According to the American Massage Therapy Association, the reasons for getting massages are changing. There used to be a time when the sole purpose of booking a massage session with a professional therapist is to relax and pamper oneself. These days, however, a bigger percentage of people who are getting a massage believe that it helps alleviate pain and contributes to overall wellness. Here are a few quick statistics to prove just that:
– 88% of survey respondents believe that massages are beneficial to overall wellness and health.
– 88% believe that massages can help reduce pain.
– Only 34% believe that massage therapy’s sole purpose is pampering.
– 56% of those who have gone through a massage therapy session did so due to muscle stiffness, soreness, spasms, stress, headaches and migraines.
– 39% believe that they will reap medical benefits from having a professional massage.
What these figures mean is that more and more Americans are believing in the healing power of touch. More than its being an activity to pamper an individual, therapeutic massage can bring about a slew of other health and mind-related benefits.
Counting Down the Many Benefits of Massage Therapy
Whether you are booking a massage with a student at a massage school or a professional therapist with years of experience at a day spa, you are bound to enjoy numerous benefits from massage therapy. Take a look at exactly what these benefits are:
- Massage therapy helps relieve stress and encourages relaxation.
Why do you think millions of people book massage sessions on a yearly basis? After a long day at work, nothing beats the feeling of having a massage training specialist work the kinks out of your knotted muscles. Aside from alleviating stress, massage therapy also encourages relaxation. As the soothing music, fragrant oils and the skilled hands of the therapist start working on your body, you can slowly but surely feel the stress ease away from your body.
- It helps improve posture.
When your body is being worked on by a therapist with a massage license, another benefit that you can enjoy is improved posture. The strokes of a therapist’s hands can help reinforce healthy and natural movement in your body, thereby improving your posture.
- It helps improve flexibility and the body’s range of motion.
The ageing process is not kind to the joints and muscles which tighten over the years. When you have regular massages, the joints become more fluid so the risks of being injured get lowered because the muscles are more flexible.
- It has numerous health benefits.
Massages in general help lower the heart rate, the insulin or cortisol levels, it helps improve circulation, it lowers blood pressure, relieves headaches and even strengthens the immune system.
- It speeds up rehabilitation after an injury or an operation.
Finally, those who were hurt from sports accidents or those who are undergoing post-operative rehabilitation will get the best set of benefits from a massage. The ministrations of a therapist’s hands will help pump more oxygen and nutrients into the bloodstream, which improves overall blood circulation. For sports-related injuries, massage therapy is a necessity because it helps accelerate the recovery process.
If you have not given yourself the gift of a massage yet, now’s the best time to do so because of all the benefits that you will get to enjoy.