One of the top benefits of massage therapy as an overall approach to pain and other physical needs is how versatile it is. Many people know, for instance, that massage is proven to help with things like stress and anxiety -- and down related lines, many people who suffer from sleep conditions like insomnia and others have turned to massage therapy with great results.
At Body Balance Massage and Float, we're happy to offer the very best massage therapy services in Utah, applying our treatments to many patients in need -- including those who struggle with insomnia or other forms of sleep concerns. Why might massage benefit your sleep quality if you're in such a position? This two-part blog series will go over a number of simple themes.
Insomnia and Related Issues
Insomnia is a form of sleep deprivation that can lead to much more than tiredness -- it can also lead to a range of physical, mental and even emotional issues. Massage assists with both these areas, helping you get better sleep while also addressing some of the root causes that may be leading to these issues. Our next few sections will go over some of these root causes, and how massage therapy addresses them.
Stress and Anxiety
Some of the most common reasons people deal with insomnia trace back to stress and anxiety. For one thing, stress can be a major factor in how easily you fall asleep at night -- if you have too much on your mind or are dealing with physical symptoms like headaches or stomach issues, it's only natural that sleep will take more time to come (if it comes at all).
Massage therapy is an effective way to counteract stress, providing a thorough relaxation treatment that helps to release the body's natural "fight or flight" mode. It also helps to reduce other common causes of stress, like muscle tension and tightness -- which can make it even harder to fall asleep at night. When you consider your overall range of benefits from massage therapy, then -- particularly during a time when you're aiming to help yourself sleep better -- this makes it a great option.
Aches and Pains
In other cases, people tend to develop insomnia in the first place because of aches and pains they're dealing with. These can be related to your disorder or condition, yes -- but in some cases, they may not be directly connected (like if you have arthritis).
Whatever the case, massage therapy is an effective way to reduce pain, no matter what its source. This is because massage therapy can help to break up tense muscles and encourage a healthier flow of blood through the body. These factors alone make it much easier for you to relax, giving your body a chance to take a well-deserved break from the stresses that lead to insomnia.
For more on how massage therapy may benefit those who deal with insomnia and related sleep issues, or to learn about any of our massage or float therapy solutions, speak to the team at Body Balance Massage and Float today.
One of the key benefits of massage therapy is its versatility and use for a number of different people and needs. And while various massage techniques can be applied to numerous different areas, there are a few rare occasions where massage therapists actually don't recommend getting a massage.
At Body Balance Massage and Float, we're proud to offer a huge range of different massage therapy techniques, from Swedish massage and deep tissue massage to cupping therapy, prenatal massage and many others. While these situations are quite rare, there are just a few cases where we may recommend against massage for patients for the sake of their health and/or safety. Here's a quick rundown of these conditions, plus a word from our pros on how to approach these and related situations.
Active Infection
If you have an active infection taking place in the area where you're considering massage, we likely won't be able to work with you. While we take precautions against the spread of germs and disease at our center, usually by using disposable tables and gloves and wearing facemasks during treatment, there's always a low risk that you could get an infection from massage therapy if you were to get it elsewhere.
Not only is there a threat to our therapists here, there's major risk that massage could cause the infection to spread and worsen, causing serious health problems. If you're sick and not sure if massage is safe for your condition, check with your doctor first.
Following Surgery
Assuming all goes well, you can usually enjoy massage therapy about six weeks after surgery to give the body time to recover and heal after an operation. Even with this timeframe in mind, though, check with your doctor before getting a massage -- they know you and your condition best, after all.
Certain Skin Conditions
Certain skin conditions, such as dermographism (a phenomenon where your skin reacts to pressure by intensely itching and/or burning) can be worsened by massage. At Body Balance Massage and Float, we typically recommend against the use of any firm massages on areas afflicted with eczema or psoriasis, as no one wants to make their condition worse.
Active Cancer
If you're battling cancer in a specific area you were considering a massage for, there may be cases where this isn't possible. This is one area where getting specific advice from both a massage therapist and your primary cancer doctor is highly recommended -- massage in some cases may increase the cancer spread risk, but in other cases could be completely safe.
When in doubt, always feel free to talk with your massage therapist about what is and isn't possible when it comes to treating a condition you're currently suffering from -- we want you to get the most out of our services, not worry!
For more on certain situations in which you may opt against massage for your own safety, or to learn about any of our massage or float therapy programs, speak to the staff at Body Balance Massage and Float today.
If you’re one of the nearly 40 million Americans who suffer from migraines, or one of many others who deals with other headache types, you may be looking for both solutions and explanations for their cause. One of the top such explanations for many headache sufferers: Stress, and the resulting issues stress tends to create.
At Body Balance Massage and Float, stress reduction is one of our top themes, both within our float therapy solutions and numerous forms of massage – deep tissue massage, Swedish massage and several other types, many of which are intended specifically to help relieve stress. Massage therapy often has fantastic results for those dealing with persistent headache symptoms, generally due to both stress reduction and similar themes. Here’s a primer on how we’ll help with your headache issues, including a bit specifically on tension headaches that some people experience.
Understanding Symptoms
If you visit our massage therapists for assistance with your headache issues, the first thing we’ll do is speak with you about your symptoms and where they’re bothering you. This may involve both a verbal conversation and perhaps a physical examination – you’d be surprised by how many clients know they’re having pain, but may require a bit of further probing to understand the actual origination sources of that pain.
We’ll find out these details, identifying any important areas of your musculature that are involved in creating pain. We’ll inquire about the duration and intensity of your headache pain, plus the triggers that tend to cause it.
Ideal Technique(s)
Using the above information we gain from you, plus our own observations, we’ll begin crafting a plan for the ideal massage therapy technique or techniques to recommend. One common type of massage that’s often used for headache pain is trigger point therapy, which involves finding muscle tension in a specific area and relieving it – but there are also other types that may work well for your symptoms. We’ll consult with you fully before moving to any specific techniques.
Tension Headache Specifics
What about those who suffer specifically from tension headaches, or headaches with pain on both sides of the head that are often associated with muscle pain? Many people who experience these headaches consistently will prefer a form of item-assisted massage, such as our warm bamboo massage or other forms of hot stone massage that are often offered. These hold great benefits for the nervous system, and the heat involved also helps soothe tension and limit pain symptoms in many cases. Again, however, whether you utilize this or another technique will depend on your precise symptoms.
For more on how massage therapy benefits those who deal with headaches, or to learn about any of our massage or float therapy services, speak to the staff at Body Balance Massage and Float today.
In part one of this two-part blog series, we went over some of the basics involved in the way the body responds to massage therapy. Massage elicits multiple bodily responses from those who receive it, including both mechanical and relaxation responses, and these lead to a number of practical benefits within the body.
At Body Balance Massage and Float, we’re proud to offer not only a huge array of massage therapy techniques, from deep tissue massage to trigger point therapy and many others, but also simple information on any of our services or massage formats. In today’s part two of our series, we’ll pivot from the body’s specific responses to massage into the way these responses translate into practical benefits across numerous bodily areas.
Muscle Benefits
One of the primary areas of the body that can receive benefits from massage is any muscle group. Muscles are relaxed primarily through the relaxation response, which we went over in part one – this reduces soreness and fatigue, while limiting restriction and stiffness in those who experience it.
In addition, the improvements in blood circulation we talked about in part one are also vital in this area. Better circulation means every muscle in the body receives more oxygen and nutrients on a minute-by-minute basis, helping them stay healthy at all times. There are also several specific techniques your massage therapist will take to reduce spasms and tension, which in turn increases range of motion and flexibility.
Connective Tissues
Another specific benefit area from massage therapy is connective tissue, such as scar tissue and even areas like bone structure. Massage therapy is known to limit keloid formation when applied to scar tissue, reducing the impact of such scars and even their ability to form. It also helps with bone mineral retention, increasing circulation around any bone injury areas to promote healing.
Skin Themes
Many do not realize it, but the potential benefits of massage therapy to the skin are vast. Massage can increase skin temperature, which in turn reduces stress, plus the increase in blood circulation we’ve talked about helps the skin create more nutrients to keep it healthy. Finally, massage also helps increase oil production from the skin, reducing dryness.
Other System Benefits
There are numerous other bodily systems that may be directly benefitted by massage therapy, including:
- Cardiovascular system: Massage dilates blood vessels, improves circulation and decreases blood pressure
- Lymphatic and immune systems: Massage promotes lymph circulation and reduces swelling, plus increases white blood count for the immune system
- Digestive system: Promotion of evacuation through movement of bowel contents
- Nervous and endocrine systems: Massage reduces stress and anxiety while increasing relaxation capability, in turn increasing dopamine and serotonin levels while reducing cortisol levels
- Respiratory system: Reduces respiratory rate by slowing breathing
- Urinary system: Increases urine output and also promotes excretion of substances like nitrogen, phosphorous and sodium chloride
For more on the practical benefits of massage therapy based on body responses, or to learn about any of our massage or float therapy services, speak to the staff at Body Balance Massage and Float today.
There are numerous mental health-related areas where float therapy has shown real positive impact for many people, and one such area is various eating disorders. Many major eating disorders have a direct connection with mental health areas like anxiety, OCD and related concerns, and because float therapy is often able to dig into these areas and provide assistance, it’s shown real benefits to many with eating disorders as well.
At Body Balance Massage and Float, we’re proud to offer a wide range of float therapy tank services for a variety of clients with differing needs. Here are some of the basics on the connection between float therapy and assistance with eating disorders, including the research that’s out there and how this area might benefit you if you’re struggling with such a concern.
Anxiety and Eating Disorders
As we noted above, many eating disorders like anorexia, bulimia and others have shown significant connections in research to mental health conditions. Individuals may begin to experience severe anxiety related to their appearance, obsessing over improving it even when this involves taking extremely unhealthy steps like severely restricting food, ridiculous amounts of exercise or other similar themes.
In fact, mental health professionals will tell you that eating disorder commonly co-occur with anxiety disorders. This may make symptoms worse and could make it tougher to recover, which is why addressing the underlying mental health areas is so important.
How Float Therapy Helps
Floatation therapy is one of several treatment methods that’s shown significant benefit to those with various mental health disorders, including those underlying many eating disorder cases. Through a state known as interoceptive awareness, those who participate in float therapy are able to heighten their internal sensory intake, helping ground the mind in a more realistic place moving forward.
For those with major body image issues, the potential impact here is large. The ability to change one’s personal body image and be more realistic about appearance can go huge lengths toward limiting or even preventing eating disorders from forming or continuing.
Study Data
In fact, there’s research data to back this up. In a recent study, participants suffering from the eating disorder anorexia nervosa were first asked to describe their own body using an image outline corresponding to very thin, average or overweight figures – they were asked both how they currently look and how they wished they looked based on these templates. From here, they were put through several float therapy treatments, then asked the same questions after each treatment.
The results were clear: All participants involved selected a less exaggerated version of themselves after at least one float therapy session compared to their initial opinion given before the trial. While more research is needed, other studies have also reached similar conclusions.
For more on how float therapy benefits those with eating disorders, or to learn about any of our massage therapy or float therapy services, speak to the staff at Body Balance Massage and Float today.
In part one of this two-part blog, we went over some of the basics on skin, the layers of tissue, and the body, plus how deep tissue massage brings numerous benefits to both areas. A broad colloquial term for massage that affects a variety of layers of muscle tissue and fascia your therapist will work on, deep tissue massage is one of the most popular styles of massage available today.
At Body Balance Massage and Float, our deep tissue massage services are second to none. We’ll use a variety of tools and techniques to fit your exact needs, helping you work through chronic pain and muscle tension that might be causing a variety of issues. In today’s part two, we’ll go over several other distinct purposes many people utilize deep tissue massage for, including a couple you may not have considered in the past.
Immune System Boost
There are several forms of massage therapy that may help boost the body’s immune system, and deep tissue massage is among them. Continued deep tissue massage is known to increase the number of white blood cells in your body – these are the cells that fight disease and various contaminants, and having more of them means your body is better protected.
For this reason, those who are vulnerable to several different immune disorders, or even just have weaker systems overall, often turn to deep tissue massage to help increase the body’s natural defenses.
Flexibility Increase
In some cases, muscle and joint issues lead to significant reductions in general flexibility and mobility in various areas of the body. This creates a vicious cycle, where limited mobility only worsens with time as the pain grows and larger areas go immobile.
Deep tissue massage, however, is a huge help here. It loosens and lengthens stiff and stuck muscle areas allowing for greater mobility and flexibility. Not only this, but it allows for more efficient movement and less strain on the joints, which can relieve or eliminate the pain present.
Headache Relief
Studies have shown that around 90% of headaches are muscle tension related. This means that most people are suffering from tension headaches that can be greatly reduced or completely removed by deep tissue massage. Trigger point therapy is also shown to have a positive effect for headache sufferers.
Swelling Assistance
Finally, one area some are not aware of when it comes to deep tissue massage is the benefits it can bring for those who have swelling, whether due to recent surgery or some other cause. While this can also be accomplished using sports massage techniques (which can be similar to deep tissue massage), deep tissue massage is often extremely effective at reducing swelling.
For more on the benefits of deep tissue massage, or to learn about any of our massage therapy services, speak to the staff at Body Balance Massage and Float today.