The Benefits of Regular Massage

We all know that a massage is a nice way to reduce stress and relax, but did you know that frequent and regular bodywork can effect positive changes in the body that go far beyond simple stress reduction?

Research shows that in response to massage, specific chemical changes cascade throughout the body creating enormous benefits for acute and chronic disorders:

• Asthmatics show better pulmonary function and increased airflow.
• Those with high blood pressure demonstrate lower diastolic pressure, anxiety and stress hormones.
• Premenstrual Syndrome sufferers have decreased water retention and cramping.
• Preterm infants have improved weight gain.

In addition, regularly scheduled therapeutic massage has been shown to be an effective treatment for reducing pain and discomfort from:

• Sports-related soreness
• Back pain
• Arthritis
• Osteoarthritis
• Fibromyalgia
• Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
• Post-surgical pain and tension
• Migraines

But perhaps you don't suffer from any of the above conditions and you enjoy a warm bath and a glass of wine as relaxing way to reduce your stress. Does that mean there are no benefits from massage for you? Of course it doesn't.

Frequent massage therapy and bodywork has also been proven to:

• Boost the immune system
• Release endorphins
• Reduce headache frequency
• Increase circulation
• Improve concentration
• Reduce fatigue
• Increase joint flexibility
• Improve range of motion
• Ease medication dependence
• Exercise weak and/or atrophied muscles
• Promote tissue regeneration (reducing scar tissue)
• Reduce spasms and cramping
• Assist labor for expectant mothers (and reduce maternity hospital stays)
• Help athletes prepare for and recover from strenuous work-outs

These incredible benefits of massage are doubly powerful when taken in regular "doses."

As the researchers of the Touch Institute from the University of Miami say, "The more massage you get, the more benefits you reap." And we hope to see you reaping these benefits soon. Give us call or visit our website for more information.

What Are The Effects of Massage on Parkinsons Disease?

             

Parkinson's disease is a condition in which the central nervous system begins to deteriorate. The University of Maryland Medical Center explains that when nerve cells die, a person's movement is affected. In the case of Parkinson's disease, movement can become uncoordinated, unusually slow and shaky, with the presence of tremors. Medications can be used to control the abnormal movements of Parkinson's disease. Alternative therapies such as massage may also have a beneficial effect on Parkinson's patients.

Reduction of Muscle Spasm

Muscle spasms and rigidity are symptoms common to people with Parkinson's disease, and they may be alleviated to some extent through massage. According to the Institute for Integrative Healthcare Studies, massage therapy, or body work as it is sometimes called, is not enough to completely relieve abnormal muscle activity, but it can be a natural way to improve function. Studies performed jointly by the University of Miami and Duke University showed that participants who underwent a 15 minute massage while lying on their stomachs, followed by another 15 minutes of bodywork while lying on their backs, showed a reduction of muscle spasm and less tremor activity.

Increased Circulation

The Edgar Cayce Association for Research and Enlightenment (A.R.E.) studies the effect of holistic health care on particular illness, including Parkinson's disease. The association explains that massage can effectively increase blood circulation throughout the body, which can in turn have a positive effect on the nervous system.

More Restful Sleep

Improved sleep is a beneficial effect of massage on Parkinson's disease patients, reports the Massage Therapy Foundation. The decrease of tremors and less tension in the muscles from massage therapy sessions were observed in a 2002 Miami-Duke study. The same research also showed a decrease in stress hormones when measured through urine tests. Study participants also reported less wakefulness or restlessness during sleep and a more restful sleep for longer periods of time, up to 10 hours in some cases.

Sports Massage - Stretching Before Competition

Over the past few years, a great deal of strength & conditioning research has been focused on whether or not static stretching is detrimental to an athlete’s performance when applied immediately before competition. Quite a few (but interestingly not all) studies that have shown a decrease in muscular power, strength, and agility immediately following prolonged static stretching.
This is believed to be from an inhibition of the muscle proprioceptors that leads to a reduced neural activation of the stretched muscle. That is, holding a stretch for a long period causes a reduction in the nervous system’s signals telling a muscle to contract forcefully.
So, what should we do to prepare our athlete without harming their performance? The current recommendations are to utilize dynamic-type stretching before strenuous activity, such as Muscle Energy Techniques (MET) also known as “contract-relax” stretching, or Active Isolated Stretching, because these forms utilize muscle contractions and are thought to therefore reduce the inhibition to the nervous system’s control of the muscle activity.
Most importantly, we should not try to create a large increase in an athlete’s flexibility right before competition. They made it there with the flexibility they have, they should compete that way. Their neuromuscular system may not be trained to control their bodies in a larger ROM, potentially increasing their risk of injury. Our goal should be to make their current range of motion as restriction-free as possible, with only slight increases in overall flexibility.
For post-event sports massage and maintenance massage, static stretching is still recommended to reset the muscle’s resting length and assist long-term range of motion increases.

More Benefits Of Massage - Changes Gene Expression and Reduces Inflammation

What’s the News: If you’ve ever been told been that a massage is good for “releasing toxins”—or to sound more scientific, “lactic acid”—from your muscles, then you’ve been told wrong. Turns out muscle cells do like a good massage, but it has nothing to do with lactic acid.
In the first study on the cellular effects of massage post-exercise, researchers found that massage bolsters chemical signals reducing inflammation and promoting repair of muscle cells.
How the Heck:

• Strenuous exercise actually tears your muscle fibers; that’s why an intense workout can leave you sore for days. (Don’t worry—it’s normal and it generally heals fine.) The researchers wanted to study how massage affects this muscle damage, so they made 11 healthy young men cycle to the point of exhaustion.
• Then, finally, relief! Sort of. One leg on each man was randomly chosen for a 10-minute massage. Unfortunately more pain was then in store for these volunteers. A tissue sample was taken from the quadriceps muscle (often known simply as “quad”) of each leg 10 minutes and 2.5 hours after the massage.
• Researchers looked at the level of different mRNA, or messenger RNA, transcripts in these tissue samples. mRNA carries the information for building proteins in the cell, so the level of a particular mRNA molecule can tell you how much of its corresponding protein is being made.
• Compared to unmassaged muscle cells, the tissue from massaged legs had different levels of two key proteins: less NFkB and more PGC-1alpha. Lowering NFkB levels reduces inflammation and increasing PGC-1alpha levels leads to the creation of more mitochondria that generate energy for cell growth, so both these massage-induced changes are good news for healing muscle cells.

What’s the Context:

• Massage is one of the most common forms of “alternative” medicine, and it’s been proven to reduce pain. Before this paper though, there was surprisingly little science on how massage actually works. And this study might finally kill the lactic acid myth that has persisted for so long.

Reference: Justin D. Crane et al. “Massage Therapy Attenuates Inflammatory Signaling After Exercise-Induced Muscle Damage.” Science Translational Medicine, published 1 February 2012. DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.3002882

Muscles Used In The Golf Swing- Massage Therapy for Golfers

For a golfer, the muscles used in the golf swing should be both strong and flexible to produce the desired results.

Key Golf Muscles 

• Core muscles for a stronger turn and stored torque.
• Hamstrings for maintenance of golf posture and low-back injury prevention.
• Quadriceps to help maintain knee flex throughout the swing.
• Upper back muscles to help keep an erect upper spine for ease of rotation.
• Shoulder muscles to allow for consistent top-of-the-backswing position and better control of the club throughout the swing.
• Forearms for a strong impact position with no break down in the wrists.

Core Golf Muscles

The core golf swing muscles are the engine to your golf swing. Like in all athletic movements, your core drives the power. It's the same in baseball, in throwing a discus or shot put, hitting a slapshot in hockey, or any other dynamic power movement.
If your core is weak and inflexible, you will not be able to generate any clubhead speed, resulting in a massive loss of distance. By training your core in both strength and flexibility, from a rotational standpoint, you will see dramatic improvements in your power and distance.

Lower Body Golf Muscles

These muscles play a critical role in stability and generating power. The hamstrings are the most important muscles to help maintain golf posture. These muscles are the most restricted on the older golfer. A simple test is how far can you bend over and attempt to touch your toes?
Developing both strength and flexibility in your hamstrings will not only result in a more consistent golf posture throughout your golf swing, but will greatly reduce the strain on your lower back, helping prevent the very common, "golfers low back" injury.
Your quadriceps help maintain knee flex throughout your golf swing. The key to golf is getting in a dynamic golf posture position (which involves knee flex) and keeping this position throughout the golf swing.
The ONLY way to do this is to strength training and stretch this key areas. Hitting more balls will not be the answer.

Upper Back Golf Muscles

The main contributor for the lack of ability to make a full backswing is the upper back area. Many older golfers have that big hump when in their golf posture that inhibits them to rotate fully in the backswing.
This is a "physical" issue, not mechanical. The ONLY way to improve this is stretching and strengthening the spinal muscles in the upper back. The stronger those muscles are, the better able you'll be to maintain an erect upper back throughout the golf swing.

Shoulder Golf Muscles

The shoulder muscles have many roles in the golf swing, and they are an area that gets over-stressed and injured (rotator cuff). Throughout the golf swing, the shoulder joint rotates open and closed, while the golf club is moving at up to 100 mph.
If the shoulder muscles are weak, you will have no control over your club throughout the swing. If they are inflexible, you will not be able to get to an optimal "top-of-the-backsing" position consistently. Being able to get the club in the right positions is critical to golf swing consistency.

Forearm (Wrist) Golf Muscles

The golf muscles of the forearm (wrist) play a critical role at impact. If the lead wrist is weak, it will break down at impact, robbing you of distance and solid ball contact. One swing fault that will happen is "flipping" the club which increases loft and loses distance.
If your forearm muscles (wrist) are inflexible, you will not be able to get a full wrist cock, which results in less release of the club at impact. Again, the result is a massive loss of distance with all clubs.


Learn about Sacral Therapy and Massage Therapy for Golfers