Would it surprise you to learn that 80 percent of people have lower back pain? (Source: University of Maryland Medical Center.)
Chiropractic and physical therapy, in addition to your daily habits and self-care, are important steps to treat the cause of lower back pain that many adults have, but lower back pain can also be treated through massage therapy. The benefits of massage therapy include finding back pain relief, but there are also many more, scientifically-backed benefits of massage.
Here we unfold some of the top ways that massage can stimulate your body’s natural healing process.
Reduces Muscle Inflammation
If you’ve been working out, you know the benefits of massage can be quicker recovery time. In general, massage also helps you reduce any “stiff” and “achy” feelings you may have after those tough workouts or just after doing any physical activity your body is not accustomed to.
Improves Flexibility and Mobility/Restrictions
Not only do athletes know it supports your body’s recovery process, but also consider how massage encourages an increase in your fresh blood and oxygen supply, and deep massage also encouraged toxins to be released from your tissue.
Massages help you “undo” chronically tight muscles and loss of flexibility. Even if you don’t consider yourself an athlete, sitting at a desk all day can tighten your back, your hip flexors, and it can also lead to a “hunched over” position that means tightness in your upper back and shoulders. Massage therapy helps you combat these mobility and flexibility issues by restoring muscle and soft tissue length to normal. In some cases, massage can be a much safer approach to increasing range of motion and flexibility than something as simple as stretching. Many people don’t realize that over stretching damaged tissue can actually lead to further injury.
Decreases Stress Hormones & Brings On the “Relaxation Response”
Ever feel extremely relaxed after a massage? That’s one of the major reasons many people get massages regularly…
Allowing our nervous system to relax is important for our bodies to fight infections and get quality rest on an ongoing basis, among other health benefits. Too much of the stress hormone cortisol can be seen if you aren’t sleeping well, if you have backaches or headaches, or even if you seem to be catching colds more often than normal. Massage therapy gives us the ability to decrease these cortisol levels.
Relief from Headaches
Getting a massage shouldn’t be perceived as only an indulgence, like some people think—especially if you’re someone who suffers from tension or migraine headaches. In fact, researchers have found that people who have had debilitating headaches reported fewer migraines and more restful sleep after receiving massage therapy for several weeks.
Better Sleep Quality
A lack of sleep has been tied to chronic diseases and conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity, depression, and more. The good news is that research has indicated that massage can help people get better sleep to improve their health and wellness. Massage reduces your sleep disturbance; it helps you fall asleep quicker and then it helps improve your quality of sleep. In particular, getting a massage can increase your delta brain waves (linked to deep sleep) and as mentioned, it reduces your cortisol (which means more restful nights of sleep).
The Power of Touch: More Than Just Alleviating Pain
Believe it or not, a massage does more than just help you find optimal athletic performance or reduce your stress; it’s also a natural way to boost your mood. Massage allows your touch receptors to be stimulated, which in turn, encourages your body to produce higher amounts of the natural mood booster, serotonin.
Want to know the other benefits of massage?
Massage can help us improve overall respiratory function, increase our flexibility, lower blood pressure, improve the ability to deliver nutrition throughout the body, improves blood circulation and it works effectively alongside your chiropractic care.
Give us a call today at 513.772.9065 if you’re ready to schedule a massage with one of our licensed massage therapists. It’s also a great gift idea for yourself or for a loved one this holiday season. Starting November 30 through December 31, 2015, we’re offering 60-minute massage gift certificates for only $45!
