Therapeutic MassageAll massage is therapeutic one way or the other, so really there is no need for the term therapeutic massage, except that it distinguishes itself from sexual massage. A therapy is basically a treatment and the dictionary describes this as “a treatment of physical or mental disorders,” however therapeutic massage is generally considered to be something which contributes to a person’s wellbeing. It can just be for relaxation and feeling good. Massage done correctly will have a calming influence, which remains long after the massage has taken place. It does make you feel good.
Massage therapy benefitsMassage has been used for thousands of years in all cultures and its benefits are numerous. It has a direct impact on the skin, the underlying muscles, circulatory system, lymthatic system and nervous system. To put it simply it drives energy - blood and lymph around the body. It brings new blood with new oxygen into the area being massaged cleansing the area of dead cells and built up toxins. You could say it is like bring a team of house cleaners in to clean up an old dirty house but it takes time! The more you have, the better you will feel.It releases muscle fibres which have become fibrous through tension or through injury. When injury occurs, muscle tissue can be scarred and this will inhibit the use of the muscle; massage can break down the scarring. Tense muscles will tighten and will form knots which will inhibit movement and rotation of joints. Tight muscles can make us feel tired and lethargic and massage can help release these feelings. Tight muscles can make us prone to injury, especially if playing sports. Massage helps release tense muscles and so can help prevent injury and old injuries reoccuring. I recently was taken to have Chinese massage by an American friend and he told me that when he first came the place, his ankle hurt with the massage in that area and he couldn't understand why. Then he remembered he had damaged his ankle when he was a young child. That old injury had remained dorment for almost fort-five years. But with regular Chinese massage, the pain went away. The important thing to remember is that quite often old injuries will reoccur but maybe causing problems elsewhere. An old ankle injury can easily cause problems in the knee or hip in later years. All serious sports people and athletes use massage as a regular part of their training programme. It also has a direct affect on our central nervous system, sending signals to the brain, and if it is a good massage, the brain will send signals back telling the muscles to relax. Some people actually fall asleep during massage, it is so relaxing. But the effects are not just short term because they will last for some considerable time after but will in time diminish. However, reguler repeated massage will have a positive build up in the body and mind. Like taking regular exercise, the benefits accumulate and so with massage. - if only we could all have regular massage! However, if we can't afford to have a professional massage regularly - what about you and your partner learning? Check out Learn to Massage, for great massage tips - assuming of course you have a partner. Even if you don't, you can always learn self massage. It really can help relieve stress but of course the best way is to visit a professional massage therapist. 
Massage is something which dates back thousands of years, with the earliest references seeming to come from India and China but actually goes far beyond these ancient writings. After all, what is the first thing you do when you bang your leg or arm? You rub it and that helps it to feel better quicker. Not only this but in lovemaking one of the prime actions is massage performed simply by stroking the flesh. So massage is nothing new, far from it and therapeutic massage is just a formalized way of doing something which is quite natural.
However, despite massage being something quite natural and part of daily life it has in the past had a doubtful reputation, hijacked by the massage parlours and made to seem seedy and not respectable. This however, is not the fault of the massage parlours but that our society went through a long period where the body was something to be covered up and not discussed, except in medical terms. Thankfully we have passed through that time and massage is now seen to be something quite normal, almost mainstream. And yet, massage still has a long way to go before it is completely accepted as something which improves health and wellbeing.
Therapeutic massage is still considered as a complimentary medicine and few doctors will refer a patient for massage as a way of prescribing health but I firmly believe that if more people massaged and received massage, there would be fewer people visiting their doctor for stress related conditions, of which there are many. There are now a lot of salons in every town now which offer beauty therapy: makeup, nails, hair etc and in addition are also offering massage. This is non specific massage, just to make the person feel good but this is actually what massage is all about- feeling good. For more on this subject see The Power Touch and What is Massage?
“Therapeutic massage has a calming influence, which remains long after the massage has taken place.”
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