Dr Paul Donahue, medical advice columnist, believes in massage;
“I believe in massage. They've helped me to get over sore muscles many times.”
A recent reader posed this question after he began feeling too tired to continue playing sports at a competitive level:
“…Someone suggested massage to me. I tried it. It worked. I’m a new person since getting two massages a week. When I tell this to people, many of them say it’s all in my head; it isn’t. Do you believe massage could do this much for me?”
In response to the question, Dr. Donahue had this to say;
Massage is a scientific way to manipulate the body’s soft tissue, which include muscles and ligaments.
It increases circulation, which carries away pain promoting byproducts generated from work or exercise.
It relaxes muscles and ligaments. It increases joints' range of motion.
Massage has been demonstrated to relieve back pain that doesn't arise from any structural changes to the back. Ten weeks of two massages a week have been shown to improve such back pain.
Dr. Donahue also added;
...[massage can help] those whose arm or leg is swollen after surgery in which lymph nodes had to be removed. Lymph fluid comes from the circulation and bathes all body tissues and organs. It returns via lymph vessels, which act like vacuum hoses. They suction up lymph fluid and return it to the circulation. When lymph nodes are removed and lymph vessels disrupted, an arm or leg swells. Massage therapists, trained in techniques to mobilize this fluid, are able to greatly reduce such swelling and allow the affected arm or leg to move with greater freedom.
