Massage: the Power of Touch

Nearly from the beginning of time, medical practitioners across the world have relied on their hands. The human touch, often referred to in the Bible as “the laying on of hands,” has been acknowledged by most cultures throughout time as a powerful healing tool. But today, with the increase in diagnostic and therapeutic devices and machinery, health care providers provide less and less “hands-on” care.

Massage therapy has developed as a way to return to the age-old tradition of the use of human touch as part of healing. Therapeutic massage is used by many for relief from injuries and certain chronic and acute conditions. It also may help with the stresses of daily life. Some research studies show that massage therapy reduces heart rate, lowers blood pressure, increases blood circulation and lymph flow, relaxes muscles, improves range of motion and increases endorphins, which affect pain perception. Although massage therapy does not increase muscle strength, it can stimulate weak, inactive muscles and partially compensate for the lack of exercise and inactivity resulting from illness or injury. Practitioners believe it can also hasten and lead to a more complete recovery from exercise or injury.

What is massage therapy?

Massage therapy consists of the use of hands or sometimes forearms, and elbows to manipulate soft body tissues to return the body to a normal, healthier state. It includes holding, causing movement and/or applying pressure to the body. Therapeutic massages can be given practically anywhere. They range from a 10-minute massage of the shoulders and back for someone sitting in a chair, to an hour-long, head-to-toe massage on a padded massage table.

Although massage therapy may not be the cure for everything, it can help alleviate a variety of maladies from stress to pain. Therapeutic massage helps a wide range of medical conditions, including allergies, arthritis, headache, myofascial pain, sinusitis and sports injuries.

Massage therapy improves functioning of the circulatory, lymphatic, musculoskeletal and nervous systems and may improve the rate at which the body recovers from injury and illness.

What to expect

Massage therapy sessions tend to last either 30 or 60 minutes. Often, the therapist will begin by asking you about your current physical condition, stress levels and whether or not any part of your body is particularly sensitive. You will be asked to remove as much clothing as you are comfortable with and then lie on a cushioned table. For the purposes of modesty as well as warmth, a sheet is usually draped over your body and the massage therapists will fold back the sheet when working on specific body parts. The room is generally darkened. Sometimes soft music is played and sometimes not, depending on what the massage therapist believes to be most relaxing for you. The massage therapist often applies a lotion or oil to the body to reduce friction, then generally applies pressure to different sections of the body. Let the therapist know if you experience any discomfort or if the massage is too vigorous for you.