Eight reasons why I love massage therapy

Once in a while I’ll meet someone who is not really into getting massage as a therapy. When this happens I resist the impulse to sigh and explain why they’re deeply wrong about the universe.

That’s what a blog is for, I guess. This is my personal top ten eight list of why I love it.

#1 Massage is a great way to reduce stress

Stress can have a significant effect on health. But probably more importantly, stress is not fun. It’s the opposite of fun. And it can sort of accumulate in our bodies until all of a sudden we feel drained, and tense and not great, and even injured. It turns out that one way to manage stress is to treat it with massage. Repeated studies have shown measurable, significant decreases in behavioural and hormonal stress levels after therapeutic interventions. Win!^{1 2}

#2 Massage therapy helps us recover

I see every pro sports team employing massage therapists for their high performance athletes. And I may not be a buff athlete, but I do dance and if it works for them, it will also work for me. Research about this topic is a little mixed but there’s a consensus that massage can improve range of motion, reduce muscle soreness and alleviate pain, and that’s a big deal for performance.³

#3 It’s super safe

These days, we’re all very accustom to hearing about the pros and cons about the health decisions we make. Even healthy foods sometimes have side effects. But when it comes to massage therapy there’s no downside. It’s a health decision that is totally safe.

#4 Research on massage therapy is robust

Science is ever changing and ever progressing. And medical science is a field of significant development. And this can feel a little overwhelming to some folks. We totally get it. One year wine is good for you, and the next it’s not; make up your mind, science. The good news about massage is that the research on massage therapy is ongoing and helpfully interdisciplinary. Reputable, peer reviewed research happens in kinesiology, physical therapy, medical journals and even psychology.⁴

#5 Many long term disorders are helped by massage

For folks who struggle with long term disorders, having multiple ways to manage it can be an important way to feel in control of our bodies and our lives. Thankfully, massage therapy can help with a surprising number of long term disorders. Fibromyalgia for instance, which can be mysterious and frustrating and debilitating, can be helpfully treated with massage therapy. If you have questions about whether your experience can be helped, book in to see us. We’re happy to talk.⁵

#6 Massage is good for pregnant women

Just to be clear, this doesn’t apply to me. But I’m happy to share that massage is good for pregnant women. A study published in the Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics & Gynecology found that massage therapy resulted in “reduced anxiety, improved mood, better sleep and less back pain” In addition, “urinary stress hormone levels (norepinephrine) decreased for the massage therapy group and the women had fewer complications during labour and their infants had fewer postnatal complications.” Wow, right?⁶

#7 There’s always more to learn

At the end of the day, we’re all our own best health advocate. But self-diagnosing can be misleading. An RMT can help us determine where our pain is actually coming from. This is why the RMTs always do assessments for new patients. For instance, I might have experienced an ankle discomfort which could be referring from my back. Awesome weird, right? Also, I work at a desk job and I am speaking from my experience.

Which reminds me.

#8 I love massage therapy, because I work at a desk

I work at a desk. Enough said.

Trust me. Book in now and thank me later.