Unwinding Unhealthy Tension Patterns in Your Body
How many times you look at your cellphone in a day? Do you have it in your hand and bend your head and neck down to read or send messages? Moreover, if it is not directly in front of you, your head might be inclined to one side or the other. If you do this for long periods of time means putting significant strain on your neck muscles. Similarly, spending long hours at a computer, especially at a desk job, [...]
Why Listening to Your Body is a Good Idea
Why Listening to Your Body is a Good Idea Listening to your body is crucial for maintaining overall well-being and addressing any physical discomfort or stress it may be experiencing. Our bodies have a remarkable way of communicating with us, often through subtle signals that can easily be overlooked in our busy lives. Here are some tips on how to effectively listen to your body and recognize when it’s time to seek massage therapy: Awareness of Physical Signals: Start by paying [...]
The Healing Power of Your Feet Through Massage
Foot reflexology, often regarded as more than just a luxurious foot massage, offers a myriad of benefits that extend beyond relaxation. Here are three specific advantages of foot reflexology and how this ancient practice affects the entire body: **Stress Relief and Relaxation**: The feet contain numerous nerve endings that connect to different parts of the body. Through targeted pressure and massage techniques on specific reflex points, foot reflexology helps to alleviate stress and induce deep relaxation. This relaxation response not [...]
The Healing Touch: How Massage Therapy Nurtures Digestive Wellness
Stress has become an unwelcome companion for many, often wreaking havoc on our digestive systems. The gut, often referred to as our “second brain,” plays a crucial role in our overall well-being, influencing not only digestion but also our immune system and mental health. When digestion keeps us from feeling our best, the therapeutic power of massage not only offers relaxation but it also illuminates a pathway to improved digestion and gut health. Massage therapy isn’t just about indulgence; it’s [...]
Smooth Out Your Shoulders with Massage
The shoulder is a complex joint comprised of several structures including bones, muscles, ligaments, and tendons. The main bones involved are the humerus (upper arm bone), scapula (shoulder blade), and clavicle (collarbone). The shoulder joint itself allows for a wide range of motion but is inherently unstable, relying heavily on surrounding muscles and ligaments for support. Muscles surrounding the shoulder joint include: Deltoid: Located on the outer side of the shoulder, responsible for lifting the arm and giving the shoulder its [...]
Whose Got Your Back?
The human back is a marvel of engineering, comprising an intricate network of muscles, ligaments, nerves, and bones. It serves as the central support structure for our entire body, connecting our upper and lower halves and facilitating movement in every direction. However, this complexity also makes it susceptible to various forms of discomfort and pain, ranging from mild stiffness to debilitating chronic conditions. In such cases, massage therapy emerges as a holistic approach to alleviate back pain and promote [...]
Massage Therapy for a Happy Back
Massage Therapy for a Happy Back Everything flows through the back. The back and spine serves as the pillar of your body, holding and supporting you on many levels. ~ Daily Om The World Health Organization estimates that low back pain alone affected 619 million people globally in 2020 and it is estimated that the number of cases will increase to 843 million cases by 2050, driven largely by population expansion and aging. (https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/low-back-pain ) Backs maintain our balance, coordination, and posture, [...]
Freedom from Lower Back Pain: The Magic of Psoas Stretching During Massage
Do you often find yourself grappling with persistent lower back pain? The solution might be closer than you think. Beyond the soothing ambiance and relaxation that a massage session offers, focusing on a targeted muscle group—the psoas—can be the key to alleviating that nagging discomfort in your lower back. The psoas major, a deep-seated muscle connecting the spine to the femur, plays a crucial role in supporting the lower back. Often referred to as the “fight or flight” muscle, the [...]
The Interplay Between Sleep, Massage and Wellness
Sleep, a cornerstone of overall well-being, is the body’s natural reset button, crucial for physical and mental rejuvenation. The importance of quality sleep cannot be overstated, as it directly influences our mood, cognitive function, and overall health. In this pursuit of optimal sleep, one often-overlooked ally is massage therapy. Massage, traditionally associated with relaxation and stress relief, goes beyond the realms of mere indulgence. Scientifically proven, massage plays a pivotal role in promoting deep, restorative sleep. As stress and tension [...]
Accelerating Healing: The Role of Massage in Recovering from Pulled Ligaments
Dealing with a pulled ligament can be a frustrating and painful experience, often leaving individuals wondering just how long the road to recovery might be. While the healing process varies from person to person and depends on the severity of the injury, incorporating massage into your recovery routine could be a game-changer in shortening the healing time. Understanding the Healing Process: A pulled ligament occurs when the tissue connecting bones and joints is stretched or torn, resulting in pain, swelling, and [...]
Aromatherapy – Supporting the Benefits of Massage Therapy
In our fast-paced, stress-filled world, people are constantly seeking ways to relax and rejuvenate. Two complementary therapies that have gained immense popularity for their ability to promote overall well-being are aromatherapy and massage therapy. When combined, these two practices create a harmonious synergy that can take relaxation and healing to a whole new level. Aromatherapy is the art and science of using essential oils, derived from plants, to promote physical, mental, and emotional well-being. These oils, when inhaled or applied [...]
Healing Touch: How Massage Therapy Benefits Your Lymphatic System
When we think of massage therapy, relaxation and stress relief often come to mind. However, massage therapy offers more than just a momentary escape from our daily worries. It can also provide significant benefits to our overall health, including support for the lymphatic system. The lymphatic system plays a crucial role in maintaining our body’s fluid balance, immune function, and toxin removal. Unlike the circulatory system, the lymphatic system doesn’t have a central pump like the heart. Instead, it relies [...]
Take The Weight Off Your Shoulders
Your shoulders are one of the most common areas of discomfort and pain in the body. The shoulder consists of three main bones, humerus, clavicle, and scapula that operate in a ball and socket joint system. The bones are surrounded by layers of cartilage, tendons and muscle fibres. With such a complicated construction, it is easy to see how there could be multiple opportunities for pain and mobility issues to develop. Pain can be generated in the shoulder area due [...]
Get Stretched Like A Cat – Myofascial Massage to Free Your Body
When injury or chronic issues with your back, shoulders, hips or other areas of the body causes pain and loss of flexibility or function, it is usually the soft connective tissue in the affected area that is in need of attention. Pain can result when connective tissue called fascia become bound up causing contractions of muscle fibers as well as restricted blood flow in the tightened area. When your body hurts, myofascial therapy can help restore your mobility and [...]
Massage Therapy and the Long Reach of the Vagus Nerve
From the links below, we learn that “the vagus nerve is the longest cranial nerve that runs from the brain stem to the large intestine. It is appropriately named from the Latin work “vagus” which means “wandering” and is responsible for multiple functions of internal organs in the body.” As well, it plays a vital role in regulating your overall physical and mental wellbeing. Your vagus nerve helps control sensory and motor functions of the sympathetic system (fight or flight [...]
Healthy Sleep Through Massage Therapy
Regular periods of sleep are key to a healthy body and a clear mind, as it is during sleep that your body renews itself ~Daily Om It seems that sleep is the greatest variable in our busy lives. If we have too much to do that cannot fit into a regular day, sleep is the area that we often sacrifice. We can work into the early hours of the morning, sleep a few hours and wake up to face a [...]
How Too Much Sitting Affects Your Health
Historically, the human body was made to withstand constant motion. In our ancestral past, the days were filled with walking, running, hunting, gathering, farming and the like. Today, most of our time is taken up with us firmly planted in front of a computer screen with little motion or variety in our activities. Today, the majority of the population worldwide leans toward jobs and focus that are sedentary lifestyles. According to the World Health Organization statistics, sedentary lifestyles are a [...]
Rheumatoid Arthritis and Massage Therapy
Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is a painful systemic illness that affects multiple parts of the body. It is commonly thought that it mostly causes pain as inflammation attacks cartilage and bone in the joints. People who have been diagnosed often use medication and other techniques such as heat/ice, rest and other techniques to manage their debilitating symptoms. One consideration for therapeutic support where sufferers are often cautious, is massage therapy. The worry is that using the stroke and pressure techniques [...]
A Fascinating Look at Our Cells and Why Massage is Vital to Cellular Health
Were you aware just how enormous the cellular structure in our body really is? On average, science has determined that our population of cells within our body totals somewhere around 37 trillion that includes some 50 billion fat cells, two billion heart muscle cells and 240 billion cells in a healthy liver! Cells are the basic building blocks of all the systems and organs in the human body. They cells work together with similar cells to form tissues and tissues [...]
Peripheral Neuropathy and Massage Therapy
Your peripheral nervous system connects the nerves from your brain and spinal cord, or central nervous system, to the rest of your body including your arms, hands, legs, feet, face, mouth and internal organs. This system delivers signals about physical sensations from the extremities back to your brain. Your peripheral nervous system is also responsible for such primary bodily functions as blood circulation and food digestion. Peripheral neuropathy is a condition that disrupts the normal functioning of the nerves within [...]
Massage Therapy for Your Hands
Our hands serve us all our lives – they connect with others, carry groceries, make meals, heal our loved ones, communicate with others, wipe away tears, nourish, touch and love. It seems important then, for us to treat our hands with the same support they give to us in life. One of the ways we can do that is through massage therapy. “The health benefits of massage therapy are well-documented, and a hand massage is no exception. Having your hands massaged [...]
What Can Visceral Manipulation Therapy Do for Your Digestive System?
The rush and stress of our day-to-day lives and demands can often translate into tissue restrictions and bodily imbalances over time. The emotional stress we experience can translate into physical issues that can eventually result in such issues as abdominal pain, cramps, constipation and indigestion. Stomach massage also known as visceral manipulation therapy is a gentle, hands-on manual therapy used to help maintain suppleness and optimum functioning of your internal organs also known as ‘viscera’ so that they can continue to [...]
A Healthy Side Benefit of Seeing a Massage Therapist
Regular visits to your massage therapist can provide an ongoing assessment of the hard-to-see places on your body where skin damage can harbour dermatological issues such as moles that might be precursors to skin cancers. No matter how much of a contortionist you might be, it is not possible to clearly view areas of your body such as your back or the back of your neck where sun exposure can generate favourable conditions where melanomas can develop. In addition to all [...]
About the “Somatic” in Massage Therapy
‘Somatic’ is an adjective that is defined as “relating to the body as distinct from the mind” – however, the body and mind are a cohesive mechanism through which your life force flows that offers a precision healing path for emotional and well as physical impairments. As much as massage therapy is a physical manipulation of the body, this article, taken from https://balancedrockbodyworks.com/massage-therapy-and-emotional-release/ offers a refresher in the ancient knowledge that physical pain is also intimately linked to emotional distress. [...]
Can Massage Therapy Support Your Digestive System?
The digestive system is responsible for providing nutrients to the body via the mouth, esophagus, stomach and intestines. When you ingest that delicious meal that you have been salivating over, your digestive system including the mouth, esophagus, stomach and intestines breaks down that food into usable nutrients. It also eliminates waste from the body. Short and long-term Issues with digestion such as bacteria in food, infection, stress, certain medications, or chronic medical conditions such as colitis, Crohn’s disease, and IBS, constipation, [...]
Painless Mobility Goes Through Your Hip Flexors
Virtually every movement your body makes goes through the hips. Hip flexors are the engine through which our bodies move. They control balance, our ability to sit, stand, twist, reach, bend, walk and step. And when the hip flexors tighten it can lead to a host of problems, even in seemingly healthy and active individuals. Tight or locked hip flexors can contribute to your hip-related sports injuries or hip-related health issues such as: lower back pain and hip pain. damaged and injured tissues. Poor [...]
The Value of Stretching in Massage Therapy
Overused muscles can put physical stress on the body causing chronic tightness and soreness of those muscles as well as of joints. The cycle of joint and muscle dysfunction and pain can feed on itself causing further muscle and joint tightness, restricted motion and discomfort. With repetitive movements such as reaching, lifting, running, exercising, playing sports, etc., the cycle of tightness and pain can ramp up and cause debilitating restrictions in the free flow of movement in the body. Perhaps [...]
Chronic Neck Pain and How Massage Can Help
Here is a statistic to leave you awestruck: It is estimated that worldwide, 6.6 billion people own smartphones – that is 83% of the global population! Considering that on average, the time spent each day hunched over your phone or a computer screen is somewhere around three or more hours – every day! – it is no wonder that neck pain issues (sometimes known as ‘tech neck’) is a growing problem for the vast majority of planetary humans! When we [...]
Time for a Reboot? Get a Massage
Without even being aware of it, our deadlines, work and home demands and even our socializing can take over our lives and fill every nook and cranny of our time schedule. As we strive to keep up with our obligations, the stress and tension can begin to translate into debilitating symptoms that we might ignore and just push through. However, those lower back pains, achy shoulders, sore necks and stiff joints can get progressively more frequent and persistent until [...]
Soft Tissue Strains and How Massage Can Help Heal Them
Soft tissue injuries occur in muscles, tendons and/or ligaments and represent the most common kind of musculoskeletal damage anywhere on the body. It might happen as a sports injury or from repetitive actions that can cause pain, swelling, limited range of motion, and bruising at the site of the injury. If these are ignored without some treatment, they can lead to more serious issues. Massage therapy is the kind of treatment that provides relief from pain and can also [...]
Why Massage Therapy Supports Stress Relief
It is no secret that massage therapy promotes a sense of deep relaxation and wellbeing. Sometimes we give ourselves the gift of one but it is easy to overlook the health benefits of regular treatments. Maybe it is time to move massage from the ‘luxury’ column to the ‘necessary’ column of self-care? Regular massage can effectively reduce stress and anxiety, something of which there is no shortage these days! The physiological markers for this treatment of stress and anxiety lies in [...]
Physiotherapy? Massage Therapy? What to Choose for Healing
When pain and discomfort inevitably invade your busy life, what is the most efficient way to manage it? Sometimes the solution to getting you back on track is as simple as taking over-the-counter pain medication and getting a good night’s sleep. However, that is not always the case because your injury or chronic pain may need a professional to assess and support your healing. Physiotherapy and remedial massage therapy are two of the most popular options that offer expert assistance, [...]
Release of Chronic Stress with Massage
With the Holiday Season upon us, it cannot be emphasized too much how stress can impact your everyday wellbeing. A consistent sense of feeling pressured and overwhelmed over a long period of time can result in aches, pains, chronic disease, insomnia, weakness, less socialization and scattered thinking to mention a few side effects. What Is Stress? Stress is the body’s reaction to harmful situations whether they’re real or perceived. When you feel threatened, a chemical reaction known as “fight or flight” [...]
Inflammation – How Massage Can Help
Inflammation is not a bad word if you consider that it is actually a healing response of the body when an injury, toxic or allergic reaction or infection occurs. It is the mechanism which protects the body internally, stops further damage and ultimately activates the processes necessary to repair the injured area. The Mechanics of Inflammation The process of inflammation is both complex and interesting and involves endogenous (internally sourced) cellular activities, the work of inflammatory mediators and other regulatory chemicals. [...]
Health Benefits of Massage – How It Is Good For You!
There are many reasons why people seek out massage. Whether you are an office worker who is stressed from working overtime or you are an athlete recovering from a sports injury, massage is a perfect way to release multiple physical and emotional stressors in the body. Every massage has its own way of providing relaxation and supporting healing. Here are some of the more significant benefits that a trip to your remedial massage therapist can deliver to you: Touch and [...]
Can Massage Help Your Hip Flexors? Why That Might Be Important For Your Health
The muscle group that lies in the pelvic region and upper thighs are known as the hip flexors. These muscles help us raise and bend our knees while keeping the legs and pelvis aligned. The ability to sit or run is lost without these flexors. Research tells us that when your hip muscles are not strong enough, it can result in slower performance during any motion or exercise. The body is capable of compensating for the weakness of the flexor [...]
Can Massage Therapy Help With Knee Pain?
Massage therapy: why do it? Patients who have undergone knee surgery or who are struggling with debilitating knee pain are looking for a pain management technique that is natural, effective, and safe. Massage therapy is often the answer for many people. With the benefits this provides, it’s no wonder why. Why do my knees hurt? It is pretty important to take care of your knees since they work in partnership with your legs. We cannot run, walk, pet a cute pup, kick [...]
Does Massage Therapy Help With Fibromyalgia?
Fibromyalgia is a chronic musculoskeletal illness that affects approximately 5 million people all across the world. It is a disease that affects women more than men and is characterised by increasing pains throughout the body, fatigue, stiffness, tension headaches and sleeping disorders. Despite the cause of fibromyalgia still being unknown and there being no definite cure, there are several ways to gain relief from its symptoms, especially the pain. What is known about Fibromyalgia? There are about 18 tender points that [...]
Muscle Loss – It Isn’t Just An Aging Issue
It might surprise you to know that muscle atrophy, which is a decrease in muscle mass and strength, is a prevalent condition that affects more than just the aging population. Matter of fact, it is generally understood that anyone over the age of 30 loses somewhere between 3-5% of muscle mass every 10 years. In the time of Covid-19 where gyms have been shut-down and fitness regimens have been severely interrupted, the issue of muscle loss is a very real [...]
Repressed Emotions, Your Body Aches and Pains, and Massage
We are often taught to push away negative feelings because they are unpleasant and difficult to deal with. While hiding our emotions from our awareness may feel relieving in the moment, the feelings do not simply disappear. Instead, our unwanted emotions are stored as energy within our body and, if not released, can result in symptoms of physical pain and discomfort. The cycle that occurs in this process is as follows: “Negative emotions aren’t as welcome as positive emotions. When [...]
Massage after knee surgery? How It Can Help Your Healing
“The effects of massage therapy on pain, swelling and range of motion after total knee replacement surgery was examined in 2015 research published in the Journal of Physical Therapy Science. (https://www.amtamassage.org/publications/massage-therapy-journal/massage-orthopedic-pathologies/ ) The study found that massage is a comparable alternative to physical therapy to manage knee edema early in postoperative recovery.” Itmight seem counterintuitive to think about massage after knee replacementsurgery when the pain of recovery can sometimes be greater than the pain that originally sent you for the procedure! The process of knee replacement involves cutting into muscles around [...]
Proprioception and Massage
Your body has its own genius navigation system that orients you in relation to the space around you. This awareness is known as proprioception and it is described as the ability you have that allows you to touch your nose with your index finger when your eyes are closed, balance on one foot and know where your arm is when you hold it up or put it down by your side without actually looking at it. Even if you [...]
Dealing with the Endless Disruption of Restless Leg Syndrome
Just when you need to sleep and rest from a hectic life, it starts. You finally are in bed and your lower leg and foot muscles start to tingle, spasm and generally feel like the above image looks. Accompanying these sensations, is the overwhelming urge to move the affected limb. You try rubbing your legs, walking around or doing deep knee bends but those crawly feelings just won’t let you sleep. Welcome to the world of Restless Leg Syndrome [...]
Why Mobility Matters and How Massage Can Help
“Mobility is the ability of a joint to move freely through a given range of motion (ROM) without restriction from surrounding tissues. Flexibility is defined as the ability of soft tissues (which include muscles, tendons and ligaments) to lengthen correctly, which allows a joint to move through its optimal ROM” ~ movebybjc.org You probably don’t think too much about the gift of mobility in your life. Most of us hop out of bed in the morning, drive our car to work, and freely [...]
Massage, Touch and Your Emotional Wellbeing
By nature, we are social beings who need connection with our fellow humans. Healthy touch is one of the most powerful ways to accomplish that. Healthy touch is a basic and vital human need that from our birth is a source for emotional wellbeing in us all. When caregivers hold and nurture an infant, it provides a sense of safety and creates necessary bonding with others that reverberates throughout life. Touch is so impactful as we grow that it [...]
How Massage Therapy Can Keep Your Cells Healthy Part 4 of 4
Taking Out the Trash – Removal of Cellular Waste Products Constant cleansing of the cells of the body is a crucial a biological process for your optimum health. It is as important and necessary as it is for you to keep your home orderly, free of debris and clean. Without cleanliness in your home, you would surely be buried in your own trash and your living space would be choked with unhealthy, decomposing materials that would invite disease and would [...]
How Massage Therapy Can Keep Your Cells Healthy Part 3 of 4
Increased Oxygenation Oxygen circulates to the cells of the body through the bloodstream. When it reaches the cells, there is a release of toxins and waste as the oxygen molecules flow into the space that the toxins have left behind. When circulation is optimum, oxygen’s many supportive properties help assure the body is energized, properly respirated and that the many cellular functions occur as designed. A massage encourages and increases oxygenation throughout the body because it boosts blood circulation. Why does [...]
How Massage Therapy Can Keep Your Cells Healthy Part 2 of 4
How Massage Therapy Can Keep Your Cells Healthy Part 2 of 4 Increased Lymphatic Drainage “Cells are the basic building blocks of all living things. The human body is composed of trillions of cells. They provide structure for the body, take in nutrients from food, convert those nutrients into energy, and carry out specialized functions.” ~ ghr.nlm.nih.gov Last month, we discussed the healing benefits that massage therapy can bring to damaged cells by encouraging the exchange of nutrients and clearing of toxins. This month, we get a little [...]
How Massage Can Keep Your Cells Stay Healthy Part 1 of 4
How Massage Can Keep Your Cells Stay Healthy Part 1 of 4 Cellular Exchange “Cells are the basic building blocks of all living things. The human body is composed of trillions of cells. They provide structure for the body, take in nutrients from food, convert those nutrients into energy, and carry out specialized functions.” ~ ghr.nlm.nih.gov At the bottom of your body’s internal ‘food chain’ lie your cells. They are the workhorses of your system and although they are tiny, they are mighty and are a vital link [...]
Massage Therapy and Computer Muscle Stress How To Get The Energy Flowing Again!
Computers are part of almost everyone’s daily life. This is especially true these days when coronavirus isolation significantly elevates the computer as a vital link to the outside world. Computers have increasingly become a significant tool of employment, as many people make their living at the keyboard. However, integrated as they may be in everyday existence, computers can also be a source of ill health and poor physical wellbeing. Being hunched over a computer for hours at a time [...]
Can Massage Make You Stronger?
If you are an exercise junkie, then massage can play a significant role in post-workout rehabilitation as well as contribute to the prevention of future injury. The question is, can massage actually make your muscles stronger? Massage can help directly repair muscles in these ways: Mobilises toxicity – The long stroking movements of massage helps to efficiently move fluid throughout the body’s circulatory system. Increased pressure is created at the front of a massage stroke. The resulting suction on the backside [...]
Your Sports Massage and You
Sports massage not only supports joint mobility and helps heal musculoskeletal injuries, but performed regularly, it can also be a great prevention tool against future damage for athletes. Whether you are a runner, dancer, member of a sports team, or an athlete recovering from an injury that has you sidelined, sports massage is an integral protocol you can incorporate to maintain optimum performance capabilities, provide efficient recovery and assure future well-being. Sports massage can be done just prior to a [...]
Spinal Alignment, Massage Therapy and Your Health
The spinal cord is a long tube-like structure, which extends from the brain, runs the length of the back and terminates in the lumbar region. It is housed in the protective bony vertebral column that consists of 33 circular bones or vertebrae that we commonly refer to as the spine. Besides protection for the spinal cord, the spine also allows the body to be upright and contributes to its shape and structure in conjunction with the ribs, pelvis and muscles [...]
Cooling the Pain of Morton’s Neuroma with Massage
A New Year usually means a surge toward action and movement in pursuit of stated goals. It’s a fresh page where you can write a fresh chapter of your life and act on! However, what happens if that ability to freely move is hindered by foot pain? Not a fun way to ‘hobble’ into the New Year, right? Morton’s Neuroma A particularly common painful foot condition that can literally stop you in your tracks is called Morton’s Neuroma. A neuroma refers [...]
Improve Your Wellbeing: How Massage Affects The Endocrine System
Your body is a brilliant, finely tuned mechanism that comes highly equipped to respond to whatever your life activities and experiences can throw at it. For example, if there is a signal of danger from the brain, the adrenals will secrete cortisol into the body to activate the fight or flight response so you can stay safe. Or if you need fuel, the body knows how to call up certain hormones to convert the calories you ingest into energy [...]
Can Massage Therapy Help You Lose Weight?
In the difficult journey to weight loss, it is worthwhile considering how massage therapy can be an ally. The following article is a great read. Its contents are reproduced in their entirety from: https://www.integrativehealthcare.org/mt/6-ways-massage-therapy-supports-weight-loss-goals/ (author: Yvonne Zipter, LMT, BCTMB) It may seem too good to be true that massage can help with a weight-loss program. However, there are indeed many ways in which massage therapy can support your exercise and weight-loss goals. Massage is unlikely to have a direct impact on weight loss, [...]
Got Anxiety? Depressed? The Mind-Body Connection and How Massage Therapy Can Help
The Cartesian concepts of duality don’t work anymore. The mind-body connection is irrefutable ~ Dr. Kelly Brogan When you feel sadness, your body reacts with tears. When you feel shame, your face flushes with embarrassment. The reverse is also true. How your physical behavior affects your mood. What you eat, your levels of exercise, how much sleep you get and even how you sit changes your mood and attitude. (Consider how being asked to ‘sit up straight’ is about improving [...]
Rules of the Road After A Massage – Keeping that Healing Feeling
You just had a wonderful massage and are feeling relaxed, clear-headed and energized in a good way! So how do you stretch out the benefits of the massage you just had. Massage is known to have that effect – it Improves circulation, reduces high blood pressure, releases toxins, improves joint flexibility, helps calm aches and pains and can give you a boost of pure bliss and energy. So, now what? Is this just a fleeting ‘feel good’ moment or can you [...]
Deep Tissue Massage – When “Ouch” is a Good Thing and Other Benefits
If chronic pain and discomfort interrupt your life, you may want to consider massage, especially deep tissue massage to address the musculoskeletal issues that could be at the bottom of the problems. Such conditions as strains, sports injuries, tennis elbow, fibromyalgia, sciatica, plantar fasciitis, carpal tunnel and even high blood pressure can benefit from deep tissue massage. Why deep tissue massage? Deep tissue massage has a rehabilitative and therapeutic purpose. As the name implies, deep tissue massage targets the deeper, [...]
Does Aromatherapy Enhance Massage?
Have you ever stopped to inhale the fragrance of a flower and noticed a momentary smile and feeling of calm and peace come over you as you did? The physiological response to scents has been used for thousands of years to provide healing and enhanced wellbeing to human life. This knowledge forms the basis for the practice of Aromatherapy. Aromatherapy uses unique concentrated extracts (essential oils) that have been distilled from the blossom, fruit, leaf, stem, bark, wood or resin [...]
What Can Cupping Therapy Do For You?
Inflammation and pain go hand in hand in the physical body and are often the result of chronic muscle stress from such bad habits as poor posture, or repetitive movements such as slumping over a computer everyday or spending extended time holding a phone between your ear and your shoulder. Swelling at the site of pain can be immobilizing and uncomfortable and can actually increase the tension of muscles, which intensifies the cycle. Enter the ancient Chinese therapy of Cupping… Cupping [...]
Why Healthy Workouts Include Massage
Whether you are an athlete in training for an event, you are dedicated to a daily fitness regimen, or you are just starting to embrace the health benefits of regular exercise, the after-effects of a strenuous workout can be painful and sometimes debilitating. Who hasn’t hobbled through the day after a particularly challenging physical routine at the gym or after a long run outdoors? What happens to your body when you exercise? Overall, when you exercise intensely, the muscles, tendons, and [...]
Is Chronic Pain Taking Away Your Enjoyment in Life? Try Deep Tissue Massage
Have you been putting up with chronic muscular pain? Are you simply adapting to what hurts in your body rather than doing something about it? As you move through life, your body finds ways to deal with physical dysfunction. Sitting at a desk for extended periods of time? You may begin to experience swelling or discomfort in your legs or aching in your shoulders. Typing at a computer all day? Maybe your neck is stiff or your wrists and hands [...]
Massage Therapy for Your Feet = Health for Your Whole Body
Your body is a well-coordinated and precisely balanced mechanism. It is designed to work as a whole, singular unit in cooperation with numerous inner systems. Each of the body’s systems functions in an inter-dependent way with all other systems. In a healthy body structure, fascia, muscles, joints, nerves, arteries and organs all work together to maintain the body’s integrity. For example: the heart needs the brain to regulate its operation; the musculoskeletal system depends on nourishment from the digestive system [...]
Health and Vitality through Massage
Invest in your health today or your sickness tomorrow ~ unknown It used to be that massage was perceived as a pampered indulgence – something you did when you were on vacation or a treat you allowed yourself occasionally. But today, massage therapy has evolved. Its popularity has revealed just how vital regular visits to a massage therapist are for your physical well-being as well as your mental and emotional resilience. How Important is Relaxation? One of the prime benefits of [...]
Your Nervous System and Massage – Creating Peace and Well-Being
The nervous system holds the key to the body’s incredible potential to heal itself ~ unknown The nervous system is a complex network of nerves and cells in the body that includes two main branches (the Central Nervous System (CNS) and the Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)) working synergistically to monitor and coordinate the proper functions of internal organs and maintain homeostasis in the body. The CNS is the processing centre for the nervous system. Its two main components, the spinal cord [...]
What Is Trigger Point Therapy?
What Is Trigger Point Therapy? Trigger points might well be considered the hot spots of muscle pain. Existing as small, hard nodules, they produce pain completely out of proportion to their actual size, especially if they are sitting right on top of a nerve. Trigger points will often radiate pain out from their point of origin to cause discomfort at a spot separated from the actual trigger point. Trigger points can actually be felt during massage and pressure on them [...]
Massage and Migraines / Headaches
Although headaches can range from slightly irritating right up to headaches that feel as though your skull was bursting open, they all have one thing in common – we want them to go away as quickly as possible and stay away. When you get a headache, it’s not the brain itself that hurts; it will be the structures surrounding the brain that are actually the source of pain. Headaches are considered to fall into two basic categories – primary [...]
Deep Tissue Massage Benefits
Similar, but more comprehensive than a Swedish massage, deep tissue massage allows the massage therapist to reach more completely into the muscles and connective tissues to provide relief from chronic conditions. There should be little or no pain involved in receiving a deep tissue massage, but the client should be aware that you will ‘feel’ this type of massage to a greater degree than you will a more conventional massage. Relief for Sore Muscles and Much, Much More Undoubtedly most people [...]
Aromatherapy and Its Benefits
Although the human sense of smell is hardly as developed as it is in many animals, we still respond favourably or unfavourably to different odours. Just smelling a fragrant flower can help to elevate our mood and clear our minds momentarily of care and worry. Aromatherapy is based on the connection between what we smell and the reactions that our mind and body produce. While aromatherapy is still considered to be a non-conventional approach to medicine, recent studies have [...]
Massage and Sports
Massage plays a part in every form of sport or exercise. Unfortunately, many people believe aches and pains are an inevitable consequence to activity. But massage can actually reduce or eliminate what may appear to be exercise-induced pain. It can increase endurance, control fatigue and help people feel better when used as part of a regular health program. Massage can also speed muscle recovery rates as it eliminates irritation from waste. By helping reduce fatigue and aid recovery, massage enables [...]
Why Should Everyone Get a Regular Massage?
Tired, Sore & Stressed out? Most people would agree a massage makes them feel good. But many probably don’t realise exactly how good a regular massage is for their overall health. How about if they knew massage could improve performance, aid recovery, prevent and eliminate injuries, reduce stress and even enhance metabolism and circulation! With so many alternative health treatments available it’s little wonder people get confused about where to go when they’re not feeling the best. But, while new [...]
How Facial Massage Can Relieve Sinus Congestion
Within your facial structure, there is a complex, asymmetrical network of open cavities that are known as sinuses. The mucous lined sinus areas are connected to the nasal cavity and to each other through small passages called osteomeatal complex. With the help of gravity, they drain into the nose through these connections. Sinuses are located on either side of the nose and behind your cheekbones (maxillary); above your eyebrows in your forehead (frontal); between your eyes (ethmoidal); and behind your [...]
Abdominal Massage Therapy for Improved Digestion and So Much More…
Did you know that the practice of abdominal massage promotes both a physical as well as psychological sense of well-being in your life? Like any other form of massage, it delivers a deep sense of relaxation and freedom from stress but it offers other specific health benefits too. Toxicity from poor eating habits, stressful living, lack of regular exercise can affect the proper functioning of the gut and can compromise the healthy operation of your immune system, nervous system, hormonal [...]
How Therapeutic Massage Can Help Sciatica
The sciatic nerve is the longest nerve in the body. It runs from the lumbar spine at the lower back, moves through the buttocks and branches out to extend down both legs to the feet. It is responsible for sensations experienced in the lower back, hips, legs, outside of the knee, upper foot as well as the heels and soles of the feet. When the sciatic nerve is inflamed or becomes irritated (sciatica), it can cause throbbing, burning pain, [...]
Iliotibial Band Syndrome and the Role of Massage In Healing It
Iliotibial band syndrome is the name given to an injury that causes pain and tenderness along the outside of the thigh and knee or just above the knee joint. If you engage in activities such as running, cycling, hiking or long distance walking that involve repeated flexion and extension of the knee, you could be at risk. What exactly is the Iliotibial (IT) Band? Your IT band is a thick band of connective tissues that sources from the fascia in the [...]
MyoFascial Release with Massage – Why It’s Important
Fascia is our biggest sensory organ, our organ of awareness– our internal ocean. ~ Tom Myers What is Fascia? Fascia is the system of slippery, white-colored connective tissue that exists throughout the body and surrounds every muscle, organ, and nerve. Its purpose is to provide protection to the inner physical body from external trauma. It is also a structural support for muscles and bones to help them function through a wide range of motion including sitting, running, jumping and changing positions (from [...]
The Surprising Connection Between Hip Flexors and Your Health
Hip flexors are the engine through which our bodies move ~ Mike Westerdal You may know that the hips are the prime link between the upper and lower body. They are intimately connected to all body movement. But did you realise that the muscles (hip flexors) within the hip structure are a vital component of your overall health and well-being? What are hip flexors? The hip flexors are made up of a group of muscles that extend from one hip bone to [...]
How Massage Can Improve the Pain of Shin Splints
If you are a runner or have drastically changed the intensity of your workouts recently, you might experience the painful condition known as Shin Splints. Medically known as ‘medial tibial stress syndrome’, it is a condition that refers to pain experienced along the tibia or shinbone at the front of the lower leg. Are you at risk? Shin splints develop as a result of repeated stress on the bones, muscles and joints that run from the knee to the ankle. This [...]
Chronic Constipation – Can Massage Provide Relief?
Abdominal massage has been referred to as the “key to unlocking stubborn pain”, and many unrecognizable restrictions that cause and help constipation are often held in this area. ~ massage-education.com Whether it is abdomen distension, tenderness and achiness or simply a feeling of discomfort, the effects of constipation can intrude on your ability to fully participate in activities. It is one of the most common medical issues and it can be supported with massage. The medical profession defines constipation as having [...]
Suffering From Frozen Shoulder? Massage Can Help!
Your shoulder provides strength, flexibility and a wide range of motion that allows such everyday tasks as lifting, reaching, pulling, and pushing. It is one of the largest joints in the body. It is also one of the most vulnerable sites for injury and damage due to its complex structure and the necessity for looseness within the area so that fluid motion can occur. The Shoulder’s Physiology The shoulder system is a network of ligament, cartilage, bones and tendons that provide [...]
Massage and Its Effect on Poor Circulation
If you have ever noticed swelling in your legs or feet, experienced painful leg cramps or have felt cold or numb in your fingers or toes, poor circulation might be to blame. Meet Your Circulatory System The circulatory system is actually made up of three sub-systems – the heart (cardiovascular), lungs (pulmonary), and the ventricles, arteries and veins (systemic) that act as the delivery system to the body. It is responsible for the flow of blood and lymph throughout the body. [...]
Can Massage Relieve Sciatica?
The sciatic nerve, also know the ischiiatic nerve, is a major player in the functioning of lower extremities. It is the largest nerve in the body that runs from the bottom of the spine through the buttocks and down the back of the leg. The sciatic nerve connects the nervous system to the skin and muscles of the leg and back of the thigh. It is responsible for the control of the muscles in the back of the knee, [...]
How Massage Can Help Heal A Groin Pull
New Years resolutions and summer outdoors activities can be the perfect storm for injury as you get more active and try to live up to the promises you make to yourself to ‘get in shape’. If you haven’t been keeping up with exercise over the winter, jogging, playing basketball, hiking or riding your bike may result in a struggle for your body to meet the sudden and intense demands placed on it to perform. Such issues as a pulled [...]
The Role of Skin In Massage
Anyone who has experienced massage knows how healing, relaxing and calming it can be. The main reason for this is the interaction that takes place between a skilled therapist’s touch and the client’s skin. While this seems like a fairly simple process to understand, there is a complex and invisible communication between your skin and brain that allows you to experience the many benefits that you do from massage. The Skin Human skin forms part of the body’s integumentary system, which [...]
Why Does Your Heel Hurt?
If you are experiencing: pain in your heel that seems to be slowly getting worse, discomfort in the arch of your foot tenderness in your heel that is more predominant in the morning or your heel is swollen …you may be dealing with Plantar Faciitis. This is a very common heel issue that results from excessive stretching of the soft wide band of tissue (plantar fascia) and tendon that runs from the heel bone, across the arch of the foot and connects into the forefoot. [...]
Massage Support for Hamstring Injuries
Whether you are an athlete, a weekend warrior, or simply an active individual, you can thank your multi-tasking hamstrings for your ability to kick, jump, run, sprint, climb and execute sudden stop and start motions like those that are part of playing basketball or football. The hamstrings are a group of three large muscles (the semitendinosus, semimembranosus and biceps femoris) located in the back of your thigh that attach to the sitting bones (ischium) and stretch across the back of [...]
Can Massage Improve Brain Function?
Brain health is a primary focus of well-being. Your brain chemistry and function improve as you learn a new language, take up a new activity, stay socially engaged or when you commit to new experiences on a daily basis. Another significant way to maintain brain health is through regular physical activity. Here are two ways that exercise supports optimal cognitive function: Besides helping the body maintain good health, physical exercise is also known to increase the size of the brain’s hippocampus, [...]
Massage Therapy to Heal Scar Tissue
Each day as we walk, run, sit, bend, lift or rest, our body’s complex web of fascia, ligaments and tendons work synergistically to help those movements occur. Strung in perfect balance and function throughout our structure, these connective tissues stretch, tighten and hold as needed when we engage our daily activities. Ideally movement is smooth and painless but injury, surgery and other damage can cause disruptions to this inner network inhibiting motion and causing discomfort. Such constrictions are the [...]
How Massage Can Energise You
Hidden within the relaxation effects of massage is also an opportunity for an energy boost. While massage is usually associated with relaxation and calm, there are a number of subtle ways it helps stimulate energy and optimises body functions to help pull you through those winter days of gray and chill. A little extra energy can be a grateful gift during times of the year when there is less sun and colder temperatures. Energy-Giving Benefits of Massage Better sleep – Lack [...]
Help from Massage in Healing Tennis Elbow
Lateral Epicondylitis or its more common name, ‘Tennis Elbow’ is a painful and debilitating condition which makes it difficult to do the simplest of things – hold a pen, shake hands, turn a steering wheel, open a door or carry a suitcase. The injury originally earned its name by afflicting several famous tennis players but it affects more than this segment of the population. The discomfort and tenderness of tennis elbow that begins in the elbow and can radiate into [...]
Massage and The Oxytocin Connection
Those feelings of bonding and connection you get when you make love, hug a friend, breathe deeply, walk in nature or pet your cat? They are generated because of the release of Oxytocin, often called the ‘love hormone’. Oxytocin originates in the brain’s hypothalamus and is secreted into the bloodstream by the pituitary. It is a neurotransmitter that affects numerous psychological and physiological responses in the body’s nervous system. Oxytocin also works with an opposing hormone, vasopressin (part of stimulation [...]
Can Massage Help Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?
While stress is most notable as an emotional response to overwhelm, the body can become physically stressed from habitual movements repeated over extended periods of time. Stress in this context can cause: swelling, distortion and breakdown in the soft tissue that cushions the bones and tendons; tightness in muscles that leads to constricted circulation and the loss of the muscles’ ability to return to a natural resting state. The resulting disorder called Repetitive Stress Injury (RSI) can impair body movement and cause [...]
Rotator Cuff Injuries and Massage Relief
When you use your computer, turn a screwdriver, lift your luggage, throw a ball, pull a box down from a shelf, or even just brush your teeth, your rotator cuff is instrumental in allowing these actions. The rotator cuff is the collection of muscles, ligaments and tendons in the shoulder joint that enables movements such as pushing, pulling, lifting, reaching and twisting. Reduced range of motion, weakness or pain in performing any of these tasks can signify injury, damage or [...]
Sports Massage for Soft Tissue Injuries
A detail image of a female leg being massaged. “Soft tissue” is the collective term commonly used to refer to the “softer” materials of the external parts of the body that exclude bones and joints. Your body is made up of 70% soft tissue such as muscles, tendons, fascia, ligaments, and nerves that connect, support, or surround other structures and organs. The body’s soft tissues are particularly susceptible to injury that can result in anything from minor to very serious depending on [...]
Can Massage Help Your Migraine?
Migraine headaches are one of the most common disorders affecting approximately one billion people worldwide. A migraine is characterized by debilitating moderate to severe pain and throbbing in the head (usually on one side), and can be accompanied by nausea, sensitivity to light, smells, sound, as well as visual disturbances called an ‘aura’. These symptoms can worsen with any exertion and are sometimes preceded by neurologic signs such as seeing flashes of light or noticing blind spots in vision [...]
Massage to Relieve Neck Pain
Neck pain is one of the most common reasons people seek medical treatment. Out of 291 conditions studied, neck pain is ranked 4th highest in terms of disability according to an Australian study, Global Burden of Disease 2010 Study. Additional global research ranks neck pain as a significant impairment that affects quality of life and well-being. The neck is the main thoroughfare for muscles, blood vessels and major arteries, nerves, bones and cartilage to support vital brain, respiratory, and nerve [...]
Massage for Children and Infants
Touch therapy triggers many physiological changes that help infants and children grow and develop. ~ Tiffany Field, PhD. Touch is one of the first senses to develop in utero through the growth of skin that contains millions of sensory fibers of this first organ of the body. It is the first thing we experience when we are born and thus it is a vital communication that signals safety and survival. Studies have proven that child or infant massage is a positive [...]
Massage and Acute Care
“Touch is often the most neglected or assaulted sense of the hospitalized patient” ~ Barb White, MS, LMT Massage is making its way to prominence in the medical mainstream. As a touch modality, massage is no longer on the sidelines of healing. It is becoming the 21st century balance to the technology side of the health-care environment. Its plays a vital, supportive role in the well-being of hospital patients in intensive care units, cancer wards, delivery rooms and psychiatric wards as well [...]
How Massage Benefits The Aging Process
“…While integrating massage therapy into a health and wellness plan is useful for all ages, it holds particular value in the growing elder population.” ~ Nancy M. Porambo, President of the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA). Statistics are showing that global life expectancy is increasing. A recent study by the United Nations indicated that worldwide population of persons over 60 years old represented 11.7% in 2013. This figure is projected to reach 21% within the next 30 years. Those persons [...]