How does a head massage after a long tiring day feel? Or a foot massage after a mall trip?
A head massage can relax you and help you get good sleep, and a foot massage can ease all the muscle tension. Massage is no magic, though the effects of massage feel like magic. It is a form of therapy that helps in decreasing pain and anxiety, headaches and muscle tension, muscle spasm and insomnia, and increasing endorphins. Massage has an amazing effect on chronic and acute injuries alike. It induces relaxation and a feeling of well-being. However, of note, you need to remember that massage is not just a relaxation technique but can also be therapeutic.
While performing clinical rehabilitation, physical therapists utilize massage techniques to initiate recovery from intense exercises. Massage in sports can help prepare an athlete for competition and also helps an athlete to recover from the competition. After trauma, muscles may act as mini-splints that limit motion as a protective mechanism. A perfect daily-life example is when a person works for long hours on his computer, it mostly results in having a stiff, aching, and sometimes an excruciating neck. Taking periodic breaks to rub and stretch the neck can promote blood circulation to the muscles, which brings down the spasm.
Now, let’s have a look at all the wonderful things massage can do. Massage can-
- • Increase tone, blood circulation, and tissue elasticity
- • Improve sensation
- • Promote relaxation
- • Initiate healing
- • Treat tight muscles and break down adhesions
- • Reduce stress
- • Reduce muscle soreness
- • Improve recovery after exercise injury or surgery
As per many types of research, it has been evidenced that massage has been beneficial in sportsperson in both pre-conditioning and the conditioning phase itself. So, be it for just relaxation or a therapeutic massage for any specific medical condition, a good massage by skilled hands can work miracles, rejuvenating your tired self or taking away those aches, pains, and stiffness.
