Know All About Massage Therapy

The exertive work schedules often leave us in excruciating pain at the end of each day which we casually overlook and welcome even bigger problems in future. However a small detour to a massage clinic would rather be beneficial because, really, your limbs and muscle never take a day off. So a little you could do is relish a massage every once in a while.

Commonly known benefits of massage therapy

A massage therapy is an ultimate power management package that aids relaxation of stressed muscles, improves sleep, flexibility and circulation. It also helps exfoliate skin, ease fatigue, reduce tension in post-surgery swellings, eliminate anxiety and depression, improve posture and stimulates soft tissues to cleanse lymphatic fluids. Massage therapy is generally considered as a secondary treatment; however majority of healthcare regimes today include massage therapy due to its naturally occurring benefits.

Types of massage therapy

Some of the well-known massage therapies are listed below:

Swedish massage: With the knowledge of human anatomy and basic physiology, it uses different oils and lotions to relax the large group of body muscles using certain basic strokes including long strokes, small circular rotations, kneading, percussion and vibration. It is the most commonly known therapy.

Aroma therapy: This particular brain stimulating therapy uses volatile substances extracted from plants known as essential oils to relax stress, heal skin conditions and hormonal imbalance. The oils are massaged deep into the skin and properties of the oil heal the affected area. The aroma in the atmosphere soothes the mental stress and improves brain functions.

Hot stone massage: This authentic massage therapy uses hot stone placed at certain point along the spine, hands, face, feet and head to improve the temperature and blood pressure at the spot so that the deep knotted muscles or stressed spot to be worked on are easily accessible to the masseuse.

Reflexology: This technique is limited to touching only your hands, feet and outer ears. Applying pressure on the reflex zones on your hands, feet and ears can manipulate the effect of stress on the entire body. It results in improved blood circulation and elimination of toxic fluids through lymphatic system. Along with muscular flexibility it enhances the health of the organs in direct contact to the nerves at the reflex points.

Deep tissue massage: It is a therapeutic treatment to treat muscle knots, repetitive pain in lower back, upper back, chronic muscle injuries due to sports and other mishaps. The deeper layers of affected muscles and tissues are targeted by applying slow but pressurized strokes to access the areas to be worked on.

Thai massage: This is another therapy which is worked on full clothed to align the energy of the body. The therapist uses rhythmic sequences of tension and compression to release the stress in muscles and thus improves the body balance and flexibility.

Common questions asked about Massage therapy:

What to expect in a massage therapy?

The ambience of a massage center is quiet and dimly lit to help you feel relax and often a soothing music hums in the background. The therapist may ask you a few questions about your history of severe injuries or medical conditions which you should truthfully answer. In case of any serious conditions, visit a doctor before booking a massage appointment. As the therapy begins the therapist starts with applying lotions or oils to reduce the friction of your skin for smoothing the strokes. Some therapies are performed fully clothed too. The duration can range from 10 to 90 minutes. Generally there are flat tables with soft sheets for the clients to rest during the treatment but for certain therapies such as Thai massage, floor mats are used for convenience of the process.

How often should you get a massage?

A massage therapy once a week or two can do magic to your physical as well as mental health. People involved in sports and athletics should take massage therapies twice a week during intense trainings and reduce it down to once a week when the training is eased out. Too much gap between successive therapies does not bring about relevant effect because certain strained muscles and tissues are stubborn to release in fewer visits.

Things to be taken care of after a massage therapy

Drink plenty of water after you have had a massage therapy as it improves the flow of fluids released during the massage. Since a therapy eases tension and your muscles are worked out, it is natural to feel heavy eyed. A small nap is effective to add to the perks of the relaxing therapy. If there is soreness in the muscles, inform the therapist about it. To ease the pain apply ice pack to sore area and visit a doctor

When to avoid massage therapy?

It is suggested to avoid massage therapy when you are ill and on medication heavy or light dose. Fever being the least of the disorders to worry about, one should avoid a massage therapy when there is fever because body is working on getting rid of viruses that don’t belong to the system and therapy in such a state can only reverse the effect of the immune system. Also when a person is on vaccines or drugs or consuming alcohol, the body is not in its ideal state and hence the effect of massage can just worsen the things and is better yet avoided.

Surprising facts about massage therapy

Massage therapies treat symptoms of asthma, arthritis, high blood pressure, burn injuries, PMS and many more. It improves the breathing capacity, circulation and metabolism of the body. Expecting mothers are recommended massage therapies to ease pain in lower back, swollen ankles, anxiety and depression and also to improve the labor and the health of the fetus. Massage also improves concentration and mental stability. It improves the overall senses and reflexes of the body. It is also an effective measure for hair loss.

-Namita Patil