Massage therapy has many beneficial uses. It might help with muscle pains, sports injuries, muscle tension, and lymph drainage. Massage is a helpful addition to a treatment plan for a variety of illness and injuries. The therapy can also have important mental benefits as well. One popular use for massage is to relieve stress. Since stress can have a damaging effect on your body, taking time out for a full-body treatment a few times a week might protect your health as well as improve your mood. Here's how a massage treatment can help with stress.

Induce Muscle Relaxation

There are different techniques used with massage therapy. Some are stimulating while others are relaxing. When given for relaxation, your therapist might use long, gentle strokes on your skin that coax your muscles into relieving stress. As your body becomes more loose and relaxed, your mind will follow. One problem with stress is that it is often held in the body even if you aren't aware of it. The muscles in your neck, shoulders, and back may become tense and ache due to the strain. By gently kneading these muscles, they release their tension and relax, which reduces pain and helps you achieve a state of mental relaxation.

Release Adhesions

Your therapist may find areas in your neck and shoulder that are painful due to constant tension. These painful areas may be treated with deep tissue work. This involves using pressure on the painful area to break up adhesions that contribute to pain and stiffness. While this type of treatment might be a little painful, once the adhesions are gone and blood flow to the area increases, your muscles should feel more relaxed and have improved movement with less pain. When focusing on stress relief, the therapist uses techniques to relax your body that might also include things like hot stone treatments or water massage depending on what relaxes you most.

Quiet Time

Stress is often the result of being pulled in many directions at once. Between work, home, and kids, you may not have any free time at all. When you have a lengthy full-body massage, the time you spend is on yourself and you're all alone except for the therapist providing your treatment. Without pressures and distractions, you can relax fully during your session. The benefits you derive from a period of deep relaxation can carry over long after you go home. Some benefits might include an improvement in your blood pressure, better mood, and less pain.

While you might think of these sessions as pampering, they can actually have a therapeutic effect when they help you manage stress. If your doctor tells you to learn relaxation techniques or if you need help to manage your stress, then massage treatments are a good place to start. Visit a site like http://www.davidson-chiropractic.com to learn more.