What are the benefits of massage therapy?
I often get the question, “Why should I get massage therapy?”. There are many great times to seek massage therapy as a tool in supporting wellness. Many people in our community use massage to help with stress, with pain, or even for improving the function or range of motion of a joint. Massage can be great for prenatal aches and pains and new parents often seek massage therapy for an infant experiencing colic.
Stress
So many people are living lives under constant low-grade stress. Massage can be a great option to soothe the nervous system. This, in turn allows your body a chance to rest and digest your food and repair anything that needs attention. It can be a great reset button after a hectic day. This is a great benefit of massage therapy.
Over Use
In our work world, we can have repetitive patterns of use that exacerbate our back or neck or shoulders. A dentist has to spend his or her day bent over a chair peering down into someone’s mouth. This can cause back , shoulder and neck aches at the end of the day. Rather than changing professions, a dentist may seek massage therapy to help undo the patterns of stress and strain in their muscles. A weekly massage can mean the difference between a short career and a long one. After investing so much effort in attaining this profession, it would be a great disservice to have to leave it due to health issues.
Computer Work
Likewise, many people spend a majority of the day in front of the computer. This can lead to upper back pain, especially between the shoulder blades. One can experiment with standing desks or getting up and taking a break every hour. In addition, it is recommended to seek massage therapy to help undo the tight muscle patterns that have built up from chronic patterns of use. Again, you are probably not going to stop using the computer all day long for your job, but there is something you can do to help support your body in accomplishing these hours with less pain at the end of the day…. And destressing at the same time. You guessed it! The benefits of Massage therapy.
