Transcript What Massage Can Do For Stress - Back in Motion Therapeutic

What Massage Can Do
For Stress
Nadine Pickard
Owner/RMT
Back In Motion Therapeutic Massage
Stress: the body’s response to demands
made upon it. Not a disease, but can
contribute to poor health. The way we
choose to cope with stress is important to our
health.
Stress can be brought on by a number of situations;
financial, health and relationship issues are the worst
triggers. (ex: bills are out of hand, yourself or a loved one
being diagnosed with an illness, divorce)
The body reacts and recovers quite well when a
stressor occurs briefly, such as jumping out of the
way of an oncoming vehicle= quick effective
response, followed by the body recovering.
If the body continually has to respond to chronic
stress- if you are experiencing repeated stressful
events over a lengthy period of time- the stress
response becomes overused, tired and less
effective. This is when different symptoms of stress
in the body may begin to show…
When the brain senses
stress, the nervous system
kicks in to activate
different parts of the
body. This is called the
“fight or flight” response.
Your body at this point is
focused on pumping blood
to the heart, vital organs,
major muscle groups…
because you may need
those to tackle the
horrible situation at hand,
or to run from it.
Emotions That Cause Stress
• Any intense emotion can trigger reactions
throughout the body. This includes:
•
•
•
•
Anger
Anxiety
Fear
Agitation
When these emotions are processed in the
brain, the musculoskeletal system is
activated.
• Muscle tone is increased= tension
• Trigger points may result
• Neck pain, low back pain, jaw pain
Emotional Stress

Ex: Anxiety/ Panic Attacks/
Fear/Depression/PTSD.

The brain recognizes these
feeling/emotions as ‘bad’
Signals are sent from the
brain, to muscles initiating
“fight or flight”. Increased
tension leads to pain.

Postures with these
emotions also play a role..
How would you describe someone’s physical
appearance when suffering from anxiety/fear?
These postures encourage tension in the jaw, neck, arm, chest and
back. If the muscles aren’t relaxed, they will continue to hold this
posture, even when you are not feeling stressed. This leads to
chronic pain in many cases.
Postures associated with depression usually
involve the fetal position. This is hard on the
neck, shoulders, chest and low back from
always being rounded/rolled forward.
•
Long term physical or emotional stress (anxiety since
childhood, or low back pain from an accident 15 years ago)
can cause problems for other areas of the body besides just
muscles.
o The weakest link in the body will begin showing symptoms first.
o
Heart, GI tract, brain, immune troubles are common

Cold sores pop up (weak immunity). Relaxation massage can help the body
to rest, recoop, and resume proper function.

Constipation/diarrhea/IBS (aggravated GI tract- you lose the “rest and
digest” actions of saliva, mucous, peristalsis). Abdominal massage
following a stressful situation may help to regulate the bowels via colon
manipulations or TP tx. Stomach growls are often heard in the treatment
room.

Chest pain or heart palpitations (muscle stimulation). BP is reduced with
massage relaxing for the heart, lessen tension on vessels.

Insomnia (the brain cannot rest/relax). Massage can interrupt this cycle
and help the body to accept R&R once again by decreasing tension in
muscles. Sometimes the body forgets how to shut down.
Just as stress leads to muscle tension, being able to
decrease muscle tension in affected areas will in
turn relieve the stress (muscle will send calming
signals to the brain once they start feeling relaxed).
Enter relaxation massage! Timely treatments are
important to intercept the pain cycle.
Massage for Physical Impairment:
Decrease tension in affected areas using massage
techniques so muscles can relax/rest/recover
Rid the muscles of trigger points to decrease pain
Educate the client- give ideas for stretching
shortened, tight muscles and strengthening the
weak, overstretched ones to prevent knots from
forming in the future.
It’s all about the balance! Tense muscles are
prone to injury due to decreased flexibility, and
compensation makes other areas vulnerable as well.
Massage for Emotional Stress:
Full body relaxation massage, preferably at least
one hour in length so the client can really take the
time to unwind
Some areas with increased tone may be
addressed, but not too many
Always more relaxing components than
therapeutic to avoid overworking the body, which
can in turn lead to stress
Always finish with relaxation techniques so the
client leaves feeling de-stressed
Benefits of Massage
At a cellular level, massage decreases Cortisol
secretion- a hormone released in stressful
situations. By decreasing Cortisol levels, the brain
receives signals that it is OK to relax, and then
relays that information to other organs and tissues
that are reacting to stress (muscles, gut)
Massage greatly increases the client’s awareness of
tension in the body. The client is more likely to
work on their posture when they realize that a large
portion of the pain they may have been feeling is
due this muscle imbalance.
“I didn’t realize I was sore there until you started
working on that muscle!”
Once clients feel and recognize tense areas in the
body, they remember past emotions and the
relation becomes clear.
Another good reason to try massage: How will you know
what feeling ‘good’ feels like if you never get ‘reset’?

Beware that long term pain can become your new
‘normal’- muscles are very adaptive, they will
hold these painful postures forever unless they
are re-educated. “Teach those muscles a lesson”!
When muscle imbalances are addressed, pain
and stiffness will decrease. Aches and pains
will be reduced. Range of motion will
improve. **Quality of life will improve**
Massage can help you maintain appropriate
stress levels before or after stressful
events.
Once able to recognize your stressors, you can be
proactive and book massages prior to these events to help
keep stress at a minimum. Massages immediately following
stressful events will also help your body to relax so you
can feel great again.
The relaxing, calm, quiet atmosphere of a
treatment room is a very safe, soothing
place. Great ideas and solutions often come
to mind while on the table during a massage.
We all need that ‘time out’ once in a while to
just relax…
You will be surprised at how many tense
areas you have, whether you are feeling tight
or not!