Nine ways massage can benefit your health

Many of us know a massage can be great for relaxing our muscles and our minds. But did you know that there are more health benefits to massage that can range from improving your performance as an athlete to boosting your mood and immunity?  

Here are nine ways medical massage can improve your well-being in sickness and in health: 

1. Decrease chronic or new pain.
2. Increase your range of motion if you have restricted movement or want to improve your performance as an athlete.
3. Improve sleep which has a cascade of benefits in improving your health.
4. Repair minor tissue injuries that happen to everybody throughout the day. Studies suggest massage helps patients access the side of the nervous system where the body does most of its regenerative work.
5. Boost your immunity to stay healthier.
6. Heal from a work injury, auto accident or surgery.
7. Relieve symptoms that can accompany medical conditions like cancer, neurological disorders and even pregnancy.
8. Reduce anxiety and depression, particularly when those issues are related to pain.
9. Improve mood for patients experiencing cancer, postpartum depression and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

If you want to use massage to improve your health and healing, it's important to seek out a highly qualified provider. Here are two tips for doing so: 

• Find someone who is a nationally board certified therapist. This means they have the highest credentials in the massage therapy field and went through vigorous training in not just massage techniques, but also anatomy and physiology. These massage therapists are held to high ethical standards that put the patients' needs first and foremost.
• Consider working with a massage therapist at a health system who can take into account your medical history, and coordinate care with your primary care doctors and specialists. This can help ensure that your care is safe, relates to your overall health care plan and benefits your specific health needs.