Health benefits of massages
MASSAGE involves manipulating the body with pressure, and it is usually applied with the hands, fingers, knees, elbows, forearms, feet or a massage device. Massages can aid relaxation, boost sex drive and even provide relief for different ailments.
“Massage therapy helps people to relax whether through light, medium or deep pressure using gliding strokes, focusing on pressure points and kneading hand movements. Also, the choice of music, ambience, type of oil, and the apparatus that may be used such as hot stones are instrumental in making people feel renewed,” Sherine Campbell, massage therapist at THE SPA, told All Woman.
Campbell explained that a massage can relieve tense or tight muscles, knots, aches and pains from inflicted injuries or medical conditions.
Below she explains the benefits of different types of massages for various ailments.
1. Swedish massage
According to Campbell, this is more soothing than others and generally uses medium pressure for complete relaxation and stress relief.
2. Hot stone massage
“This helps to relieve cramps and tense muscles including tension in the back and shoulders, so there is an increased range of motion in those muscles,” Campbell said.
3. Deep tissue massage
Campbell said this is done by applying deep pressure to specific trouble points that cannot be reached otherwise with lighter pressure. This helps to relieve chronic muscle tension.
4. Aromatherapy massage
The massage therapist said this type of massage is used with essential oils, which when inhaled helps control emotions and influences the nervous system and hormones.
5. Reflexology
According to Campbell, reflexology involves the therapist targeting specific pressure points of the feet and hands that are believed to correspond with the different systems and organs in the body. This relieves toe pain, ankle pain, plantar fasciitis and common forms of arthritis, and can also decrease stress and anxiety in the entire body.
Massages can
also help:
1. Tension headaches. Campbell said the relief from the pain comes through massaging the trigger points in the suboccipital muscle group that most commonly cause tension headaches.
2. Whiplash. “By applying static compression and deep tissue massage, you ease muscle pain and unblock the tension caused by whiplash injury,” she said.
3. Muscle injury. The massage therapist said a massage will aid in reducing muscular pain and remove excess toxins in the muscle, thereby allowing the injury to gradually diminish.
4. Stress. According to Campbell, a massage increases the production of endorphins –natural “feel good” chemicals in your body — which also lowers your heart rate and blood pressure. It also helps to relieve anxiety, anger and depression while improving sleep patterns.
— KIMBERLEY HIBBERT
