Not only is a massage a great way to pamper yourself, but massage therapy has also long been one of the most popular and effective types of complementary and alternative medicine.

Massage therapy encourages healing of the body’s skin, muscles, ligaments, and tendons by pressing, rubbing, and otherwise manipulating them, usually with the hands. Some people use massage therapy in addition to medication, physiotherapy, and other forms of medicine, while others find relief for various ailments through massage therapy alone. Massage therapy is commonly used for relieving pain, improving mobility, relieving stress, and improving the quality of sleep. Let’s take a closer look at why.

Pain relief

Many people swear by massage therapy to relieve various forms of pain caused by everything from sports injuries to repetitive tasks such as sitting at a desk and writing or typing all day. Massage therapy can be particularly beneficial for back pain, especially chronic back pain. It can also help to relieve tense and painful bundles of muscle fibres known as muscle knots by softening the muscle. People who suffer from tension headaches have likewise found relief through massage. By targeting the muscles which contribute to tension headaches, massage therapy can help reduce their occurrence and severity.

Improved mobility

By reducing muscle pain, massage therapy can help improve the mobility of specific joints and muscles. Another way that massage therapy helps to improve mobility is by encouraging the flow of blood to the affected area. Increased blood flow means that your sore muscles and joints receive more of the vitamins and minerals they need to repair themselves. Increased blood flow also helps to reduce the stiffness of sore muscles and joints, improving flexibility and range of motion. Additionally, massage therapy can help to relieve mobility issues caused by pinched nerves by reducing the tension of the muscles around the nerve.

Stress relief

People have long used massages as a way to relax and unwind, and for good reason. Not only does massage therapy help your body feel better, but it can also reduce your stress levels and help your mind feel refreshed. By lowering your physiological stress levels and helping you feel more mentally relaxed, massage therapy has the potential to reduce feelings of depression and anxiety as well. While it’s certainly not a first-line treatment for anxiety or depressive disorders, it does sometimes prove to be an effective complementary therapy.

Improved sleep quality

People who have trouble sleeping because of pain or stress might greatly benefit from the pain- and stress-relieving benefits of massage therapy. Those who have trouble sleeping for other reasons or whose insomnia occurs independently may also benefit from massage therapy simply because it promotes a relaxed state of body and mind.

A well-tolerated treatment with minimal potential for negative side-effects, massage therapy can be used in addition to other treatments that you find helpful or instead of treatments that you don’t find to be effective. If you’re dealing with any of the issues discussed above, then it might be worthwhile to give massage therapy a try.