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Benefits of Massage

There are many benefits of massage therapy, including:

• Increased circulation of blood and lymph fluids

• Improved muscle efficiency

• Calming the nervous system

How these benefits are achieved result from the ability of the body to move from sympathetic to parasympathetic nervous system modes. The term sympathetic refers to the body’s responses to protect itself from perceived harm. The body may enter “fight,” “flight,” “freeze,” “feign,” or “fawn” responses depending upon the person’s mental constitution.

A massage therapist can facilitate a healing space within the treatment room to allow a body to exit the sympathetic mode and enter a parasympathetic mode which calms the nervous system, restoring ease and balance to the mind and body.

Massage for High-Risk Pregnancy

The benefits of prenatal massage are proven. For example, in a 1999 study published in the Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics and Gynecology, prenatal massage decreased anxiety and stress hormones, resulting in fewer obstetric and postnatal complications, including lower pre-maturity rates. Also, the Journal of Clinical Medicine published a review of randomized controlled trials in 2021 whereby the authors concluded:

“Massages during pregnancy have been shown to reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety, attenuate leg and back pain, reduce cortisol levels, and show positive effects on immune function. Massage treatments show more positive effects than other relaxation techniques like progressive muscle relaxation. Effects on prenatal depression are comparable to psychotherapy and antidepressants.”

Prenatal care for women with a high-risk pregnancy typically involves extensive testing, more frequent prenatal visits, medications, and bed rest. Unfortunately, the stress of worrying about one’s health or the fetus’s viability only magnifies whatever problem exists. In addition, the reason a woman is in a high-risk category typically adds additional challenges to the expectant mother’s body. Thus, massage therapy can be even more therapeutic for high-risk pregnancies.

Seven reasons massage helps during pregnancy include:

1. Reduces stress, encourage healthful sleep, and promote relaxation – especially needed during a high-risk pregnancy

2. Provides emotional support and physical nurturing – especially for those alone during their pregnancy or who feel scared because of their risk status

3. Reduces or alleviates neck, back, and joint pain caused by posture, muscle weakness, tension, extra weight, or imbalance – especially needed in women over age 35 who are obese or who are carrying multiple fetuses

4. Relieves muscle spasms, cramps, and fibrosis, which several pregnancy risk factors can intensify

5. Reduces blood pressure through relaxation. This is especially helpful to a woman with pre-eclampsia.

6. Increases blood and lymph circulation which minimizes the edema, varicose veins and leg cramps common with pregnancy

7. Encourages deep breathing – especially important for women with asthma or lung problems.

Massage Therapy to Reduce Aggression

Depending on the cause, the degree of aggression, the person’s age, resources, and healthcare coverage, there are many approaches for dealing with aggressive behavior. However, a convincing body of evidence demonstrates that massage therapy sessions can reduce aggression in children.

• In the September 2008 edition of Acta Paediatrica, Swedish researchers found that five to ten minutes of massage each day is an easy and inexpensive way to decrease aggression among preschool children.

• In the May 2008 edition of The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, researchers observed that massage therapy could immediately reduce anxiety and, thus, is a valuable tool to deescalate aggressive situations in a psychiatric setting.

• In the Fall 2002 edition of Adolescence, a study compared the effects of massage vs. relaxation in aggressive adolescents. While those in the relaxation group experienced few benefits, the adolescents receiving massage had markedly reduced anxiety and hostility. In addition, their parents perceived them as being less aggressive after the five-week study.

• A 2017 study showed a reduction in aggressiveness among elementary school children after ten massage sessions. They also observed an increase in academic performance!

Considering the popularity of violent video games, violent TV shows, and other risk factors, more children than ever could benefit from regularly applied massage therapy.