Massage can lower blood pressure, prevent cold, enhance skin tone and improve overall health, says an expert at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Massage can lower blood pressure, prevent cold, enhance skin tone and improve overall health, says an expert at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Licensed Massage Therapist Arnold Kelly, who provides massage therapy at the Outpatient Physical Therapy Clinic at the UAB Spain Rehabilitation Center, said massage provides two types of benefits: immediate and cumulative.
"Immediately following massage, you can experience reduced tightness in the muscles, improved blood flow and breathing, plus reduced anxiety and stress," Arnold explained.
"Over the long-term, the benefits of massage accumulate; massage can increase a person's range of motion, strengthen the immune system and provide an improved sense of well-being," Arnold added.
Stress seems to creep into the lives of almost everybody at some point, and Arnold said a massage can do a lot to help.
"Swedish and deep-tissue massages are two of the 'big four' types of massage. Swedish is for those who are interested in just relieving stress. If there are deeper aches and pains, deep tissue can help take care of it," Arnold explained.
Neuromuscular and trigger point therapy are the other two major types of massage that have proven to be universally beneficial, according to Arnold.
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How often massage therapy should be utilized varies from person to person.
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Arnold recommends those considering massage first visit a physician to see if this form of therapy will help then choose a licensed therapist.
Source-ANI