Health and Fitness Tips

live a long, healthy life one step at a time

Many different ways to heal and rejuvenate the human body exist today, from diets and exercise to pills, surgery, and even massages. A therapeutic massage can not only feel wonderful, but it can have a lot of health benefits, some of which many people may not even realize. A massage therapy specialist or massage therapy for pain can turn a person’s health around, especially if he or she suffers from chronic pain or other issues. Health benefits of therapeutic massages can be too tempting to pass up, and an interested client can look up local massage places to get the therapeutic massage that they may have always needed. A person may also look up the health benefits of such a massage to decide of they need it, or else they can consult their personal physician to get an expert’s view on matters.

Why a Therapeutic Massage?

A therapeutic massage can go a long way for health, and it does not need advanced pills or surgery to get results, just hands-on work. Between July 2013 and July 2014, data was collected on American adults who got a therapeutic massage, and among the most common reasons for seeing such a massage were medical reasons like injury rehabilitation, curing soreness or stiffness, pain management, or even just for the overall, general health benefits of it. Clients looking for relaxation and stress reduction purposes together made up 23% of massage customers in the span of July 2013 to 2014, and some 92% of people agree that massages are effective in reducing pain, such as back pain or cramped muscles. A massage therapy session can last anywhere from 15 to 90 minutes, based mainly on the customer’s interests or how long they want to spend on the massage. One of the best aspects of massages is that it does not affect the body with drugs in liquid or pill form, meaning no side effects, and no surgery of any kind is involved, eliminating risks and scars forming or the need for anesthesia or numbness. The only instrument used is the therapist’s two bare hands.

Who gets massages? Many American adults today want and get a medical massage at some point or other. As of July 2014, many Americans, over 54 million adults, had gone to their doctors or health care providers to discuss the possibility of massage therapy within the past year, and that number could very well rise in the future. Also, a consumer data survey carried out in 2014 by ATMA showed that nearly 15% of all American adults received at least one or more massages in the time frame from July 2013 to 2014, and that stand for many millions of people. As interest in low tech and alternative medicines and therapy like massages and herbs and supplements grows, the percentage of Americans who go to get therapeutic massages may even increase.

Often, American adults are highly stressed with finances, careers, families, thinking about the future, and more, and sedentary lifestyles mean that many adults do not get enough exercise and often get cramps or blood clots from constant sitting, and these two factors can lead to a lot of tension and physical stress in the body, and improper sitting or lying in bed can also harm the spine or various muscles and joints. A therapeutic massage can help address all of this, relaxing not only the body but the mind along with it. A peaceful, calm mind may be difficult to achieve when the body is sending constant signals of pain and distress anywhere from headaches to back pain to worn out leg joints. Athletes and professional workers who have physically demanding jobs may also want to invest in such massages, since this can loosen up muscles and improve blood flow, clarity of mind, and ease of movement, as well as eliminating any chronic pain from stress, recent injuries, or more, allowing these customers to perform their sports or occupations to the best of their ability, no surgery or medication needed.