Unlock Incredible Health Benefits: The Ultimate Guide to Massage Therapy

Massage is an ancient art with roots in the dawn of civilization. Today, it's a respected therapeutic practice with a wide range of benefits, from mental health to athletic performance and healing after injury or surgery. An estimated 25 million Americans visit approximately 90,000 practitioners 60 million times a year, demonstrating its widespread appeal and perceived value. More and more people recognize the health benefits of massage and choose among many massage styles to get relief from symptoms or heal injuries, help with certain health conditions, and promote overall wellness.

Introduction to Massage Therapy

Massage is a general term that encompasses pressing, rubbing, and manipulating the skin, muscles, tendons, and ligaments. It may range from light stroking to deep pressure and is increasingly offered alongside standard treatment for a wide range of medical conditions and situations. Massage therapy is a form of manual therapy that involves moving soft tissues in the body to reduce stress, ease muscle tension, and promote relaxation and overall well-being. It is a hands-on technique performed by trained massage therapists.

Types of Massage

Today, if you need a massage, you can choose from about 80 massage therapy styles with a wide variety of pressures, movements, and techniques. Here is a list of some of the more popular massage therapy styles:

Swedish Massage: The most common type of massage therapy. It involves soft, long, kneading strokes, as well as light, rhythmic, tapping strokes, on the topmost layers of muscles. This is also combined with the movement of joints. By relieving muscle tension, Swedish therapy can be both relaxing and energizing, and it may even help after an injury.
- Effleurage: a smooth, gliding stroke used to relax soft tissue
- Petrissage: the squeezing, rolling, or kneading that follows effleurage
- Friction: deep, circular movements that cause layers of tissue to rub against each other, helping to increase blood flow and break down scar tissue
- Tapotement: a short, alternating tap done with cupped hands, fingers, or the edge of the hand
Deep Tissue Massage: Best for giving attention to certain painful, stiff "trouble spots" in your body. The massage therapist uses slow, deliberate strokes that focus pressure on layers of muscles, tendons, or other tissues deep under your skin. Though less rhythmic than other types of massage, deep tissue massage may be therapeutic, relieving chronic patterns of tension and helping with muscle injuries, such as back sprains.
Sports Massage: Developed to help with muscle systems used for a particular sport, sports massage uses a variety of approaches to help athletes in training-before, during, or after sports events. You might use it to promote flexibility and help prevent injuries. It may also help relieve muscle strains and speed up healing after a sports injury.
Chair Massage: Chair massages are done while you're seated fully clothed in a portable, specially designed chair. They usually involve a massage of your neck, shoulders, back, arms, and hands.
Shiatsu Massage: In Japanese, shiatsu means “finger pressure.” For shiatsu massage, the therapist uses varied, rhythmic pressure on certain precise points of the body. These points are called acupressure points, and they are believed to be important for the flow of the body's vital energy, called chi. Proponents say shiatsu massage can help relieve blockages at these acupressure points.
Thai Massage: During a Thai massage, the therapist uses their body to move the client into a variety of positions. This type of massage includes compression of muscles, mobilization of joints, and acupressure.
Lymphatic Drainage Massage: A gentle massage of your tissues designed to help increase the circulation of lymph fluids in your body. The massage is usually done with light pressure with gentle, long strokes along the skin to increase the movement of lymph through your system.
Hot Stone Massage: For this kind of massage, the therapist places warmed stones on certain areas of the body, such as acupressure points. The stones may be used as massage tools or temporarily left in place. Used along with other massage techniques, hot stones can be quite soothing and relaxing as they transmit heat deep into the body.
Reflexology: Reflexology uses hand, thumb, and finger techniques to stimulate certain areas of the feet. These areas are believed to correspond to different parts of the body. The massage, then, is expected to promote health and well-being.
Pregnancy Massage: During pregnancy, your body goes through major changes. Pregnancy massage can help with these changes by reducing stress, decreasing arm and leg swelling, and relieving muscle and joint pain. Using specially designed massage pillows, the massage therapist will help you get into a comfortable position for this type of massage.
Cranial Sacral Massage: This practice is mostly used to treat headaches, migraines, neck and back pain, stress-related disorders, temporomandibular joint (TMJ) dysfunction, and certain neurological conditions. During a cranial sacral massage session, a trained therapist uses light touch and subtle movements to assess and address any imbalances or restrictions in the craniosacral system.
Trigger Point Massage: During a trigger point massage session, a trained therapist applies pressure directly to the identified trigger points to help release tension and get rid of pain. The trigger point massage aims to encourage the release of the contracted muscle fibers, improve blood flow to the affected area, and promote relaxation of the muscles.
Myofascial Release: During a myofascial release session, a trained therapist uses gentle pressure on specific areas of the body to release tightness within the fascial system. The therapist may use their hands, fingers, elbows, or specialized tools to apply pressure and stretch the fascia in a way that encourages it to return to a more relaxed state.

Benefits of Massage Therapy

Massage therapy is beneficial across the healthcare spectrum from mental health to athletic performance to healing after an injury or surgery. The benefits of massage can go far beyond relaxation. Therapeutic massage, often known as medical massage, can help with serious medical issues, too. Focused massage techniques can help decrease pain and increase your range of motion, make it easier to move and function more normally, and help you heal faster from a variety of medical concerns.

Physical Benefits

Pain Reduction: Massage can reduce acute, chronic, and joint pain. Massage therapists use different techniques to address a variety of diseases, injuries, and types of pain. They can work on issues that are either chronic (meaning they last a long time) or acute (an issue that happened recently and can be cared for in the near future). Some examples are back pain, frozen shoulder, headaches (including migraines, cluster headaches, tension headaches, or sinus headaches), whiplash, muscle strains and sprains, repetitive strain injuries, temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ), and tendonitis. Medical massage may also help relieve some of the pain and discomfort associated with cancer treatment and post-operative recovery.
Increased Range of Motion: Massage therapy may be an effective way to help increase your range of motion, or your ability to flex and extend your arm. Massage therapy may help soften stiff, hard muscles, making it easier for you to move.
Promotes Healing: Massage therapy increases both blood flow and lymphatic drainage, which can help reduce swelling and inflammation. Studies show that massage therapy may also help break up scar tissue, like after a surgery.
Increase flexibility: A massage improves tissue elasticity.
Enhance athletic performance.
Lessen post-operative pain: After surgery, massage ensures better blood and oxygen flow, helping the body heal faster.

Mental and Emotional Benefits

Reduce Stress: A gentle, soothing massage may help you reduce stress.
Improve Sleep:
Sharpen Focus: A good massage will lower your heart rate and slow your nervous system down, allowing you to focus and pay attention better than before.
Diminish Depression and Anxiety: Massage is a mood enhancer. Research suggests that massage therapy may help improve the quality of life and treat the anxiety and depression that people with HIV or AIDS go through. A review of 17 clinical trials found that massage therapy may help reduce depression.
Complements Other Therapies: Your physician, chiropractor, or physical therapist might recommend therapeutic massage to go along with other therapies you’re already receiving to treat a particular area of your body.

Specific Health Conditions

Back Pain: More than one study has shown the effectiveness of massage therapy for back pain. One study found that people receiving 10 weekly sessions of either relaxation massage or structural massage had less pain and were better able to perform daily activities than those receiving usual care.
Headache: Some studies suggest that massage therapy can improve sleep and reduce the number of migraines a person has.
Osteoarthritis: Participants who received a one-hour massage either one or two times a week had improvements in pain, stiffness, and function.
Fibromyalgia: Studies show that over a course of 5 weeks, massage therapy can improve symptoms such as pain, anxiety, and depression.
Cancer: Massage therapy is used as a complement to traditional Western medicine and can promote relaxation and reduce cancer symptoms or side effects of treatment.
HIV/AIDS: Research suggests that massage therapy may help improve the quality of life and treat the anxiety and depression that people with HIV or AIDS go through.

Therapeutic Massage: A Closer Look

Therapeutic massage typically takes place in a clinical or hospital setting and involves focused work on your body’s soft tissue (your muscles, fascia, tendons, and ligaments). It’s done by licensed professionals specifically trained to identify and focus on problem areas.

What to Expect

When you first call to make your appointment, talk about your specific needs and explain exactly what you’d like to be worked on. The more information you can provide, the better. During your visit, expect low lighting and soft music, as with a relaxation massage. A therapeutic massage session may consist of a whole-body treatment or may just focus on your targeted area of concern for an extended period of time.

Who Should Try It?

If your healthcare provider recommends therapeutic massage as a complement to your other treatments, that means they’ve given you the go-ahead to try it. But you should always check with them first to be sure massage is safe for you. Plus, some medical diagnoses may specifically require a doctor’s referral. Some people with preexisting medical conditions may not benefit from massage therapy. Speak to your healthcare provider beforehand if you have:

A condition that requires you to take blood-thinning medication
A disease that causes weak skin
Any kind of medical devices implanted in or attached to your body
Blood clots in your legs (deep vein thrombosis)
Osteoporosis
Tumors

Spot Work

“Spot work” is when your massage therapist works on your specific area of concern for a shorter period of time - about 15 minutes - as part of your therapeutic treatment at a chiropractor’s office or physical therapy clinic. Your massage therapist may also incorporate stretches into your treatment plan.

Finding a Qualified Massage Therapist

Like choosing other health care professionals, it's important to be a conscious consumer when selecting a massage therapist. A skilled therapist has a vast toolbox of techniques that can be incorporated based on your needs, and he or she will respond and modify these techniques based on your feedback.

Steps to Finding the Right Therapist:

Define Your Goals: Determine what type of massage you're looking for so you can narrow down your search.
Ask for Recommendations: Ask for recommendations from friends and family.
Expand Your Search Online: Check online directories that include reviews.
Research Credentials: Make sure they are licensed and registered to work in your area.
Find Out Their Charges: Check if their rates are within your budget.
Set Up a Consultation: Meet them and discuss your concerns.
Trust Your Gut: After you have met them, trust your gut on whether this person seems like someone you can trust with your well-being.

Common Misconceptions About Massage

A common misconception about massage is that it's only part of a spa day and intended for pampering yourself. For most patients, massage therapy is an important part of specific medical treatment plans to help them return to daily activities. Some people think that massage must hurt to help. If your massage therapist is pushing too hard, ask for lighter pressure.

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Risks and Considerations

There seems to be a low amount of risk associated with massage therapy. But there have been rare reports of serious side effects, such as a nerve injury, blood clot, or bone fracture. The reported cases of side effects are sometimes associated with more intensive types, such as deep tissue massage, or they involve patients who might be at increased risk of injury, such as older people.

Medical massage usually isn’t recommended if you have surgery coming up or have recently undergone surgery, or if you’ve recently visited the hospital. Any existing health issues you have should be discussed with your doctor prior to treatment.

Massage and Arthritis

Research suggests that massage can affect the body’s production of certain hormones linked to blood pressure, anxiety, heart rate and other key vital signs. A number of recent studies have shown its effectiveness in people with arthritis and related conditions.

Types of Arthritis and Massage

Knee Osteoarthritis (OA): Studies have found massage to be beneficial for people with knee osteoarthritis.
Hand Arthritis: A 15-minute, moderate pressure massage daily led to reduced pain and anxiety and improved grip strength in adults diagnosed with hand or wrist arthritis.

How Massage Reduces Pain and Anxiety

Massage can lower the body’s production of the stress hormone cortisol; decrease levels of the hormone arginine-vasopressin, which may lower blood pressure; reduce levels of some inflammatory cytokines; and increase production of the mood-boosting hormone serotonin.

Important Considerations for Arthritis Patients

If you’re interested in trying one of the many types of massage as a way to ease your arthritis symptoms, it’s important to consult your rheumatologist or primary-care physician first to ensure that massage is safe for you. It’s also very important to tell the therapist if you are experiencing pain or if you are uncomfortable with the work that she is doing. Massage should make your arthritis pain and stiffness feel better, not worse.

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