Would it surprise you to know that only 22% of men and 20% of women got a massage in the past year? Even fewer get a massage regularly. So it’s not surprising that most people don’t know much about massage and its benefits?
Here are some interesting facts to build your knowledge:
Massage can help you sleep better. A massage releases muscle and mental tension and stress, which increases blood flow and circulation. The National Sleep Foundation states that massage can reduce stress by decreasing cortisol, a stress hormone and increase serotonin and dopamine, neurotransmitters that help to stabilize mood that induces calm feelings.
Massage can help your mood. It’s been shown to be helpful in treating both anxiety and depression. As state above, the reduction in cortisol with the increase in serotonin and dopamine help to stabilize mood that induces feelings of well being.
Everything is connected. Sometimes back pain comes from the hip, legs or even the feet. In some instances, the back pain you are feeling is just the symptom of stress and strain somewhere else in your body. If your back hurts, that might not be the only area that needs attention. Likewise, hand and arm pain can be caused by dysfunction in the neck and shoulder.
Massage doesn’t ‘detoxify’ your body. That whole thing is a silly myth. It was taught in many schools and you may have heard me say it, back before I knew better. But we know now that it’s just not true. However, drinking water is still a good idea, just because.
Massage is safe in the first trimester of pregnancy for most clients. It may not be recommended in some clients due to some underlying or health issues. It is always best to check with your healthcare provider first. As well, some massage practitioners may choose not offer this service as it is a liability choice.
Deep tissue massage, or any massage, doesn’t need to be painful to be effective. For reals. Run screaming from any practitioner who insists there needs to be pain in a treatment.
Scars are living tissue that can be transformed with massage and other manual therapies, no matter how old they are. And they can be affecting you in places farther away from the visible scar than you’d ever suspect.
It’s OK to focus on certain areas of discomfort and not always get a full body session. If you only want your arms massaged, that’s fine, too.
Even small therapists can provide deeeeep pressure. It’s not about size, it’s about the techniques we use! The deepest massage I ever had was from one of the smallest massage therapists I know.
You control your session and can stop a massage session at any time. You can say “no”, “stop”, or even ask the therapist to work on a specific area for the rest of the time and skip everything else. If you are uncomfortable or feel like the therapist isn’t hearing your feedback, or if you feel like the table is just too hard and you have to pee and gosh, this is awful. You can end it.
Your massage therapist loves feedback! We want to know if you hate having your feet touched, or maybe you love having your ears massaged. We like knowing your musical preference and if you prefer to start face down or face up. Also we’re cool if you just want to chill and let us use our judgement to design the treatment.
Do you have questions about massage? Contact me at colleen@sagehealingmassage.com or ask at your next appointment and I would LOVE to answer them!