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An
In-Depth Study of the Positive Effects of Massage Therapy On the Body:
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The eleven systems of the body are: |
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1. Integumentary System (skin & skin structures) |
7.
Nervous System |
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2.
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8. Endocrine System (glands) |
| 3.
Circulatory System |
9.
Urinary System |
| 4.
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10.
Lymphatic and Immune System |
| 5.
Digestive System |
11.
Reproductive System |
| 6. Respiratory System | |
Examples
of Massage Therapy Effects:
1.
Integumentary System (skin and structures derived from it): massage promotes
normal oil and sweat gland activity, improving the skin's role as a protective
barrier and in its elimination of waste products.
2.
Muscular System: massage decreases the amount of fibrosis and adhesion that
develops in muscle tissue after injury or immobilization, such as with a sprain
or strain. Fibrosis is the formation of excessive fibrous tissue during tissue
repair and adhesion is scar tissue that binds together normally separate
tissues.
3.
Circulatory System: massage increases local circulation to skin and muscles,
clearing stagnate waste products and delivering oxygen and nutrition to tissues.
This has the greatest effect on tissue that has impaired circulation, such as
with someone with flaccid paralysis.
4.
Skeletal System: massage increases circulation to the bones, benefiting their
nutritional needs and aiding in their growth and repair. Joint pain as
experienced with arthritis can be reduced by circulatory drainage.
5.
Digestive System: massage physically assists the movement of solids in the
colon, enhancing elimination and combating constipation.
6.
Respiratory System: massage increases chest expansion and oxygen intake during
inspiration, which is helpful for athletes and people with chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease.
7.
Nervous System:
massage causes
stimulation or sedation of the nervous system depending on the technique used.
Useful for people that are either sluggish or have insomnia.
8.
Endocrine System (glands): massage causes a re-balancing toward normal
levels of
stress-related hormone (ie. adrenalin).
9.
Urinary System: massage promotes the activity of the kidneys, enhancing the
removal of waste products and reducing fluid retention.
10.
Lymphatic and Immune System: massage promotes the reduction of edema and removal
of wastes resulting from edema and inflammation. Improves immune function by
reducing stress levels, as stress has been shown to decrease the immune response
resulting in susceptibility to illness. Lymph is a fluid derived from body
tissues that also contains white blood cells that protect against disease. It
circulates through the lymphatic system, eventually returning to the
bloodstream. Edema is an accumulation of lymph fluid between tissue spaces due
to trauma, obstruction and several other causes.
11.
Reproductive System:
massage can help alleviate symptoms of dysmenorrhea
(painful menstruation) such as decreasing pain and promoting drainage.
Psychological/Emotional
Effects:
It is well documented that massage is able to reduce anxiety, depression, stress
and the hormone levels associated with it, and give the client a sense of well-being.
Massage therapy has a positive effect on our mood states. Additionally,
therapeutic massage
can also bring forth a release of repressed emotions, which is usually part of a
gradual process of the client learning to be more aware of areas of themselves
that they have disconnected with.
Pain
Control:
Massage is recognized to have a great effect in reducing and managing pain that
arises from a variety of sources, such as trauma, post-surgery, headache,
fibromyalgia, arthritis and terminal illness. It can address the source of the
pain and stop painful nerve firing, it can alter the processing of pain stimuli
in the central nervous system (consisting of the brain and spinal cord) and can
affect the processing of painful nerve firing by the peripheral nervous system
(consisting of the nerves outside the central nervous system).
Preventative
Measures:
An important and often overlooked
benefit of massage therapy is its use as a means to help prevent injury or other
conditions from arising. Athletics will be used as an example.
Massage
may prevent injury from happening by reducing muscle tension, increasing muscle
length and flexibility, and assisting in the removal of metabolic wastes (derived
from the chemical processes of cells in the body); therapeutic massage aids in relieving pain
and reducing
adhesions and fibrosis in injured and healing tissue. This would encourage a
more effective and efficient environment for tissue and its surrounding
structures to function.
Maintenance:
Another important and often overlooked benefit of massage therapy is its use to
assist in increasing and maintaining the health of the body after recovery from
an injury or when addressing certain conditions.
An example of how massage is used in the maintenance of our health is as follows. Our homes and vehicles need to be maintained otherwise they start to fall apart or stop working. Our bodies need the same attention we have for anything else in life, if not more. Even though we feel good and have no pain, it does not mean our body no longer requires attention. When symptoms arise, as long as they are not caused by an acute trauma such as a car accident, usually means that there has been some sort of dysfunction going on for some time. This is our own body's way of saying "Enough, I have been trying to normalize whatever you have been doing to me but it is just too much to handle. Stop doing what you are doing or change something. Please."
Massage
can maintain tissue health by increasing its circulation thereby removing
wastes, supplying nutrition, increasing drainage and decreasing pain.
Therapeutic massage
can maintain our general health by decreasing stress and stress related hormones
thereby maintaining the function of our immune system and decreasing the chance
of stress-imposed diseases and conditions. Massage therapy can maintain tissue health by
decreasing the amount of fibrosis and adhesions developed from microtearing,
overuse and lack of proper tissue nutrition; it can maintain our health by
positively affecting any of our eleven systems. Massage can maintain our health
by aiding in the prevention of injuries and resulting conditions. Massage can
maintain our health by addressing, on a regular basis, the changes that occur to
our body by the everyday stresses we impose on it, thereby allowing us to
continue functioning in the most efficient and effective manner.
Disclaimer:
I
am not expressing
that, with massage, you'll never become injured or develop a condition of some
sort. What I am attempting to convey is that you only have one body in this
lifetime so why not treat it as the most precious thing you own? As well,
massage is not the only means of increasing and/or maintaining your health. It
is one of many things that you can incorporate in what you feel is important to
you and your well-being. As a therapist, massage constitutes only a portion of
my treatment content and I understand the importance of
always gaining more knowledge and advanced training in other modalities so as to
provide the best treatment possible for my valued clients.
Please
note that people with conditions that have brought about structural changes to
the body, or with presenting pathologies, may only receive symptomatic relief with
massage. However, in such cases, even symptomatic relief may make a huge
difference in a client's quality of life. I do not believe that massage "cures" anybody;
I
believe that massage helps me bring positive changes to my clients' bodies so
that they find themselves in a better position to heal and/or better cope with
stresses that are so inflicted.
Hopefully
this information has helped you gain a better understanding on what massage can
do for you.
For
more research based information on the benefits of massage therapy, please check
out the Resources
Section.