Massage Therapy - Song Family Chiropractic - Langley Chiropractor, Massage, Acupuncture, Kinesiology, ICBC

What is massage therapy?

Massage works by pressing and rubbing the skin, muscles, tendons and ligaments. There are many different types of massage, including the more common types such as:

Swedish massage. This is a gentle form of massage that uses long strokes, kneading, deep circular movements, vibration and tapping. It helps you feel relaxed and energized.
Deep massage. This massage technique uses slower, more-forceful strokes to target the deeper layers of muscle and connective tissue. It’s commonly used to help with muscle damage from injuries.
Sports massage. This is similar to Swedish massage, but it’s geared toward people involved in sport activities to help prevent or treat injuries.
Trigger point massage. This massage focuses on areas of tight muscle fibers that can form in your muscles after injuries or overuse.

Massage benefits can include:

Stimulates and boosts our immune systems.
Increases blood circulation of the whole body and helps the body’s healing process from injuries and trauma.
Whole-body relaxation Massage can help to recover from Anxiety, depression, and panic disorders
Reduces or relieves muscular pain and hypertonicity
Increases and maintains Range of motions
Active Rehabilitation from injuries and trauma to help back to Activities of Daily life
Reduces edema and replaces body fluids evenly

While more research is needed to confirm the benefits of massage, some studies have found massage may also be helpful for:

Anxiety
Digestive disorders
Fibromyalgia
Headaches
Insomnia related to stress
Low back pain
Myofascial pain syndrome
Nerve pain
Soft tissue strains or injuries
Sports injuries
Temporomandibular joint pain
Upper back and neck pain

Beyond the benefits for specific conditions or diseases, some people enjoy massage because it often produces feelings of caring, comfort and connection.