Massage has a long history, going back over 4,000 years to ancient Egypt and China. Today, it’s one of the number one methods to soothe an aching body and relieve stress and is increasingly used alongside other treatments; it’s even become a core part of injury prevention and rehabilitation. But a massage can do a lot more. What are the true benefits of massage?
While the more obvious massage benefits are muscle relaxation and swelling reduction (which reduces nerve pressure and increases muscle flexibility), it also helps promote better circulation and flow of both blood and lymph; the latter is important, as it’s filled with white blood cells that helps clean toxins and waste from the body’s tissues. This also helps bring nutrients to damaged muscles, facilitating better healing.
Although people have a tendency to place an exclusive focus on massage’s physical benefits, there are actually quite a few chemical and psychological bonuses. For example, after just 60 minutes of a massage cortisol (a stress hormone) levels are reduced by 30% while simultaneously increasing serotonin by the same level. Serotonin is both a natural painkiller and is crucial to many mental health aspects, from sleep patterns and digestion to mood and social behaviours. As a result, massage can help treat a wide variety of issues from anxiety to indigestion and IBS.
Plenty of studies have shown that poor physical health consequently means poor mental health, quickly resulting in a downward spiral. A person in pain is naturally in a bad mood, which leads to less of a willingness to exercise. Massage helps solve this by dealing with the physical and mental issues simultaneously, without the affected person lifting a finger.
Although it isn’t a complete substitute for exercise, massage’s benefits on the physical and mental side are far-reaching. By recognising that a massage helps not just with stress relief or muscle pain, you can easily apply it to your health routines and accomplish ever better results.
Based in the Greater Toronto Area, Core Physical Care offers a full complement of physiotherapy and wellness services easily delivered at your convenience. We offer a wide variety of services, from massage therapy to aqua therapy to in-home physiotherapy and in-home personal training. We even offer direct billing for all in-home services if your plan allows it. To find out more, visit our website or contact us over the phone at 1-844-854-8272 or by email at [email protected].