Benefits of Massage Therapy

The Benefits of Massage Therapy can be applied from infants to the elderly. So, what is massage, and what are the benefits?

Massage is form of manual therapy, which manipulates the soft tissues of the body, primarily the muscles. It is used to relieve tension and reduce stress, while it promotes the relaxation, circulation and suppleness of the muscles of the body. It is also used for the treatment and rehabilitation of injured muscles.

The origins of massage date back to China around 3000 BC. The Ancient Chinese used a technique called "Amma". Other Countries such as Japan and India had similar techniques, while the Ancient Greeks used massage as part of their daily fitness routine. Hippocrates, who is known as the father of all medicine, wrote of the importance of massage for healing purposes.

A Swedish Physiologist and fencing master Per Henrik Ling (1776-1839), developed a system of massage after studying in China. It is this system that still forms much of modern massage to day, and due to the man that developed it, it became known as Swedish Massage.

The Main Benefits of Massage Therapy are as follows:

It promotes relaxation of the muscles of the body thereby reducing stress.

It reduces tension in the muscles of the body and therefore, promotes flexibility.

Relieves Back Pain caused by excessive tension in the muscles of the spine and back.

Relieves Neck Pain caused by excessive tension in the neck muscles.

It promotes circulation, and aids digestion and the removal of waste products.

It improves the body's skin tone and colour by removing dead skin cells.

By promoting flexibility of the muscles, it relieves tired, stiff joints.

By promoting relaxation of the muscles, it helps to encourage a deeper more relaxed breathing, and a more restful sleep.

It has a soothing, comforting affect on the body, thereby relaxing the recipients mind and reducing the effects of anxiety.

It promotes a general feeling of relaxation and well being.