Does Body Massage help? What is the right frequency of Body Massage?

Few years ago the question used to be – Does body massage help to fight back pain? Since then there have been numerous studies which have led medical practitioners to advocate massage therapy as a safe, non-invasive, low risk method for controlling back pain. Back massage provides physical benefits by manipulating soft tissues and massage which leads to pain alleviation. In addition to physical benefits massage therapy provides psychological comfort by release of ‘endorphins’ (feel good chemicals) in the body.

 

Now a days question is – How often should we get a massage for our back and body. Massage therapy is now well accepted as a credible method for pain management on its own or in conjunction with other medical treatments. The frequency of massage for general well-being of back & body depends on life style and current state of back muscles.

In addition to release of endorphins resulting in mood upliftment and positive thought process, massage therapy provides benefits based on couple of important principles:

Improved blood circulation: When you undergo a massage therapy like Swedish Massage, it results in faster blood circulation that helps release toxins faster from the body and provides nutrition to tired muscles and tissues. This aids not just for general body relaxation and rejuvenation but also helps fight soft tissues injury and muscle soreness. Ayurvedic therapy like Abhyangam massage, which is performed using ayurvedic oils like Dhanwantram, is even more effective and further improves blood circulation.

Sports persons use massage therapy on a regular basis to keep themselves to keep fit and to recover from a hard day’s work. No wonder all professional sports teams regularly employ best trained masseurs.

Reduced muscle tension – A therapy like Balinese Massage therapy that combines back and body stretching with oil based tissue manipulation massage significantly reduces the tension in muscles which eases the pain due to tight muscles, improves back flexibility and rejuvenated entire body.

Generally a body massage once a month is good to keep your back muscles happy. But if you have a busy or stressful lifestyle, which makes you drive long hours, or spend long hours standing or worse, spend continuous long hours working on screen, you are putting your back, neck and shoulder under considerable stress. To take care of your taut & overworked muscles you need to undergo massage therapy more frequently.
Whatever be your frequency of body massage, always remember to take good care of your muscles. Keeping your muscles in relaxed and tension free mode will go a long way in having a healthy and mobile lifestyle.