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FACTS / STUDIES
Research in massage therapy has been ongoing for more than 120 years.
Here are some reported benefits of massage:
Medical school students at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-New Jersey Medical School who were massaged before an exam showed a significant decrease in anxiety and respiratory rates, as well as a significant increase in white blood cells and natural killer cell activity, suggesting a benefit to the immune system.
Preliminary results suggested cancer patients had less pain and anxiety after receiving therapeutic massage at the James Cancer Hospital and Research Institute in Columbus, Ohio.
Women who had experienced the recent death of a child were less depressed after receiving therapeutic massage, according to preliminary results of a study at the University of South Carolina.
Studies funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have found massage beneficial in improving weight gain in HIV-exposed infants and facilitating recovery in patients who underwent abdominal surgery. At the University of Miami School of Medicine's Touch Research Institute, researchers have found that massage is helpful in decreasing blood pressure in people with hypertension, alleviating pain in migraine sufferers and improving alertness and performance in office workers.
An increasing number of research studies show massage reduces heart rate, lowers blood pressure, increases blood circulation and lymph flow, relaxes muscles, improves range of motion, and increases endorphins (enhancing medical treatment). Although therapeutic massage does not increase muscle strength, it can stimulate weak, inactive muscles and, thus, partially compensate for the lack of exercise and inactivity resulting from illness or injury. It also can hasten and lead to a more complete recovery from exercise or injury.
Research has verified that: Office workers massaged regularly were more alert, performed better and were less stressed than those who weren't massaged.
Massage therapy decreased the effects of anxiety, tension, depression, pain, and itching in burn patients.
Abdominal surgery patients recovered more quickly after massage.
Premature infants who were massaged gained more weight and fared better than those who weren't.
Autistic children showed less erratic behavior after massage therapy. According AMTA, massage helps both physically and mentally.
"Often times people are stressed in our culture. Stress-related disorders make up between 80-and-90 percent of the ailments that bring people to family-practice physicians. What they require is someone to listen, someone to touch them, someone to care. That does not exist in modern medicine. One of the complaints heard frequently is that physicians don't touch their patients any more. Touch just isn't there. Years ago massage was a big part of nursing. There was so much care, so much touch, so much goodness conveyed through massage. Now nurses for the most part are as busy as physicians. They're writing charts, dealing with insurance notes, they're doing procedures and often there is no room for massage any more. I believe massage therapy is absolutely key in the healing process not only in the hospital environment but because it relieves stress, it is obviously foundational in the healing process any time and anywhere."
Joan Borysenko - Massage Journal Interview, Fall 1999
Physical Benefits of Therapeutic Massage
Helps relieve stress and aids relaxation
Helps relieve muscle tension and stiffness
Alleviates discomfort during pregnancy
Reduces muscle spasms
Promotes deeper and easier breathing
Reduces blood pressure
Improves posture
Strengthens the immune system
Treats musculoskeletal problems
Rehabilitation post operative
Provides greater joint flexibility and range of motion
Enhances the health and nourshment of skin
Improves circulation of blood and movement of lymph fluids
Helps relieve tension-related headaches and effects of eye-strain
Enhances athletic performance; treats injuries caused during sport or work
Fosters faster healing of strained muscles and sprained ligaments; reduces pain and swelling; reduces formation of excessive scar tissue
Mental Benefits of Massage Therapy
Fosters peace of mind
Promotes a relaxed state of mental alertness
Helps relieve mental stress
Improves ability to monitor stress signals and respond appropriately
Enhances capacity for calm thinking and creativity
Emotional Benefits of Massage Therapy
Satisfies needs for caring nurturing touch
Fosters a feeling of well-being
Reduces levels of anxiety
Creates body awareness
Increases awareness of mind-body connection
2006 Phillip A. Hinds
Types of Massage:
Deep Deep Tissue: Is the culmination of applying deep pressure and intention of moving slowly through the deeper layers of muscles in a given area of the body. Deep Tissue work helps release tension and lengthen muscles at the deeper layers in the body. This gives the body a greater range of movement, helps with structural problems, and breaks down scare tissue.
Shiatsu: Means finger pressure. Eastern medicine believes the body is composed of meridians that run throughout the body which is a conductor of the life force called “Chi”. Through applying finger pressure on the meridian points throughout the body the therapist is promoting the movement of Chi through the body and opening up Chi stagnant areas in the body. The greater the movement of Chi through the body the healthier the individual is and is able to maintain a greater level of health. Shiatsu more focuses on the nervous system of the body more so than the muscles not that muscular issues are not addressed through this kind of work, but the primary focus is the movement of Chi particularly through areas of the body that are considered stagnant which usually show themselves as tense or painful.
Sports Massage: Is a type of massage for people who are very physical. It can be used before engaging in physical activity to help the client achieve the greatest level of performance. Reducing muscle tension, stretching out the muscles and joints reducing the possibility of injury. And too, reducing tension and stress which builds up in the body during physical activity. Also, helping the body to flush out lactic acid, fatigue and other toxins which tend to building up when the body is in high physical output.
Fibromyalgia Pain: How Massage Can Help
ImmuneSupport.com 01-12-2005 By Ronda Del Boccio, NCTMB
Has fibromyalgia robbed you of your energy and vitality? Do achy muscles and pain cramp your style? Would you like to have less stress in your life? If your answer to any or all of these questions is a resounding “YES!”, then you should have massage regularly.
Experts believe that stress accounts for 80-90% of all disease. Even when it is not the direct cause, it aggravates health challenges, making it harder to maintain well-being. People with fibromyalgia tend to be stressed out over-doers. Receiving massage on a regular basis reduces stress and pain, and helps the body function in a more harmonious way.
Massage therapists, or “body workers”, as they are also called, apply a wide variety of techniques to aid the muscles and other soft tissues of the body. They use rubbing, kneading, percussion, and stretching, to name but a few.
Some people believe that a massage is simply pampering that feels wonderful, but there are numerous reasons why having routine massage is a good idea. Fibromyalgia and many chronic conditions, such as arthritis, bursitis, low back pain, diabetes, high blood pressure and fatigue respond well to massage.
The body under stress is in a state of “fight or flight.” In other words, the system reacts as if there were imminent danger. Breathing is shallow, the heart is working overtime, and the repair and restore functions of the body are put on hold. Sleep patterns are disturbed by the pain. Stress and pain are locked in an unending cycle, each making the other worse. Massage is one way to break the vicious circle.
Massage puts the body into a “rest and digest” response that allows it to repair and renew itself, digest food, and absorb nutrients. Breathing becomes deep. Heart rate slows. Pain decreases. Anxiety loses its hold. Health benefits of massage include:
[ strengthening the lymph system, which helps the body fend off invaders
[ • reducing pain from injury, overuse or surgery
[ • enabling restorative sleep
[ • relieving muscle cramps, spasms and tension
[ • increasing circulation and bringing nutrient-rich oxygen to the organs and tissues
[ • releasing the body’s natural pain-killers, called “endorphins”
[ • improving range of motion of joints
[ • providing stretch and exercise for weak or withered muscles
[ • lowering blood pressure
[ • and many more
PLEASE NOTE: Therapeutic massage does not treat, heal, prescribe or cure anything. It is complementary healthcare, not a substitute for a Medical Doctor. Some conditions are “red flags” that prohibit massage, including phlebitis, some cancer, infectious disease, and some skin and certain cardiac conditions. Your therapist should take a health history, but it is always best to consult your physician if you have any concerns.
Massage clients with fibromyalgia have found that they sleep better because they have less pain. They lose the mental fuzziness often called “fibro fog” after their session. Some have consulted with their doctors and reduced or eliminated pain medication. Regular sessions make the difference. I have often told clients, “Don’t wait until you feel like a train wreck before you come to see me.
Touch is highly personal. You should feel comfortable with your practitioner. Don’t be shy about asking questions before you pay for a session. Especially if you have many complications, you will want to be certain your therapist is knowledgeable about your condition. Make sure the work is not too deep or too shallow. Working on tense muscles can be painful, but should not be excruciating. Your therapist is not a mind reader, so it is up to you to tell her or him to lighten up or increase pressure. You know your body better than anyone.
If anything that is said or done makes you feel this isn’t the right person, find someone else. Most therapists will be glad to talk with you and help you decide if their massage is right for you. Many offer special enticements, such as free samples, consistency discounts, and referral incentives. If you find the work beneficial, offering a gratuity is appreciated.
Benefits of Massage Therapy For Fibromyalgia Sufferers
Massage therapy is actually one of the most beneficial treatments for fibromyalgia pain and fatigue. In fact, in a survey completed by fibromyalgia sufferers, massage therapy was rated the best fibromyalgia treatment option by an overwhelming margin. Massage therapy benefits include:
- increased blood circulation to the muscles, allowing for faster muscle repair
- increased flexibility
- increased range of motion
- decreased stress and depression
- reduced pain
- reduced stiffness
- improved sleep patterns
In a 1996 study, fibromyalgia sufferers reported a 38% decrease in pain symptoms after receiving just ten, 30 minute massage sessions. They also reported a significant decrease in their sleep difficulties: they began sleeping for longer periods at a time and were disturbed less by sleep disorders.
Massage Helps Fibromyalgia
May 9, 2002 -- Many fibromyalgia symptoms -- pain, stiffness, fatigue, depression -- can be relieved with massage therapy. Now, researchers say they understand why. Massage alters the sleep pattern, which reduces levels of the chemical messenger for pain.
Fibromyalgia affects approximately 3-6 million people in the U.S., mostly women, according to lead author Tiffany Field, PhD, a researcher with the Touch Research Institutes in Miami. It causes widespread muscle and soft tissue pain, tenderness, and fatigue. A person with fibromyalgia will experience pain when "trigger points" are pressed.
Previous studies have shown that exercise, stretching, relaxation therapy, and massage therapy can provide relief for people with fibromyalgia. Massage therapy has also been shown to reduce pain, stiffness, fatigue, and sleeping difficulties. But researchers have not known exactly what massage does to provide relief.
In this five-week study, 20 adults with fibromyalgia received either massage therapy or relaxation therapy twice weekly. The massage was a combination of several types, including Swedish, Shiatsu, and Trager, all using moderate pressure. People in the other group went to progressive muscle relaxation sessions.
"Both groups showed a decrease in anxiety and depressed mood immediately after the first and last therapy sessions," writes Field.
The big difference showed up in their sleep, she adds. Only the massage therapy group reported an increase in hours of sleep and a decrease in their sleep movements, as well as lower levels of the chemical messenger for pain -- called "substanceP."
STUDIES:
~German emperor Frederick II, took a number of newborns from their mothers and gave them to nurses who fed them but did not cuddle or talk to them. All of the babies died before they could talk. Fredrick concluded "They could not live without petting."
~In the early 1990's, Romania, thousands of infants were put in orphanages, they were left in their cribs for two years, all alone. They were found to be severely impaired.
~Duke Professor Saul Schanberg found that rat pups separated from their parents for 45 minutes underwent major internal changes including a large drop in growth hormones. Injections of growth hormones didn't help. But when someone stroked them with a wet paintbrush-- mimicking their mothers tongue--the hormone levels went back up.
INTERESTING FACTS ON TOUCH:
~Touch is the first sense to develop in humans, and may be the last to fade
~there are approximately 5 million touch receptors in our skin-- 3000 in a finger tip
~a touch of any kind can reduce the heart rate and lower blood pressure
~touch stimulates the release of endorphins (the body's natural pain killers) which is why a mother's hug for a child's skinned knee can literally make it better
~people with eating disorders who receive massage three time a day for ten day's, gain weight faster and got out of the hospital six days sooner than those who don't
~elderly people who massage surrogate grandchildren report higher-esteem and better moods
~massage before an athletic event, makes the athlete more flexible, enhanced speed and power, and less prone to injury
* One in five Americans have had a massage from a massage therapist in the past five years and 13% report receiving one in the past year. This is up 8% from 1997.
* Today, there are more than 60,000 Nationally Certified practitioners that serve millions of consumers.
* Nationally Certified practitioners provide expertise in various areas of therapeutic massage and body work; Nationally Certified practitioners provide expertise in various areas of therapeutic massager and body work, including Swedish massage, shiatsu, polarity therapy, Rolfing®, Trager® techniques, reflexology, neuromuscular therapy and many more.
* In 1996, massage therapy and bodywork was officially offered for the first time as a core medical service in the Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta. At the Games, Nationally Certified practitioners were providing key medical services.
* Thirty-one states and the District of Columbia now regulate the practice of therapeutic massage and bodywork. Of those, twenty-five states, in addition to the District of Columbia, now use the NCBTMB examination as meeting (in part or in whole) the requirements of regulation.
* NCBTMB currently has over 600 Approved Providers of Continuing Education.
* Consumers spend between $2 and $4 billion dollars annually on visits to massage and bodywork practitioners, totaling approximately 75 million visits each year.
* The three most often cited reasons for getting a therapeutic massage are relaxation (27%), relief of muscle soreness, stiffness or spasm (13%), and stress reduction (10%).
* Health insurers are increasingly expanding coverage to include alternative medicines. In addition, several healthcare network providers use NCBTMB to check the National Certification status of the practitioner.
* Fifty-four percent of primary care physicians and family practitioners say they would encourage their patients to pursue massage therapy as a complement to medical treatment.
* Massage therapy accounts for 18% of the 425 million visits made to alternative healthcare providers each year.
* In 1999, 52% of American adults thought of massage as "therapeutic," which is up 47% from 1997.
* An estimated 20 million Americans receive massage therapy and bodywork each year, according to the National Institute of Health (NIH).
* Approximately 50,000 massage and bodywork practitioners provide 45 million one-hour therapy sessions each year.
* Two thirds of Americans have tried at least one form of alternative therapy or treatment for medical conditions.
* Massage therapy is the third most commonly used form of alternative medicine in the U.S., having been tried by 35% of Americans.
* Women are more likely than men to have tried alternative treatment.
* Forty-two percent of Americans have used some type of alternative care in the past.
* Americans make more visits to see alternative therapists than to see primary-care physicians, spending $21.2 billion.
* The number of massage practitioners in the U.S. is between 120,000 and 160,000.
* Massage and bodywork therapy is sought out by a large number of people in age brackets: 18-24 (22%); 25-34 (31%); 35-44 (25%); 45-54 (22%); 55-64 (19%); and over 65 (9%).
* The most important driver to try an alternative treatment is a recommendation from a friend or family member, which leads 62% of their patients to these providers.
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