We all know how good the occasional massage feels. It relaxes your body, clears your mind, and leaves you feeling limber and refreshed. What many don’t realize is that regular massage, especially from a trained and licensed massage therapist, can have benefits that go far beyond making you feel great.
Regular therapeutic massage can have a positive impact on both your physical and mental health, making a noticeable difference in your quality of life. Here are some of the top benefits of regular massage:
Body
Boosts Immunity
A 2010 study published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine found that massage can boost white blood cell count, which in turn can help to protect the body from sickness and disease.
Treats low back pain
Low back pain is no joke: it’s the leading cause of disability worldwide, and approximately 8 out of 10 Americans will have back problems that interfere with their daily life at some point during their lifetime. Therapeutic massage can go a long way in managing and even treating back pain.
Lowers blood pressure, improves circulation
A 2013 report in the International Journal of Preventive Medicine observed that massage therapy patients show lower average mean systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Circulation also benefits from regular massage over the long term, as the manual pressure exerted on your muscles dilates blood vessels and causes old blood to flow out and new blood to flow back into the tissue.
Improves athletic performance and decreases injury risk
Massage can boost muscle recovery through improving circulation, reducing pain, and promoting the growth of new mitochondria. Muscles also relax after a even a light massage, which can boost their range of motion and make athletes less liable for injury.
Mind
Lowers Depression, Anxiety & Fatigue
Mental and physical state feed off of one another, which means that when one is struggling, the other will often feel sympathetic pain or discomfort. By relaxing the muscles, which in turn relaxes the mind, massage therapy lowers feelings of stress, anxiety, depression, and the fatigue that results from them.
Emotional connection
Human touch, even between therapist and patient, can improve overall mood and encourage cathartic emotional connection. When paired with positive visualization techniques, massage can also make a large difference in a person’s mood.
With benefits that affect both body and mind so positively, making regular therapeutic massage part of your health routine could be a great choice! And for those of us that love to help others feel good, City Pointe Beauty Academy provides education in a variety of modalities in the massage therapy profession. Interested? Contact City Pointe Beauty Academy online or at (417) 673-8822 to find out more about our Massage Therapy program.