Mobile Massage Therapy – Massage Reduces Stress, Relaxes and Boosts Immunity
Brief History of Massage
Massage may be the oldest and simplest form of medical care. Egyptian tomb paintings show people being massaged. Massage has been practiced continually since ancient times in Eastern cultures. It was one of the principal methods of relieving pain for Greek and Roman physicians. Julius Caesar was said to have been given a daily massage to treat neuralgia (nerve pain). In the 5th Century B.C., the father of Western medicine, Hippocrates wrote in the book The Physician Must Be Experienced In Many Things, “but assuredly in rubbing… for rubbing can bind a joint that is too loose, and loosen a joint that is too rigid.”
Massage lost some of its value and prestige with the unsavory image created by “massage parlors.” This image is fading as people gain the understanding that massage can relieve disease as well as aid in relaxation. As more people learn about the benefits of massage and it’s relation to disease, the more acceptable it will become.
Massage is now used in intensive care units, for children, elderly people, babies in incubators, and patients with cancer, AIDS, heart attacks, or strokes. Most American hospices have some kind of bodywork therapy available, and it is frequently offered in health centers, drug treatment clinics, and pain clinics.
Common Types of Massage
Massage therapists can specialize in more than 80 different types of massage, called modalities. Swedish massage, deep-tissue massage, reflexology, acupressure (similar to acupuncture but without needles), sports massage, and neuromuscular massage are just a few of the many approaches to massage therapy. Most massage therapists specialize in several modalities, which require different techniques. Some use exaggerated strokes covering the length of a body part (such as the leg), while others use quick, percussion-like strokes with a cupped or closed hand. A massage can be as long as 2 to 3 hours or as short as 5 or 10 minutes. Usually, the type of massage given depends on the client’s needs and physical condition. For example, therapists may use special techniques for elderly clients that they would not use for athletes, and they would use approaches for clients with injuries that would not be appropriate for clients seeking relaxation. Also, some forms of massage are given solely to one type of client; for example, prenatal massage and infant massage are given to pregnant women and new mothers, respectively.
Benefits of Massage
Massage therapy is the practice of using touch to manipulate the soft-tissue and muscles of the body. It is performed for a variety of reasons, including treating painful ailments, decompressing tired and overworked muscles, reducing stress, rehabilitating sports injuries, and promoting general health. Clients often seek massage for its medical benefit and for relaxation purposes, and there is a wide range of massage treatments available.
Massage therapy has many benefits, from increasing circulation and immunity to reducing pain from disease and injury. Massage therapy releases the “feel good” hormones, enabling the client to relax and de-stress. If clients fail to keep stress in check, it can lead to disease and can worsen conditions that already exist.
Massage is beneficial to everyone; from premature infants to the elderly. Massage helps infants to thrive and grow; helps children with a variety of medical, physical and emotional problems; and helps relieve the pain of the people who are dying.
When Massage is Contraindicated
Massage therapy can help almost any health condition, but there are certain situations where massage can make the condition worse (also called contraindications). If the person is suffering from a fever, or infection of any kind, massage will make the person feel worse. Also, if the person is intoxicated by alcohol or drugs, massage is not warranted for the same reason. If the person has advanced disease, he/she will need written permission from his/her primary care provider stating that the massage will be beneficial and not make the disease worse. Recent injury or surgeries (less than four weeks) generally also require written permission from the primary care physician before the therapist can continue.