Without exaggeration, massage can be called the most ancient and effective way to promote health and prevent many diseases.
It is used at all stages of medical rehabilitation, leading to muscle tone, restoring the body’s performance after injuries, reducing body fat, and relieving stress.
Massage is a dosed mechanical effect on the surface of the body. It is carried out by hand or with the help of special devices. With a general massage, the whole body is massaged; local – affects the back, collar zone, and arms. Also, massage can be hygienic, therapeutic, sports, or cosmetic.
The positive effect of any massage is manifested only after passing the full course of procedures.
Usually, their number varies within 7-10, less often 15 sessions. Depending on the indications, the duration of one session is 20-60 minutes, a more precise time is determined individually.
The benefits of massage are manifested in:
- Strengthening the immune system of the body
- increase the firmness and elasticity of the skin
- improvement of blood circulation and lymph circulation
- activation of sweat and sebaceous glands
- normalization of the psycho-emotional state
- stimulating the work of the central nervous system or calming it down
- reduction of pain
- increased skin sensitivity
- acceleration of metabolic processes
- getting rid of puffiness
- strengthening/relaxing muscles
Massage has the maximum effect on muscle tissue. Depending on the type of movements, it allows you to stretch and relax muscles that have contracted from tension, restore flexibility and elasticity to them, relieve fatigue, and get rid of the pain.
Benefits also exist for the circulatory system. Making breathing deeper, massage expands blood vessels and capillaries, improves blood circulation, and saturates the brain with oxygen, and lymph flow, strengthening the human immune system.
After a massage session, the sebaceous and sweat glands begin to work more actively. The natural hydration of the skin improves, and the processes of its cleansing and moisturizing are accelerated.
Thanks to the massage, mineral salts, toxins, and slags are well removed from the body. The excretory function of the kidneys and skin is activated, the level of subcutaneous fat is normalized and the recovery processes in the tissues are accelerated.
Among the fair sex, facial massage is popular, the benefits of which are simply enormous. At the same time, procedures that improve the condition and appearance of the skin can be carried out either by contacting a beauty salon or at home.
There are many positive aspects of massage, but, unfortunately, procedures that are pleasant in all respects in some cases can provoke negative reactions in the body, and the harm of massage will many times exceed its possible benefits.
Contraindications for therapeutic massage (general massage):
- Acute febrile conditions, the inflammatory and purulent process of any localization, high temperature
- Bleeding and tendency to them
- Pathology of the skin, nails, scalp, as well as damage, irritation, abrasions, and cracks;
- Varicose veins with trophic disorders, thrombosis
- Acute pain and causalgia (pain syndromes caused by damage to the peripheral nerve)
- Respiratory diseases (after them, massage is not allowed for another five days);
- Inflammation of the lymphatic vessels
- Angrites, angioneurosis, atherosclerosis of the arteries of the legs with trophic disorders;
- Mental illness
- Systemic blood diseases, hemophilia, benign and malignant tumors of various localization
- Aneurysms of the vessels of the brain, heart, aorta, peripheral vessels, insufficiency of cerebral circulation of the third stage, severe sclerosis of the cerebral vessels with a tendency to thrombosis and hemorrhage
- Acute periods of hypertensive or hypotensive crisis, myocardial ischemia, bronchiectasis, pulmonary heart failure of the third degree, pulmonary edema, pulmonary embolism
- Exacerbation of diseases of the autonomic nervous system (gangliosides, diencephalic crisis)
- Allergies with rashes, hemorrhages in the skin, Quincke’s edema
- General severe conditions in various diseases and injuries, osteomyelitis
- Diseases of the female genital area, abdominal organs (ulcer)
- Trauma
- Alcohol in
In addition, there are several contraindications for massage of certain parts of the body. So, if you have any doubts about whether to massage or not, it is better to consult with your doctor or directly with the massage therapist.
A qualified specialist will always give an exhaustive answer and determine the degree of possible risk.
