefits of stretching.

Unfortunately, stress triggers the body to increase cortisol levels in the blood stream beyond what is healthy. Over a prolonged period of time, cortisol produces negative effects on the body including:

· Impaired cognitive performance

· Suppressed thyroid function

· Blood sugar imbalances

· Decreased bone density

· Decrease in muscle tissue

· High blood pressure

· Lowered immunity

· Lowered inflammatory response

· Increased abdominal fat

· Loss of collagen in the skin & inhibition of further collagen formation

Massage therapy activates the body’s relaxation response, which directly reduces cortisol levels in the bloodstream.

Other effects, such as decreased anxiety & heightened mood, are not well understood. However, it is thought that some of the physical & psychological outcomes with massage may be due to the release of endorphins, the body’s natural painkillers.

- Sylvia Leong RMT CPT

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