The Human BodyThe Human Body - Why massage is good for you.
The wonders of the human body. It is said that we used to walk on all fours and that we descended from apes, and that may be true but what is definitely fact is that now we walk on two feet and we walk upright. This is an amazing achievement for an ex ape! But seriously it is an amazing fact that we are able not only to walk but run, jump and do all the other things we humans do. What is more, we have to defy gravity, which seems difficult when you get older. It seems gravity wants to drag everything down. There are approximate two hundred bones in your body and approximately 640 muscles. Facts about the human body muscles 
Here is a very basic outline of each section. Head and neck The neck (cervical spine) is part of the spine and of course supports the head. It is the most flexible parts of the spine and the most vulnerable, making it vulnerable to injury. Anyone who has been involved in a car shunt will testify to that. As already mentioned the head is heavy and requires a lot of muscle power just to hold it upright. A lot of tension can form in the neck muscles and it is very important to massage these muscles. If the neck muscles get tense they can cause tension headaches. Massage to these muscles will also help improve the mobility of the neck and make it less prone to injury. Massage to the scalp is important for it encourages fresh blood to the scalp and also the brain. If you want healthy hair, massage your head. The face should also get an important mention here and although requires no description, should be given massage because it is so relaxing and refreshing. Of all the areas of the body, I feel massaging the face is the most relaxing.
Shoulder girdle
Our shoulder girdle made up the clavicle and scapula bones of course forms the connection point for our arms but it is also the anchor point for the neck muscles and it here a great deal of tension can accumulate. All the rotation of our arms comes from here and the muscles and tendons are prone to damage from overuse. If there is one area that needs massaging most, it is this region. Stretching is also very important to keep the shoulder girdle loose and free moving. Arms and hands The long bone of the humerus connects at the shoulder and is our upper arm; at our elbow if connects to the radius and the ulna which form our forearm and they of course connect to the many bones of our hand. We do a huge amount of work with our hands and arms, and like the rest of our body we generally pay little attention to them. We can accumulate a lot of tension in our arms and hands without knowing it and so they deserve a good massage from time to time. Having our hands massaged is so good; it is a great connection between two people.
The spine Our flexible spine, around which everything hangs, is an amazing piece of design. It is made up of twenty-four flat sided bones (with nobly protrusions called facets) called vertebrae which stack on top of each other to form the spinal column. Each vertebra is separated from the next by a strong but flexible shock absorber called a disc. The spine has three regions: the cervical spine (7 vertebras), the thoracic (12 vertebras) and the lumbar (5 vertebras). The cervical spine forms the neck, the thoracic vertebra are where the rib cage attaches and the lumbar is the region of our midriff. This line of bones connects to our hips via fixed spinal bones called the sacrum and coccyx. The role of the spine is more than just enabling us to stand erect and to bend, for it also acts as a channel to protect the spinal cord which carries all the signals to and from the brain to every part of the body. If the spine gets damaged i.e. a disc ruptures, it is likely the nerves in the spinal cord will get damaged, causing serious consequences for the individual. Keeping the spine healthy is vital for not just flexibility but ensuring it doesn’t breakdown and so cause very serious problems. Massage on the muscles along the spine is very important for helping to keep the spine flexible and is so important for our overall health.
In simplest terms, the rib cage is designed to protect our vital organs, especially our heart. The rib cage is made up of twelve pairs of flat bones which are attached to the spine by flexible cartilage tissue. As you breathe in, muscles connecting the rib bones lift the rib cage allowing for expansion of the lungs. As with anywhere else in the body, tension can accumulate here too. This can restrict our breathing which means our body will not be so well oxygenated. It is important to massage the rib cage because a lot of emotional tension gets trapped her. Standing tall and looking straight ahead lifts tension from the rib cage but slouching compresses the ribcage and equally restricts breathing. Simply lifting our ribcag with our hands opens out the chest and makes us feel good.
Hips The hips form the skeletal seat and provide the connection points for the legs. It is a complicated piece of architecture made up of the sacrum, coccyx, ilium, ischium and pubis. The hips also serve to hold our lower organs in place i.e. our digestive and reproductive systems. There are some very powerful muscles around here, including our gluteus muscles which enable us to bend, twist and walk. Tension can form in these muscles which can cause ‘lower back’ problems. There are also some very strong tendons, which are the flexible anchors between bones, these can shorten with lack of extended use and cause a great deal of stress on the joints. Rotating the hips and legs is a very important action to keep muscles and tendons free and joints working properly. Legs and feet I often marvel how our legs not only support us but also propel us along and more than this, allow us to run, jump, hop skip, dance and even stand on tiptoe. The power of the leg muscles are immense and it should be no surprise that our knee joint knee can easily be damaged, especially if we play a lot of sport. Sports physios have their work cut out when dealing with the lower limbs. If up up damage a knee joint, it can have adverse affects further up your body. Damage to any a joint will result in surrounding muscles tensing up; this tension will create reduced mobility and stress to areas such as the hips and lower back. Finally our feet bear the full load of our body weight and equally our ankles are a vulnerable and vital joint. Keeping the ankles and feet flexible and strong is central to the balance of the entire body. Massage for the feet and ankle joints is crucial to keeping them healthy and so our overall health; Reflexologists will vouch for this.
Muscles and the human bodyMuscles are flexible, strong, elastic and durable. They are responsible for all movement and for us being able to stand erect. Each muscle is made up of many muscle fibres, which are tiny strands arranged in groups and ecapsulated by a muscle sheaf. The muscle sheaf is attached at both ends by strong inflexible tendons which anchor the muscle to bone at each end. Every muscle has a purpose for creating movement; whether it be our fingers which grip or are legs which enable us to walk and run.In simple terms, their are two sets of muscles for every movement. One set to contract and create movement and one group to return the limb in the other direction. For example, when we want to bend our arm, the biceps muscles contract and so thicken, thus drawing the forearm upwards but there are also the triceps muscles on the underside of the arm which straighten out the arm. Both sets of muscles work together in unison. Muscles require a good supply of blood which brings nutrients and oxygen to them. If a group of muscles are worked very hard, they will tire; effectively burning up all the available energy and so will have to be rested until the energy is replaced. Massage can help muscles to recover more quickly, forcing blood into tired muscles. See weight lifting program for more information. The human body - muscles and autonomic nervous systemDuring consciousness, it is our muscles, triggered by autonomic nervous system which keeps the whole structure upright. All muscles are always under certain tension, except when we lose consciousness. When a person feints or loses consciousness, the brain will no longer send signals to the muscles and so the person will collapse to the floor. It is interesting that a person who is emotionally tense will not move as freely as one who is not. If an athlete becomes worried about their performance, he or she is likely to perform poorly, which is why some top sports people employ psychologists to help them focus their mind and not be distracted, in order help them improve their performance.How massage can help loosen tense musclesMassage will loosen tense muscles in your body and so help you relax. This is why an athlete should not have relaxing massage immediately before competition but twenty-four hours before is okay because the muscles are freer but the totally relaxed feeling has dissipate.Your body is an amazing structure and although strong, will weaken from neglect and abuse. This is when problems start to appear. We can't blame bad backs etc., on anyone else but ourselves. Take regular exercise,
stretch,
have good rest, learn to
relax
and eat well - your body will thank you for it. Oh yes, and have regular massages.
Amazing facts about your body
 
If you want to know more about your body and how amazing it really is, visit http://www.medindia.net/facts/index.asp
"Take care of your body and it will take care of you."
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