Massage Therapy For Stress & Headaches
Posted by Dr. Alda Ngo
Did you know that massage therapy is about so much more than relaxing muscles?
How Massage Therapy Works
Massage activates arterial and venous blood flow in the lymphatic system and in the connective tissue and muscles.
It also increases circulation and helps to correct postural stress from long periods of sitting. This can be especially important and beneficial for those who have sedentary desk jobs.
A registered massage therapist works on these systems and the nervous system, to relieve sore and tight muscles from over-stimulated nerve pathways between muscle fibres and the brain.
We all intuitively know that human touch is therapeutic, here is a little research to support this:
Massage Therapy Decreases Stress
Research published in the International Journal of Neuroscience shows that massage therapy leads to decreased cortisol and increased serotonin & dopamine levels.
Basically, massage therapy leads to the biochemical signature for decreased stress and increased relaxation in the body.
Massage Therapy For Headaches.
The American Journal of Public Health published a study suggesting that muscle-specific massage therapy techniques significantly reduced headache frequency while the duration of headaches tended to decrease during the massage treatment period as well.
Massage therapy is a functional, non-pharmacological intervention for reducing the incidence of chronic tension headache.
Contact us to find out more about how we can support you with massage therapy and/or to book an appointment with our wonderful registered massage therapist!
References:
- PMID: 16162447
- https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.92.10.1657)
Image: @lindbloomfloral
