Do you need a massage?

Massages are seen as a luxury, or an indulgence but getting the right massage is no more a luxury than a good night’s sleep! There are so many benefits of a good massage from an experienced practitioner and they are backed by numerous studies. The most obvious is for pain and we do include this in our list of why you should have a massage and not feel guilty!

Lets look at 9 ways that massage can help you !

Pain

Pain is the body’s way of signalling to you that something is wrong. Joint degeneration will cause tightness in adjoining and distal muscle groups. Soft tissue injury or muscle tension can be addressed through remedial and soft tissue massage. Period pain and endometriosis can be addressed through specialist abdominal massage

You don’t have full range of motion.

This may occur from injury, overuse or degeneration of a joint. A good masseuse will pinpoint the bundle of muscle fibres that are restricting the blood flow and focus their work to relax the tightness and improve the range of motion allowing healing to occur.

You are getting headaches.

Headaches may result from tight neck and shoulder muscles. Getting regular massage will release this tension and increase blood flow to the neck and head helping to relieve the pain. A Swedish style, relaxing massage  or Zen Shiatsu massage would help here.

You are feeling stressed.

The demands of modern life leave many of us ‘wired’, stressed, anxious and overwhelmed. Our body turns on hormones that to help us maintain this heightened state and it becomes difficult to ‘let go and turn off’. Again, a swedish style or relaxing Zen Shiatsu massage will help turn off the messages from body and brain and allows the body to return to a more relaxed state and improve mood, wellbeing and even digestion.

You are run down; you keep getting colds – your immune system is suppressed.

Stress and Pain have been shown to be a significant immunosuppressors. Massage is known for promoting increased circulation and lymphatic flow, which helps move healthy nutrients throughout your body and to filter metabolic waste.  Studies show that massage can increase the level of lymphocytes, which are the cells that help the immune system fight off harmful substances in the body.  According to the US National Centre for Biotechnology Information, pain has measurable negative effects on immunity. Massage has an enormous impact on decreasing pain, which will make it easier for your body to fight off an illness.

You are not sleeping.

This sits with the above. When we are busy we can start to lose the circadian rhythm and can experience insomnia, waking up in the middle of the night and then exhaustion during the day. A massage can assist in physically relaxing the body which sends messages to the brain that it’s ok to move out of the ‘busy’ state and allow you to rest more properly and sleep more deeply for longer.

You are sitting down or sedentary for most of the day.

Working at a desk job sets most of us up for a plethora of postural issues because most of us are so absorbed in our work that we forget to move for long periods of time.  Looking at iphones, screens or hunched over a desk leads to tension in muscles and poor posture and can give neck/back/shoulder ache, headaches and migraines. A massage will loosen the muscles that have tightened during the day.  Ask for a remedial massage at a pressure that suits you.

You are over 40

I hate to say it but every reason above is why you need massage as we get pass the 40 mark. Especially if you are training which many of us do in order to stay fit and healthy. The body’s natural aging process means we are more prone to injury, more likely to lose range of motion, more likely to have sleep disruption, more likely to have stress from finances, family and work, more likely to need time out that we can’t seem to justify. Well…all the reasons are right there!

You like the idea of acupuncture but are frightened of needles!

We love acupuncture. It works on so many levels and can’t be beaten for deep muscle tension and injuries but quite a few are a little nervous of needles! You can work your way into this via massage. At our clinic we can offer traditional Chinese massage which works on the same areas as the needles. We also offer massage with a needles for trigger points. We also offer Chinese style massage and cupping that can beautifully relieve tension.

We offer ‘energetic style massage’ with Zen shiatsu. This style can clear energy flow disruptions and bring balance to the body. These treatments can help you recover from pain and trauma, manage chronic issues, build resistance to illness and stress, bask in your pregnancy or simply feel more at ease and energised in your body, mind and spirit.

We have given you plenty of reasons why you need a massage. It’s not a luxury but a necessity.

Click here to book now

Evidence for massage

Category: Author: ben&biao
Tags: