Benefits of Massage

Massage can help to manage a number of health issues, and is known anecdotally to promote relaxation and help to relieve pain. Although one article is not sufficient to prove any given effect, and the individuals participating in any given study may be different from you (which may limit the generalization of any given study), I am attaching links to abstracts of scientific articles associated with each claimed benefit of massage.

This will give you the opportunity to evaluate the evidence-based research associated with benefits of massage. Although some of these studies aren't placebo controlled, they provide evidence that massage has measurable effects on the human mind and body (and hopefully they will provide a foundation for further studies!). Massage has the potential to:

• Alleviate low-back pain and improve range of motion: Randomized Trial Comparing Traditional Chinese Medical Acupuncture, Therapeutic Massage, and Self-care Education for Chronic Low Back Pain, Massage and low back pain, Effectiveness of massage therapy for subacute low-back pain: a randomized controlled trial, Lower Back Pain is Reduced and Range of Motion Increased After Massage Therapy
• Reduce chronic pain in pediatric populations: Massage therapy in outpatient pediatric chronic pain patients: do they facilitate significant reductions in levels of distress, pain, tension, discomfort, and mood alterations?
• Enhance certain biomarkers of immune system function: Massage Therapy is Associated with Enhancement of the Immune System's Cytotoxic Capacity, The effects of massage therapy on the human immune response in healthy adults
• Help people recover from workouts. Massage Reduces Pain Perception and Hyperalgesia in Experimental Muscle Pain: A Randomized, Controlled Trial, Effects of Massage on Delayed-Onset Muscle Soreness, Swelling, and Recovery of Muscle Function, Effects of leg massage on recovery from high intensity cycling exercise, The effects of massage on delayed onset muscle soreness and physical performance in female collegiate athletes, The effects of therapeutic massage on delayed onset muscle soreness and muscle function following downhill walking, Massage Therapy Attenuates Inflammatory Signaling After Exercise-Induced Muscle Damage
• Lessen depression and anxiety/improve mood: A comparative study of Thai massage and Swedish massage relative to physiological and psychological measures, A Meta-Analysis of Massage Therapy Research
• Reduce cortisol, a biomarker associated with stress, and increase levels of dopamine and serotonin, two important neurotransmitters: Cortisol decreases and serotonin and dopamine increase following massage therapy
• Reduce anxiety, and improved mood and social functioning in people diagnosed with multiple sclerosis: Multiple Sclerosis patients benefit from massage therapy
• Reduce anxiety and improved sleep quality and in adolescents and children with depression and adjustment disorder. Salivary cortisol was also decreased in adolescents and children with depression: Massage reduces anxiety in child and adolescent psychiatric patients
• Reduce anxiety, depression, hostility, and biomarkers of stress (salivary cortisol and resting heart rate) in young adults with psychiatric troubles: Pilot study evaluating the effect of massage therapy on stress, anxiety and aggression in a young adult psychiatric inpatient unit
• Reduce perceived stress in older adults: A randomized study of the effects of massage therapy compared to guided relaxation on well-being and stress perception among older adults
• Improve mood and in-class behavior in children and adolescents with ADHD: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disordered children and adolescents benefit from massage therapy (dissertation)
• Reduce certain symptoms of lyme disease (case study, composite score): Massage Therapy for Lyme Disease Symptoms: a Prospective Case Study
• Release endorphins — compounds that work as natural painkillers -- for a short period of time after the massage: Increase in plasma beta-endorphins in connective tissue massage
• Relieve migraine pain: A randomized, controlled trial of massage therapy as a treatment for migraine
• Relieve perceived pain associated with tension headaches: Myofascial trigger point-focused head and neck massage for recurrent tension-type headache: A randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial (improvements were found both in the myofascial trigger-point group and in the placebo group, which also included therapeutic touch. The mechanism of reduction in pain is unclear, though a reduction in pain was noted). 

If you suffer from pain, anxiety, stress, reduced range of motion, certain psychiatric symptoms, or athletic injuries and think you'd benefit from massage, text me (845-271-9612) to book a session!