Most people come to see a massage therapist either to seek relief from their shoulder pain and stress or to simply pamper themselves. When an athlete comes in for a visit, however, they can have muscle pain all over, often residing deeper within the muscular tissue than the typical shoulder pain people complain about. Because of this much wider area where complications can arise, a therapist must have that much deeper knowledge of not only the human body, but also of the individual’s body in particular.

Relaxation therapists who work with athletes have a responsibility to keep both themselves and their clients informed. Proper communication between the two can help the therapist identify areas that feel like little more than a spot of soreness or tension and give those areas the proper attention before they have a chance to develop into a full-blown injury. Regular massage can not only eliminate pain before it occurs, but it can work wonders to improve tissue flexibility, range of motion, and muscle relaxation. This means that not only will you be able to stretch and move further and more easily, the natural tension in your muscles at their resting state will be reduced as well. This is, of course, not to mention the fact that it can also work wonders for reducing muscle spasms and cramps too.

So whether you lead an active lifestyle or are an athlete make sure to incorporate massage into your personal care routine, because the health benefits are almost innumerable. Plus being limbered up and feeling relaxed and ready to take on the world couldn’t possibly hurt your performance, could it?

Hence, the reason I schedule regular Wilmington NC massage, acupuncture and chiropractic appointments for myself- I won’t do it if it’s left up to me. I have needles to give myself acupuncture, I have tools for massage, but at home I am always too busy to take care of me. I need to step away and let someone else take care of me for an hour so I can relax and heal from the stress and strain of everyday life.  Why is that important?

Think about what chronic stress does to you… this is taken from wikipedia:             Chronic stress is the response to emotional pressure suffered for a prolonged period over which an individual perceives he or she has no control. It involves an endocrine system response in which occurs a release of corticosteroids. If this continues for a long time, it can cause damage to an individual’s physical and mental health.

Symptoms

In humans, symptoms of chronic stress can vary from anxiety, depression, social isolation, headache, abdominal pain or lack of sleep to back pain and difficulty concentrating. Other symptoms include:

Does taking an hour once or twice or more a month to get a massage make a difference? Yes! Massage therapy Wilmington NC helps counter stress by releasing hormones that facilitate the parasympathetic response (the opposite of all that negative stuff you read above) by relaxing the brain and the body to encourage healing.

Don’t wait until you have some or all of those symptoms to start taking care of yourself! Schedule with Relax Massage Therapy or an acupuncture appointment today! I look forward to helping you feel your best!

Massage is not only one of the most pleasurable and relaxing experiences you can imagine, it is also proven to have several health benefits. It can do wonders for the relief of both pain and stress, which are some of the main reasons (aside from pampering oneself) that people seek out massage. Tight muscles from work or stress-induced headaches are things that a proper massage can often take care of easily. More often than not, it leaves you feeling better, healthier, and more rested than before the pain began in the first place! If you have pain in the shoulders or just stress aches, the pressure and attention afforded to those spots by massage therapy can often relieve the pain at the source.

Unlike a doctor’s visit, where they may charge you several hundred dollars to prescribe you some pills that only cover up the pain and help you ignore it, massage therapy can get to the root of the problem. It can help eliminate the anomaly in your body to get you back to 110% as soon as possible. Often, a single session is enough to bring people who walked in hunched over in pain, to walking out upright with a head held high and a spring in their step. Just imagine how well you would bounce back from such ailments if you received a massage with regularity.

So if you have some lingering stress and pain that you want to get rid of, or if you just want a chance to improve your health and feel like you’re being spoiled (without the guilt!), then a good massage is what you need. You will be amazed at the difference it makes in your attitude, your stride, and your health.