Once thought of as a luxury experience that could only be achieved through spa bookings and health retreats, massage therapy has quickly become a staple in treatment for both physical and mental health. Today, massage therapy is available in many hospitals, individual practices, or even commercial areas like airports and malls.
There’s a reason that massage therapy has become such a staple treatment, which makes finding the best massage therapist in Vancouver easier than ever before; in fact, there are several!
The following are just three of the many great benefits that seeking massage therapy can offer you.
Easing Stress
Massage therapy is known for its ability to help a person relieve stress, lower anxieties, reduce blood pressure, and even cure conditions like headaches caused by tension or high-stress levels. Doing a regular massage can allow your body to relax and recover from these conditions.
As no two people are the same, there are many types of massage therapy that can help a person reduce stress, such as Swedish massage or aromatherapy.
Swedish massage, for example, uses a well-known technique known for relaxation using a blend of alternating pressures and speeds. Common maneuvers of Swedish massage utilize a massage therapist’s knuckles, palms, and fingertips in a kneading and stretching way to help relieve superficial tension. Aromatherapy, oils, and certain lotions may be applied during these treatments to help further create stress relief and relaxation.
Improve Circulation
Massage therapy is also known for the way it can help to improve circulation in the body. As your massage therapist works on kneading and rubbing along your body, blood flow is circulated through these movements and can help reach areas that can become congested or not as easily reached without massage.
Due to these improved circulation capabilities, massage therapy can be very beneficial for treating lymphatic issues, where lymph fluids can build up and swell, creating puffiness and discomfort in certain areas of the body.
Reducing Pain
Probably the most well-known benefit of massage therapy is its pain relief capabilities. By applying an assortment of pressures and techniques, massage can help relax tense and sore muscles, tendons, and joints. As previously mentioned, massage can also reduce higher levels of stress and anxieties, which can come with their own side effects of physical fatigue or muscle pain.
What makes massage therapy so effective for pain relief is its high versatility in techniques and treatment options such as neuromuscular massage, deep tissue, sports massage, or Swedish massage.
Treatments that utilize more intense and firm pressures are often more effective for those with deeper or more chronic muscle pain. Some find that by going to a massage therapist regularly, their chronic pain is reduced in severity and frequency in flare-ups and, in some cases, even eliminated entirely.
It is important to know that while firmer pressures can help with deeper muscle pains, massage therapy is not ever meant to be painful to experience, making it very important to only seek professional massage from a registered massage therapist.