Massage therapy is too often perceived as just a luxury, but it can play an important role in a health regimen. Here are five ways massage therapy can improve your health and wellness.

1. Lower stress. The longterm effects of stress can take emotional and physical tolls. Massage therapy is proven to relieve stress and conditions associated with it, such as tension headaches.
2. Increase immune function. Medical research indicates that massage therapy can help boost immune system strength by increasing the activity level of the body’s natural “killer T cells,” which fight off viruses.
3. Boost mental health and wellness. Research suggests that symptoms of stress, anxiety and depression (all associated with mental health) may be directly affected with massage therapy.
4. Manage pain. Pain can negatively affect a person’s quality of life and impede recovery from illness or injury. Recent findings highlight the role of massage in pain management.
5. Improve physical fitness. Elite and recreational athletes alike can benefit from regular massage therapy—massage is proven to reduce muscle tension, improve exercise performance and prevent injuries.

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Longer and warmer days offer the perfect backdrop to dust off the running shoes and embark on a new fitness goal. One unwanted side effect is increased muscle soreness. The good news is that integrating massage therapy into your health and wellness routine can help alleviate some discomfort.

In fact, research indicates that massage therapy reduces inflammation of skeletal muscle acutely damaged through exercise. The study, conducted by the Buck Institute for Research on Aging and McMaster University in Ontario, provides evidence for the benefits of massage therapy for those with musculoskeletal injuries and potentially for those with inflammatory disease, according to the lead author of the research.

•  The study found evidence at the cellular level that massage therapy may affect inflammation in a way similar to anti-inflammatory medications.
• The researchers “found that massage activated the mechanotransduction signaling pathways focal adhesion kinase (FAK) and extracellular signal–regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2), potentiated mitochondrial biogenesis signaling [nuclear peroxisome proliferator–activated receptor γ coactivator 1α (PGC-1α)], and mitigated the rise in nuclear factor κB (NFκB) (p65) nuclear accumulation caused by exercise-induced muscle trauma.”1

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Massage Therapy for Chronic Low-Back Pain

Research released in July 2011 expanded on previous studies demonstrating the effectiveness of massage therapy for chronic low back pain. Researchers found that “patients receiving massage were twice as likely as those receiving usual care to report significant improvements in both their pain and function”. The study was conducted over 10 weeks through Group Health Research Institute.

• Participants had a 60-minute massage once a week for 10 weeks.
• Massage patients also said they reduced the amount of over the counter anti-inflammatory medications they took.
• The study compared both relaxation massage and “structural massage” therapy and found no difference in the results from the type of massage given.

Cherkin DC, Sherman KJ, Kahn J, Wellman R, Cook AJ, Johnson E, Erro J, Delaney K, Deyo RA. A comparison of the effects of 2 types of massage and usual care on chronic low back pain: a randomized, controlled trial.
Ann Intern Med. 2011 Jul 5;155(1):1-9.

Massage Therapy for Inflammation After Exercise

Research through the Buck Institute for Research on Aging and McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario indicates that massage therapy reduces inflammation of skeletal muscle acutely damaged through exercise. The study provides evidence for the benefits of massage therapy for those with musculoskeletal injuries and potentially for those with inflammatory disease, according to the lead author of the research.

• The study found evidence at the cellular level that massage therapy may affect inflammation in a way similar to anti-inflammatory medications.
• The researchers “found that massage activated the mechanotransduction signaling pathways focal adhesion kinase (FAK) and extracellular signal–regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2), potentiated mitochondrial biogenesis signaling [nuclear peroxisome proliferator–activated receptor γ coactivator 1α (PGC-1α)], and mitigated the rise in nuclear factor κB (NFκB) (p65) nuclear accumulation caused by exercise-induced muscle trauma.”

J. D. Crane, D. I. Ogborn, C. Cupido, S. Melov, A. Hubbard, J. M. Bourgeois, M. A. Tarnopolsky, Massage Therapy Attenuates Inflammatory Signaling After Exercise-Induced Muscle Damage. Sci. Transl. Med. 4, 119ra13 (2012).

Massage has recently been proven to reduce pain and anxiety in surgery patients.

Massage works by soothing soft tissue and encouraging relaxation. Modern studies show that massage can successfully treat a range of disorders, including back pain, anxiety and high blood pressure. Different types of massage include aromatherapy massage, massage for babies, reflexology, shiatsu massage, remedial massage and relaxation massage.

Massage is perhaps one of the oldest healing traditions. Many cultures – including the Ancient Greeks, Egyptians, Chinese and Indians – were convinced of the therapeutic properties of massage and used it to treat a variety of ailments.

The skin is the largest organ of the human body and is packed with nerve endings. Massage works by soothing soft tissue and encouraging relaxation. Massage is especially effective in treating ‘vicious cycle’ complaints. For instance, a tension headache is often self-sustaining because the pain makes the sufferer clench the affected muscles even harder. This, in turn, creates more pain. A thorough neck and shoulder massage can release muscle tension and break the pain cycle.

For treatment of disorders

Modern studies have shown that massage can be used to successfully treat a variety of disorders, including:

• Anxiety
• Arthritis
• Back or neck pain
• Soft tissue injuries
• Chronic pain
• Constipation
• Depression
• Headache
• High blood pressure
• Insomnia.

Benefits of massage

One of the immediate benefits of massage is a feeling of deep relaxation and calm. This occurs because massage prompts the release of endorphins, the brain chemicals (neurotransmitters) that produce feelings of wellbeing. Levels of stress hormones, such as adrenalin, cortisol and norepinephrine, are also reduced. Studies indicate that high levels of stress hormones impair the immune system.

Some of the physical benefits of massage include:

• Reduced muscle tension
• Improved circulation
• Stimulation of the lymphatic system
• Reduction of stress hormones
• Increased joint mobility and flexibility
• Improved skin tone
• Speedier healing of soft tissue injuries
• Heightened mental alertness
• Reduced anxiety and depression.

Reference: http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Massage