Benefits of Massage

A short talk about what massage does to your body.

Who is this freak talking to you now or why
should I listen to this idiot?
• Jeremiah is a massage therapist with 20 years experience.
• He graduated from the 680 hour program of the Central
Ohio School of Massage in March 1999 took his medical
boards in June and received his licence from the State
Medical Board of Ohio July 15 1999.
• While all students were required to perform 50 massages
in the student clinic he performed over 500.
• While a student working in the student clinic he was
included in the therapists working on a joint study with
The Ohio Sate University on the effects of massage on
people with spinal cord injuries.
• He took advanced training from Timberlake Massage with
a focus on Myofascial and trigger point release, while still
in the basic course. This course was 175 hours.
What is Massage?
• Massage is the
systematic use of the
modalities of touch,
friction, kneading, joint
movements, stroking,
percussion and vibration
in order to affect change
in the human body.
What is Massage?
• Massage may also include the
use of other tools like
mechanical vibration devices,
and hot and cold hydrotherapy
techniques.
• Massage may have a sedative,
stimulating or even exhaustion
effect on the nervous system
depending on the type and
length of massage treatment
given.
What is Massage?
• Because of the effects that massage has on the human body:
• There is NO such thing as NON-therapeutic massage!
• All massage is therapeutic!
• Even bad massage causes changes to the body, and sometimes being
the opposite to what you might need.
A super short history of massage
• Massage is older than written history. It most
likely came out of the first acts of touching
oneself after an injury.
• Over the centuries it became more
systematised. Developed in different places
with different names. Romi-romi/Lomi-lomi
in the Polynesian cultures. Amma/anma in
Japan. Tuina in China.
• European methods began to be systematised
in the 17th century, after a long dark ages
where only the monks practised massage as a
form of medicine.
Super short history of massage.

• At the Beginning of the 19th century a

Swedish scientist Per (Pehr) Henrik Ling
(1776-1839) began to create a system of
gymnastics (exercises) as a form of physical
health training and therapy. He is given
credit by many as the progenitor of
Swedish massage, but there is evidence
that this was not done by Ling but by
Johann Georg Metzger a German-
Dutchman. Ling did include some form of
manual therapy with his gymnastics. For
the next century there was no difference
between a massage therapist and a physical
therapist. About 100 years ago the great
divide between the two began until now
you can not really see the common roots
between them.
Super short history of massage.
• Johann Georg Mezger (1838-1909)
was born in Amsterdam to German
Parents. He developed a system of
physiotherapy that included all of the
techniques that we now call Swedish
massage.
• Dr John H. Kellogg can be thought of
as one of the American pioneers of
the scientific survey of massage and a
great promoter of massage for its
health benefits. He wrote what is still
to this day one of the best scientific
manuals of massage: The Art of
Massage.
What systems of the body
does massage effect?
What systems of the body
does massage effect?
• Massage either through direct effect or
reflex effect acts on all systems of the
body.
What systems of the body
does massage effect?
• Massage either through direct effect or
reflex effect acts on all systems of the
body.
• Most directly massage acts on the
integumentary, lymphatic, muscular,
vascular, digestive, skeletal, respiratory,
circulatory, and nervous systems. Many
of these systems are also effected in a
reflex manner as well.
What systems of the body
does massage effect?
• Massage either through direct effect or
reflex effect acts on all systems of the
body.
• Most directly massage acts on the
integumentary, lymphatic, muscular,
vascular, digestive, skeletal, respiratory,
circulatory, and nervous systems. Many
of these systems are also effected in a
reflex manner as well.
• The endocrine and reproductive systems
are effected almost exclusively in a
reflex manner.
Integumentary
• Massage can improve the
functions of the skin.
• Massage can stimulate the
production of oil and
sweat.
• Massage will bring
increased nutrition to the
skin by bringing more
blood to the skin.
The procedure we call friction mechanically
pushes blood through the blood vessels.

• Massage dilates (opens up) the blood vessels,

improving circulation and relieving congestion.
Vasodilation
• Vasodilation is the
opening up of the
blood vessels.
• During Vasodilation
there is an increase of
the transport of
oxygen, delivery of
nutrients, and removal
of waste products.
• Blood pressure is
decreased
The procedure we call friction mechanically
pushes blood through the blood vessels.

• Massage dilates (opens up) the blood vessels,

improving circulation and relieving congestion.
• Helps eliminate edema of the extremities.
• Disperses the edema following injury to
ligaments and tendons, lessons pain and
facilitates movement.
Edema
• is an abnormal accumulation
of fluid in between the cells,
located beneath the skin
and in the cavities of the
body, which can cause
severe pain. Sometimes
called swelling.
The procedure we call friction mechanically
pushes blood through the blood vessels.

• Massage dilates (opens up) the blood vessels,

improving circulation and relieving congestion.
• Helps eliminate edema of the extremities.
• Disperses the edema following injury to
ligaments and tendons, lessons pain and
facilitates movement.
The procedure we call friction mechanically
pushes blood through the blood vessels.

• Massage dilates (opens up) the blood vessels,

improving circulation and relieving congestion.
• Helps eliminate edema of the extremities.
• Disperses the edema following injury to
ligaments and tendons, lessons pain and
facilitates movement.
• Helps return venous blood to the heart and so
eases the strain on this vital organ.
The procedure we call friction mechanically
pushes blood through the blood vessels.

• Massage dilates (opens up) the blood vessels,

improving circulation and relieving congestion.
• Helps eliminate edema of the extremities.
• Disperses the edema following injury to
ligaments and tendons, lessons pain and
facilitates movement.
• Helps return venous blood to the heart and so
eases the strain on this vital organ.
• Improves the circulation and nutrition of joints
and hastens the elimination of harmful particles.
It helps lessen inflammation and swelling in
joints and so alleviates pain.
Massage increases
the number of red
blood cells
especially in cases of
anemia.
Massage acts as a “mechanical
cleanser” pushing along lymph
and hastening the elimination of
wastes and toxic debris.
• Lymph is one of the major body fluids of the
body. It is the extracellular fluid inside the
lymph ducts and nodes. It is responsible for
transporting the waste material out of the
body and helping in the fight against foreign
invaders to the body.
Muscles, ligaments, and
tendons.
• Massage improves muscle tone and
helps prevent or delay muscular
atrophy resulting from forced inactivity.
• Massage can compensate, at least in
part, for the lack of exercise and
muscular contraction in persons who
because of injury, illness, or age are
forced to remain inactive. In these
cases, massage helps return venous
blood to the heart and so eases the
strain on this vital organ.
Muscles, ligaments, and
tendons
• Transverse massage separates muscle
fibers, undoing or preventing the
formation of adhesions.
• Massage stretches the connective
tissue, which improves its circulation
and nutrition and so breaks down or
prevents the formation of adhesions
and reduces the danger of fibrosis.
• Massage helps to overcome harmful
“fatigue” products resulting from
strenuous exercise or injury.
Digestive

• Massage empties the larger ducts and

channels and so decreases the auto
intoxication resulting from re-absorption of
toxic materials in these channels resulting
from inflammation or constipation.
• Massage increases the excretion, via the
kidneys, of fluids and nitrogen, inorganic
phosphorous and salt in normal individuals.
Respiratory
• By relaxing the muscles
between the ribs massage
can make it easier to
breath.
• Because of the increased
circulation caused by
massage, more nutrition
reaches the lungs. Also
more CO2 and other
gaseous waste material
reach the lung for
exhalation.
Triger Points
Questions to ask your therapist.
• How many hours training do you have?
• Where did you get your training?
• What style of massage do you normally do?