Why Does Massage Feel So Good?
By Donielle Saxton, BA, CMT
Many clients ask me after a Massage Session, “Why do I feel so good after I receive a Massage?” The power of touch has very subtle and profound effects on the body. Sharing a hug with a friend lets you know this. The simple act of touch affects all the body systems. By touching the skin, the nervous system is stimulated. The effect on the body depends on the type of strokes being used. For example; a long “effleurage” stroke calms and relaxes, while the percussion of “tapotement” awakens. This applies to the depth of the stroke like: a deep stroke is intended to release the muscle tension but is more awakening than light strokes, which are meant to relax. As you touch the skin you can’t help but affect everything underneath. I start with the circulatory system. As the nerves “relax” so do the veins and arteries, which increases circulation. An increase in circulation helps keep the blood moving and the heart pumping. Also near the skin surface is the lymph system. Unlike the heart, there is no pumping organ for the lymph. Lymph is moved by physical activity (esp. jumping up and down like on a trampoline) and also moves some with the vibration of the heart beat. The only other way to move lymph is through manual touch. Lymph movement is one of the main ways the body rids itself of toxins. The more you keep it moving and open, the more toxins you release (which is also why it’s important to drink lots of water after a massage and to take that Epsom salts bath.) If the body doesn’t have to do all sorts of extra work it can spend more time on important functions like immunity. Being in a relaxed (not asleep) state helps keep your immunity high, this means you are less likely to get ill. If you do “catch” something you will probably get over it easier. (Sounds like a good thing to me!)
But the main thing a Massage Therapist is trying to do is help the muscles feel better! Good Massage Therapists are intimately familiar with all the muscles and bones in the body (not as easy as it sounds). Massage is one of the only professions that looks at the muscles first and how they affect everything else in the body. Essentially muscles provide support and mobility. Without the muscles the bones wouldn’t stay together, but without the bones the muscles wouldn’t be able to function. Another important piece of the structure is the Fascia (the clear filmy stuff on chicken when you clean it off). Fascia is connective tissue (meaning it connects everything [from bones & muscles to organs] together). Now if you were to take a light and have it show just the connective tissue (including Fascia) you would be able to identify the person‘s build, size, gender, etc. (pretty much the whole person), because the connective tissue is so comprehensive. Since we use our muscles all the time (even the heart is a muscle) with out putting too much thought in to it, they sometimes like to give us wake up calls. “Hello, I am still here, did you forget about me?” Through the use of varying strokes and pressures in Massage we are able to reach even the smallest muscle and answer it. So why do muscles get stiff? On the chemical level a muscle contracts by sending calcium ions into the muscle fibers. The calcium ion is normally drawn out when the contraction is no longer needed. But sometimes some of it gets “stuck” in there. This can cause “knots and crunchies.” The massage therapist’s job is to get in there and release the trapped calcium. Sometimes this release is not immediate. Right after a massage you may feel like you still have kinks to work out, but after a couple hours or days it goes away. That is the way the muscles react. A similar phenomenon takes place when you work out or lift weights, some attributes change fast while others take time to change. |
