benefits of massage Flashcards
xxxxx (47 cards)
1
Q
Relieving Muscular
Tension
A
Massage stimulates the “Relaxation Response” • a state where the heart and breathing rate slow down, blood pressure goes down, there is a decrease in stress hormones and muscles relax • increase in serotonin levels, a chemical that positively affects emotions
2
Q
Reducing Soreness and
Fatigue
A
Massage enhances blood circulation, which increases the amount of oxygen and nutrients available to the muscles: • Increased oxygen and nutrients reduce muscle fatigue and post exercise fatigue • A fatigued muscles recuperates 20% after 5 min of rest and 100% after 5 min of massage
3
Q
Trigger Points
A
• Trigger point formation is greatly reduced by the pressure applied during a massage • Massage affects the trigger points in both the muscle and fascia
4
Q
Muscle Fibers
A
Massage compressive strokes and
cross-fiber friction strokes manually
separate muscle fibers
• reduces muscle spasms
5
Q
Improving balance
A
• Massage helps stimulate the body’s proprioceptors • These are nerve endings that tell the body where it’s part are in space • For example, if you close your eyes, you can still touch your nose or your foot without seeing it • Your body’s proprioceptive nerves let you know where it is
6
Q
Proprioception
A
Proprioceptive input can become altered due to injuries and improper movement • Massage can help stimulate those nerves and improve movement to increase proprioceptive input • Leads to better balance and lesser change of injury
7
Q
Increased Range of
Motion
A
• When muscular tension is reduced, range of motion is improved • The movement of joints is dictated by the movement of muscles • If the muscles are tight, then the joints can not move freely and optimally
8
Q
Weak Muscles
A
Massage aids in toning weak muscles because muscle spindle activity is increased during massage • An increase in muscle spindle activity creates muscle contractions, aiding in toning weak muscles • Massage is extremely beneficial for those with muscle atrophy
9
Q
Improves muscular nutrition
A
Massage can improve blood and lymph circulation through the physical manipulation of soft tissue and chemicals that are released as part of the relaxation response • Improved circulation will bring nutrients to the cells and remove waste products
10
Q
Improving Circulation
A
Massage can improve blood and lymph circulation through the physical manipulation of soft tissue and chemicals that are released as part of the relaxation response • Improved circulation will bring nutrients to the cells and remove waste products
11
Q
Skeletal System
A
Increases mineral retention
• Promotes fracture healing
12
Q
Mineral Retention
A
Massage increases the retention of
nutrients such as nitrogen, sulfur and
phosphorus in the bones
13
Q
Fracture Healing
A
When a bone is fractured, the body forms a
network of new blood vessels at the break
site
• Massage increases circulation around the
fracture, promoting healing
• Increased circulation lead to increased
deposition of callus to the bone
• Callus is formed between and around the
broken ends of a fractured bone during
healing and is then replaced by compact
bone
14
Q
Nervous System
A
- Promotes relaxation
• Decreases Pain
• Activates sensory receptors
15
Q
Relaxation
A
General relaxation is promoted through activation of the relaxation response • This also has a diminishing effect on pain sensation
16
Q
PAIN #1
A
Massage relieves local and referred pain caused by hypersensitive trigger points • These points are caused by ischemia (decreased blood flow) • Increasing blood flow helps eliminate these trigger points
17
Q
Pain #2
A
Massage stimulates the release of endorphins, enkephalins and other pain reducing neurochemicals • Endorphins cause a euphoric state of mind (example is a “runner’s high”)
18
Q
Pain #3
A
The pressure of massage interferes with pain information entering the spinal cord by stimulating pressure receptors • This works to further reduce pain (based on the pain gate theory)
19
Q
Pain Gate Theory
A
The Gate Control Theory of Pain was first introduced by Ronald Melzack and Patrick Wall in 1965 • This theory states that non-painful stimulation closes the “gates” to painful input • Example, rubbing an area after you hit it on something helps to reduce the pain sensation
20
Q
Pain #4
A
Massage interrupts the pain cycle by
relieving muscular spasms, increasing
circulation, and promoting rapid
disposal of waste products
21
Q
Pain #5
A
• During deep sleep, a substance called somatostatin is released • Massage helps improve sleeping, which improves the levels of somatostatin released • Without this substance, pain is experienced
22
Q
Sensory Receptors
A
Massage can stimulate difference sensory
receptors depending on the stroke choice,
direction, speed and pressure
• Cross-fiber tapotement stimulates muscle
spindles, which activates muscular
contraction
• Slow, passive stretch and deep effleurage
activate Golgi tendon organs, which inhibit
muscular contraction
• Activation of sensory pressure receptors
reduces pain
23
Q
Cardiovascular System
A
• Dilates blood vessels • Improves blood circulation • Stimulates release of acetylcholine and histamine for sustained vasodilation • Replenishes nutritive materials • Reduces ischemia • Decreases blood pressure and reduces heart rate
24
Q
Blood Vessels
A
• The body responds to massage by reflexively dilating the blood vessels • This in turn, aids in improving blood circulation and lowering blood pressure
25
Circulation
```
• Deep stroking improves blood
circulation by mechanically assisting
venous blood flow back to the heart
• The increase of blood flow is
comparable to that of exercise
• It has been documented that during a
massage, local circulation increases
up to 3 times more than circulation at
rest
```
26
Vasodilation
• Massage stimulates the release of
acetylcholine and histamine
• These substances prolong vasodilation
(dilation of veins)
27
Replenishing Nutritive
| Materials
• Increased blood circulation leads to an
increase in nutritive materials such as
oxygen and other nutrients to the
cells and tissues
28
Ischemia
```
• Massage reduces ischemia and
ischemic-related pain
• Ischemia is the term used when blood
flow is decreased to an area
• Ischemia plays a role in creating
trigger points which are associated
with pain referral patterns
```
29
Decrease in Blood
| Pressure
```
• Blood pressure is decreased by
dilation of blood vessels
• Both diastolic and systolic readings
decline and last approx 40 min after
the massage session
```
30
Decreases Heart Rate
• Massage decreases heart rate through
the activation of the relaxation
response
31
Integumentary
Increases skin temperature
• Improves skin condition
• Reduces superficial keloid formation
32
Temperature
• Skin temperature increases due to
| increased blood flow
33
Skin Condition
| Improvement
```
• As superficial blood vessels dilate, and
circulation increases, the skin
appears hyperemic (increased blood
flow makes it red in appearance)
• This brings added nutrients to the
skin, improving the skin’s condition,
texture and tone
```
34
Skin Pathologies
```
• Unless a condition contraindicates
massage, skin pathologies may
improve by decreasing redness,
reducing thickening/hardening of the
skin, increasing healing of skin
abrasion and reducing itching
```
35
Reduces Keloid
| Formation
```
• Keloids (also known as granulation
tissue) are made up of scar tissue
• Massage applied to scar tissue helps
reduce the formation of keloids in the
skin and excessive scar formation in
the soft tissue beneath
```
36
Urinary System
• Increases urine output
• Promotes the excretion of metabolic
wastes
37
Increased Urine Output
```
• Massage activates dormant capillary
beds and recovers lympathic fluids for
filtration by the kidney
• This in turn, increases the frequency
of urination and amount of urine
produced
• Massage is also relaxing, which
promotes general homeostasis
(balance of the systems)
```
38
Promotes Excretion
```
• Massage promotes excretion of
nitrogen, inorganic phosphorus, and
sodium chloride in urine
• Levels of these metabolic wastes are
elevated in urine after a massage
```
39
Endocrine System
• Increases dopamine and serotonin
levels
• Reduces cortisol levels
• Reduces norepinephrine levels
40
Dopamine Levels
Massage increases dopamine levels
• Increased levels of dopamine are
linked to decreased stress levels and
reduced depression
41
Serotonin Levels
```
• Massage increases serotonin levels
• Increased levels of serotonin suggest a
reduction of both stress and
depression
• It is believed that serotonin inhibits
transmission of noxious signals to the
brain, reducing pain
```
42
Cortisol Reduction
```
• Massage reduces cortisol levels by
activating the relaxation response
• Elevated levels of cortisol are found in
individuals that are stressed
• Also found to decrease immune
function
```
43
Norepinephrine Levels
```
Norepinephrine is another stress
hormone
• Massage has proven effective in
reducing this hormone due to the
relaxation response
```
44
Lymphatic System
• Promotes lymph circulation
• Increases lymphocyte count
• Increases the number and function of
natural killer cells
45
Lymph Circulation
```
• Lymph is a fluid that moves slowly
within it’s own system of vessels
• Lymphatic circulation depends
entirely on pressure from muscle
contraction, breathing and applied
pressure from massage
```
46
Increase in Lymphocytes
```
• Lymphocytes are types of White Blood
Cells (WBC)
• Massage increases the number of
lymphocytes which has a positive
effect on the immune system
```
47
Natural Killer Cells
```
• Natural killer cells are also types of
WBCs
• Massage increases the number of
Natural Killer Cells which improves
the immune system
```
