Massage Therapy Benefits
The Wall Street Journal recently published an article highlighting the medical benefits of massage therapy. Thanks WSJ for sharing this important research so more people can find relief.
Here are some highlights from the Wall Street Journal article “Don’t Call It Pampering: Massage Wants to Be Medicine” 3/14/12:
Massage helps Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
“Research… has found that massage therapy increases grip strength in patients with carpal tunnel syndrome.
Massage Decreases Stress, Inflammation & Allergies
45-minute Swedish massage to light touch, found that people who got a massage had a large decrease in arginine-vasopressin, a hormone that normally increases with stress and aggressive behavior, and slightly lower levels of cortisol, a stress hormone, in their blood after the session. There was also a decrease in cytokine proteins related to inflammation and allergic reactions, and a boost in white blood cells that fight infection.
Deep Tissue Massage Breaks up Scar Tissue
Another… type of massage, …deep tissue, tends to be more targeted to problem muscles and includes techniques such as acupressure, trigger-point work …and “deep transverse friction” …to break up scar tissue.
Massage Reduces Osteoarthritis Symptoms
Massage is already widely used to treat osteoarthritis, for which other treatments have concerning side effects. A study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine in 2006 showed that full-body Swedish massage greatly improved symptoms of osteoarthritis of the knee.
Sports Massage: Post Exercise
A 10-minute massage promoted muscle recovery after exercise. In the study, 11 young men exercised to exhaustion and then received a massage in one leg. Muscle biopsies were taken in both quad muscles before exercise, after the massage and 2½ hours later. The short massage boosted the production of mitochondria, the energy factory of the cell, and reduced proteins associated with inflammation in muscles that had been exercised to exhaustion.
Massage helps with Breast Cancer
A full-body massage boosted immune function and lowered heart rate and blood pressure in women with breast cancer undergoing radiation treatment, a 2009 study of 30 participants found.
Massage helps with Asthma
Children given 20-minute massages by their parents every night for five weeks plus standard asthma treatment had significantly improved lung function compared with those in standard care, a 2011 study of 60 children found.
Massage Even Helps Premature Babies
Giving massages to… premature babies, helped in the crucial task of gaining weight.”
Let us Help You
If you have questions about how our massage therapy sessions can help you, feel free to contact us.
Comments 1
You got my attention when you said that massage therapies can lower your levels of cortisol to help you decrease your stress level. This is a nice tip for me because my sister is experiencing so much stress because of her recent divorce from her ex-husband. I will make sure to share your blog with her so she can consider pampering herself through a massage therapy.