Growing older does not have to mean growing old. So you might be asking yourself just how to stave off the effects of aging? Well it just so happens that the preventative and restorative nature of massage might just be what your body needs, and here is how.
Improved Circulation, Healthier Skin
As your body ages, your circulation slows and your skin loses its youthful vitality. Experts say massage helps to combat these effects by increasing circulation through the manipulation of tissue, improving the appearance and condition of the skin and its elasticity, and toning muscle tissue.
Immunity and Stress
If you already enjoy massages regularly, you know how massage helps combat stress, but did you know how detrimental stress can be?
Experts are saying that many diseases we encounter today can be associated with stress. Researchers are also saying how stress ages the body, weakens your bodies ability to fight off illness, and can make your cells appear up to 17 years older than they are. Through massage you relieve stress and are directly helping your bodies immune system.
Relieving Pain
Part of the aging involves dealing with various forms of pain. For example back pain you never experienced before, or your biking regimen now requires greater recovery time afterward. Even though pain is a constant source of grief for an aging body, massage can make a difference.
The passive movement in massage keeps joints more mobile and stimulates the synovial fluid, which lubricates the joints and nourishes the articular cartilage. Massage also prompts the release of endorphins and other pain-reducing neurochemicals.
In addition to the pains of physical exertion an aging body experiences, the discomfort caused by arthritis can be just as debilitating. Experts predict that one third of all Americans will experience some level of arthritis. Most arthritis sufferers do not think of massage when they consider therapies to help ease their pain. While it is unlikely for massage to cure arthritis, it may help to lessen the pain with no side effects.
According to the Arthritis Foundation, an increasing number of doctors are recommending massage to their arthritis patients. Massage can increase circulation around painful joints, bringing healing oxygen and nutrients, including amino acids, to rebuild tissue. Many massage therapists report that their arthritic clients find better and longer-lasting relief from massage than from pharmaceuticals.
Whether its reducing the symptoms of arthritis, or simply addressing the aches and pains of living an active life, massage can play an important role in aging well.
The benefits from massage and bodywork can help bodies of all ages:
- Improve range of motion and helps with lower back pain.
- Improve circulation, allowing the body to pump more oxygen and nutrients into tissues and vital organs.
- Provide exercise and stretching for atrophied muscles.
- Reduce swelling and scar tissue.
- Reduce recovery time from injury or after surgery.
- Reduce stress.
- Releases endorphins, the body’s natural painkiller, thereby reducing the need for medications.
- Stimulates lymph flow and supports the body’s natural process of detoxification.
In addition to all the physical benefits massage and bodywork offers, there also are proven psychological changes we experience with massage. If you suffer from arthritis, we are confident you will feel the difference. Call us today and let us help reduce your arthritis pain.
