Are you feeling stressed, with tight muscles around your neck and shoulders? With our normal social lives on hold, and our normal avenues of stress relief such as gyms, going out with friends, going to clubs and outings all on hold – we are all finding it harder to manage our stress.
So, what better time to learn how to give a 5-minute neck and shoulder massage? You can help your family members feel better, improve their mood, their muscle tension and even sleep better.
Watch and learn from Anna, our Remedial Massage Therapist, as she teaches some basic techniques you can try on your partner or family member.
Just give it a go!
PS. We are still open and Anna has appointments available if you would prefer to receive a remedial or relaxation massage from an expert! Give us a buzz on 95344111 or click our link to book online.
If you want to know the details of how massage helps – read on:
Why Neck & Shoulder Massages Work
Massage therapy works in a number of ways to decrease pain. Firstly, by activating the pain-gating system. Nerves are like a one-way street, they can only pass one message at a time. This means that during a massage, the large nerve fibres in the skin are activated, switching off the transmission of pain messages.
The second mechanism is the activation of the Relaxation Response, which is the body’s ability to decrease the psycho-physiological response of stress. The Relaxation Response helps to create calm, helps the body to rest and decreases blood pressure, heart rate, stress hormone output and muscular tension. This calming of the central nervous system results in a decrease in the sensitisation of the pain receptors, which decreases the sensation of pain.
Thirdly, when muscles are in a state of spasm, which often occurs with any pain, the connective tissue within the muscle becomes taut. It’s then subjected to decreased circulation and decreased nutrients, becoming hyperirritable. This often creates myofascial trigger points (muscle knots). These myofascial trigger points become a secondary source of pain. Myofascial release (trigger point massage) involves manual pressure of the trigger point with prolonged stretching to break up these fascial adhesions, increase circulation and increase the flexibility of the muscle. Importantly, it also causes a release of endogenous opiates – your body’s natural pain killers.
Massage doesn’t just feel good, it helps to decrease your pain, improves your relaxation and decreases your stress response. A good massage leaves you feeling happy and like you’re walking on a cloud.
Are you in Mandurah? Book your back and shoulder massage today.
