Tag - massage health benefits

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 Can Improve Posture

“Our necks and backs hurt, and poor posture is the No. 1 culprit,” says Janice Novak, M.S., author of the book, Posture, Get it Straight! Poor posture is one of the signature physical patterns that reflect our lifestyle and our stress. While it can be an inherited disability, it most often is the result of developed bad habits in daily living. Today, you are asked to adapt to a world that operates against the natural tendencies of good posture in your [...]

Sports Massage and Mobility

Our body’s mobility is a result of the synergistic interactions of a complex system of muscles, tendons, ligaments, bones and brain signals that work together to initiate movement. The integrity and strength of our mobility is a primary consideration in our overall health and well-being and it can be impaired by injury or disease. This is particularly true for athletes. Whether you are a professional or amateur, injuries do happen that can interrupt muscle function, cause pain and diminish [...]