Massage Therapy
Massage Therapy is the treatment and practice of soft tissue manipulation with physical, functional and in some cases psychological healing.
Massage involves acting on and manipulating the client’s body with pressure, tension and motion performed manually or with aids, such as vibrating massagers, heat or ice. Target tissues may include muscles, tendons, ligaments, skin joints or other connective tissue as well as lymphatic vessels or organs of the gastrointestinal system. In our professional setting massage involves the client being treated while lying on a massage table. The subject may be fully or partly unclothed to ensure proper contact with the body.
Massage Therapy is an alternative heath option that manipulates the soft tissues of the body for therapeutic purposes.
This popular therapy reduces and manages pain that arises from:
- Soft tissue discomfort
- Muscular overuse
- Chronic and acute pain
- Trauma
- Post surgery
- Headaches
- Fibromyalgia
- Arthritis
- Terminal illness
An increasing number of research studies show that massage reduces:
- Stress
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Tension
- Fatigue
- Anger
Although therapeutic massage does not increase muscle strength, it can stimulate weak, inactive muscles and, thus, partially compensate for the lack of exercise and inactivity resulting from illness or injury. It also can hasten and lead to a more complete recovery from exercise or injury.
Research has verified that:
- Office Workers massaged regularly were more alert, performed better and were less stressed than those who weren’t massaged.
- Massage Therapy decreased the effects of anxiety, tension, depression, pain and itching in burn patients.
- Abdominal surgery patients recovered more quickly after massage.
- Premature infants who were massaged gained more weight and fared better than those who weren’t.
- Autistic children showed less erratic behaviour after massage therapy.