The Healing Powers of a Massage

Many people still believe that massages are frivolous or self-indulgent, something only the extremely wealthy can afford to indulge. This just isn’t true! Massages can be useful for so many people, and our understanding of the healing benefits massages can give to people is growing every day. As the Mayo Clinic writes in their article about massages, “Brush aside any thoughts that massage is only a feel-good way to indulge or pamper yourself. On the contrary, massage can be a powerful tool to help you take charge of your health and well-being, whether you have a specific health concern or are just looking for another stress reliever.”

Massage has been found to be helpful in alleviating symptoms of many medical disorders, from the extremely common to the fairly rare. Back pain, headache, osteoarthritis, anxiety, digestive disorders, headaches, injuries…the list goes on.

Massages can help with so many different conditions and issues – and there are nearly as many types of massage as there are problems it can help! The WebMD article on Massage Therapy Styles and Health Benefits gives you a taste of this variety. Many physical therapists, when working on patients struggling with chronic pain or weakness, deploy some strategies pioneered by massage therapists, including work with trigger points, nerve compression, posture issues, and more.

If you’ve ever applied pressure to a “trigger point” on your back, neck, or shoulders, you know how powerful even the most basic massages can be. Often, the muscles in our backs and necks get extremely tight and tense – especially given how many of us now work at desks, slouching with poor postures in front of computers for hours at a time. One of the most sure-fire (and intuitive) ways to take care of some of these pains and aches is by finding a particularly tense spot and applying pressure to it. Some doctors even suggest that those struggling with certain forms of back pain do this with by lying on a tennis ball.

While massaging pressure points doesn’t work for all kinds of back, neck, or shoulder pain, and probably shouldn’t be done too much without consulting with a doctor, it is a useful illustration of a simple way in which massage therapy can be healing, even when practiced on your own. The benefits of receiving a professional massage, of course, are far in excess of what you can do on your own.

Many people fail to understand the extent to which body and mind are bound to one another. If you are struggling with anxiety, stress, or depression, you are likely to tense up your body, leading to insomnia, pain, and difficulty focusing – all further symptoms of anxiety and depression! While mental health interventions such as medication and therapy are the most important ways of going after these issues, many report that massage can reduce the tension in their minds by reducing the tension in their bodies.

Choose Our Spa for Your Massage Needs

If you’re in the Weddington, Waxhaw, Wesley Chapel or Matthews area and you’re interested in experiencing the remarkable powers of massage therapy, why not contact us at Serene Dental Spa and schedule an appointment today?