Oh yes, my friends… The routine massage, and how it effects us. Not just good for the body, good for the WHOLE body. The benefits we forget about sometimes because they’re so specific. A LOT of people still think of massage as pampering, I won’t name any names but… westerners… We all know that there are at least 10 different body systems. Well, I’m going to touch today on how massage benefits each system. Please add any in the comments box if you would like!

I always go through my Systems from the outside in so let’s start with the benefits for the skin or Integumentary System. This system is the primary point of contact between the giver (you) and the receiver (client) during massage. Of course this system isn’t just skin, it is also hair, nails, sebaceous and sweat glands. We have sensory receptors in the skin that detect touch, pressure, pain, and temperature and relay that info to the nervous system. Once of the major effects of pressure to the skin is stimulation of the sensory receptors found here. This stimulation has beneficial effects such as relaxation, pain reduction, and body awareness. Good body awareness enhances a person’s sense of integrity and wholeness, and is important for good mental and emotional health.

Okay, let’s dig a little deeper and talk about the glands in the skin. In order for them to work properly, skin pores must be free from blockage. As we all know, they very easily get clogged up with dirt, makeup, dried oils and seat, or the accumulation of dead skin cells. Massage helps to exfoliate the skin by the friction and rubbing, this also raises the temperature which gets the oil glands to secrete. Just like going into a steam room or hot tub. And of course, the oil/lotion adds moisture.

Massage is also great in facilitating the formation of healthy scar tissue on the skin surface following lacerations, surgery incisions, or burns. Applying cross-fiber and with-fiber friction techniques to scars during the remodeling or scar maturation phase helps form strong mobile scars, break adhesions to underlying tissues, and reduce scar thickness.

Considering this is the first primary point of contact in massage and your clients are already receiving such benefit why isn’t everyone aware? Do your part in spreading massage therapy awareness, leave a comment, tell a friend, write a press release!

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