What Is Massage Therapy?

Massage therapy is a form of manual therapy that involves moving soft tissues in the body to reduce stress, ease muscle tension, and promote relaxation and overall well-being. It is a hands-on technique performed by trained massage therapists.

Massage has been practiced for thousands of years.

Massage helps relieve pain symptoms or heal injuries, it can help with certain health conditions, and promote overall wellness.

Massage Benefits

Massage offers benefits beyond simple relaxation. Here are just a few of the health problems that may benefit from massage. However, ask your doctor before using massage for any health condition.

• Sleep

• Immune function

• Constipation

• Anxiety

• Digestive disorders

• Nerve pain

• Postoperative care

• Scar tissue

• Soft tissue strains and injuries

• Sports injuries

Massage therapy and pain

• Back pain - more than one study has shown the effectiveness of massage therapy for back pain. 

• Headaches and Migraine pain - also responds to massage therapy. Some studies suggest that massage therapy can improve sleep and reduce the number of migraines a person has.

• Osteoarthritis - In the first clinical trial looking at the effectiveness of Massage - participants who received a one-hour massage either one or two times a week had improvements in pain, stiffness, and function. The control group had no such change.

• Fibromyalgia - Studies show that over a course of 5 weeks, massage therapy can improve symptoms. such as pain, anxiety, and depression.

Massage therapy and mental health

Depression - A review of 17 clinical trials found that massage therapy may help reduce depression and anxiety by providing a calming environment and the power of hands on (human touch) therapy.