Benefits of Massage Therapy for Seniors

Benefits of Massage Therapy for Seniors

It’s no secret that the fastest-growing segment of the American population is 65 or older. According to the Department of Health & Human Services, the number of people 65 and older numbered 39.6 million and represented 12.9% of the US population in 2009. By 2030, there will be about 72.1 million people 65 and older, or 19% of the population. As this population group grows, there will be an increased emphasis on health, quality of life and well-being.

Massage therapy offers many possibilities to this senior group of citizens. Therapeutic Massage at Elements can provide relief from various types of muscle tension and overall discomfort for seniors who are still very active as well as those who are living with limiting conditions such as arthritis, diabetes, heart disease, or high blood pressure

Therapeutic massage, provided by a licensed massage professional, has been proven to do the following:
•Decreases anxiety and stress
•Lessons the symptoms of depression
•Stabilizes blood pressure
•Helps alleviate sleep disorders
•Increases circulation
•Improves joint mobility
•Decreases inflammation
•Increases the sense of well being
•May lesson dependence on pain medications and other types of medications
•Improves the flow of lymphatic fluid
•Improves digestion
•Provides much needed touch and nurturing

Additionally, the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA) states that massage therapy can improve the quality of life for those in hospice living or comfort care.

Our licensed massage therapists at Elements Therapeutic Massage Spokane are knowledgeable of the conditions that can occur in seniors, and can provide light to medium touch massage for specific, individual needs. Our therapists are sensitive to each client’s sense of modesty and privacy and will respect and accommodate special requests. Before undergoing any massage session, it is always recommended to discuss your needs and make sure the therapist is trained in massage techniques for seniors.

Some may wonder if a physician’s approval or a prescription is required for massage therapy, and it is generally not. However, there may be instances when a client should consult with their physician to insure safety before beginning a massage program. For example, someone who has an acute illness, is undergoing chemotherapy, has osteoarthritis, osteoporosis or has had recent surgery, should talk to their doctor first.

At Elements Therapeutic Massage Richland, each massage is individually customized to best fit your health and wellness regimen. Contact our Richland Studio to book an appointment with one of our Tri-Cities massage specialists.

BenefitsTherapeutic Massage

Incorporating Therapeutic Massage into a balanced health and wellness program can be beneficial for overall health. One of the oldest healing arts, massage dates back to B.C. times in the Orient. Today, Therapeutic Massage is now accepted as part of many physical rehabilitation programs worldwide for symptoms as diverse as Arthritis, Diabetes, and Insomnia as well as many more.

The effects and benefits of Therapeutic Massage are both physical and emotional. Through the physical contact of Therapeutic Massage, clients have experienced increased joint flexibility, stretching weak or tightened muscles, increased circulation through muscle activity and reduced pain. Emotional effects and benefits of massage have been seen through the relaxation of the entire body; reducing stress, reducing blood pressure, relief of anxiety and depression as well as the release of vital endorphins into the body.

The physical and emotional effects of massage work together to help influence a faster recovery from ailments and discomfort by targeting not one particular area, but the overall body as it works together as a whole.

At Elements Therapeutic Massage Richland, each massage is individually customized to best fit your health and wellness regimen. Contact our Tri-Cities Therapeutic Massage Studio to book an appointment with one of our specialists. We offer Deep Tissue Massage, Trigger Point Massage, Prenatal Massage, Sports Massage and many other Therapeutic Massage Modalities.

Get Out. Get Active. Get Massage to Prepare this Spring

The golf fairways are turning green, the summer race schedules are published, the bicycles are out of the garage, and your running shoes are ready to ditch the treadmill and start logging miles on outdoor trails and roadways.

The only thing that may be missing in this picture is a physically conditioned body that is prepared to endure all of the strenuous activities spring and summer have in store. To get yourself to the start line without injury and prepare your body for optimal performance this year, it is important for both men and women to incorporate frequent massage into their spring training, performance and recovery plan.

 

Massage is essential to everyone’s overall health and well-being, but especially if you live an active lifestyle. And, to be clear, an active lifestyle doesn’t necessarily mean being a competitive athlete or extreme sports enthusiast. An active lifestyle can mean coaching your child’s little league team, regular recreational gym use or playing flag football with family on a summer afternoon. Either way, massage can play an active role in improving athletic performance for anyone ranging from weekend warriors to competitors.

Top Ways Massage Can Increase Athletic Performance

• Increased Psychological Readiness. Athletic performance is 50 percent physical and 50 percent mental. If you take care of the physical part by putting in the training, mileage, etc. needed to accomplish your goal, massage can help prepare you for the mental toll of competition. Studies have shown that massage increases your psychological readiness to prepare you for tackling a challenging physical activity. Whether it’s running your first marathon, hiking a fourteener or playing 18 holes of golf every weekend, massage can help you block out negative energy (self doubt, anxiety, nervousness) and tune your focus toward accomplishing the physical endeavor at hand. Massage also is also a great mood enhancer that can help with mental preparedness by stimulating our natural endorphins.

 

• Enhanced Physical Performance. The physical benefits of massage have been realized for years by professional and novice athletes across sporting events. In order to realize peak physical performance, it is important to keep the body’s engine in tip-top shape. Deep tissue and sports massage techniques play an essential role in maintaining and advancing physical performance by increasing blood flow, reducing muscle tension, flushing out toxins, lengthening muscles, increasing overall range of joint motion, and decreasing muscle stiffness. Massage also has been known to enhance overall performance by decreasing exercise-induced fatigue in athletes. In a British Journal of Sports Medicine study, subjects performed a warm up cycle exercise, followed by 30-second high intensity exercises that were interspersed with 30 seconds of active recovery. The subjects’ heart rates, peak power, mean power and fatigue index then were recorded after either receiving 20 minutes of massage or passive rest. The study found that a significantly lower fatigue index was found in individuals who received the 20-minute massage versus rest alone.¹

 

• Reduced Injury Risk. By incorporating massage into your active routine, you are taking a proactive approach to not only avoiding injury, but also increasing your chances of enhancing and maintaining peak performance in the short and long term. The key to reducing injury, though, isn’t massage alone. The combination of massage, stretching and movement creates a more fluid, strong muscle and body structure that can endure higher levels of wear and tear. Massage also is an integral component to balancing muscle groups and soft tissues in your body, minimizing the tendency for stronger muscle groups to overcompensate for weaker ones, which eventually can lead to injury or strain to the stronger muscle group.

 

• Increased Recovery Time. Each year as you get older and try to maintain the same level of physical performance as before, recovery times seem to become  longer and longer. Recovery time is an essential component to overall peak performance because the longer it takes to recover from strenuous exercise, the longer you spend watching the game on the sidelines. Studies have shown that massage after exercise fatigue significantly improved quadriceps performance when compared to rest alone,² and muscle soreness intensity was significantly lower when massage was used within 48 hours post-exercise. ³ Get back into your active lifestyle more quickly between workouts by incorporating massage into your daily routine. ³

As you embark on your summer activity adventures this year, make sure to always include a regularly scheduled therapeutic massage in your arsenal of must-have supplies for peak performance success. Massage not only supports greater training intensity by shortening recovery time between workouts and feeding essential nutrients to the soft tissue of the body, but it also can be attributed to improving range of motion and muscle flexibility that results in improved efficiency, power and performance.

Get out, get active and start expecting more performance results from regularly scheduled therapeutic massages this spring. The skilled therapists at Elements Therapeutic Massage Richland will evaluate your health history, goals, challenges and lifestyle to determine the best massage for enhancing your physical performance.  Call our Tri-Cities studio today to start preparing your body for optimal performance this spring.

Hot Stone Massage for Attitude

A hot stone massage at Elements Richland can help combat the mental doldrums that old man winter can blow your way by creating a deep sense of calmness and relaxation. By putting your mind at ease, hot stone massage can leave you feeling energized and ready to tackle any challenges you may face during the hustle and bustle of the winter months.

As spring rolls in and hectic schedules become the norm, hot stone massage can help create a meditative relaxing effect that balances the health and well-being of your mind and body. This popular massage technique enhances a regular deep tissue or Swedish massage session by incorporating hot, smooth stones on specific trigger points throughout your body. The leading purpose of using these stones in your massage therapy session is to open up your body’s energy channels, thereby significantly reducing muscle tension and improving relaxation throughout your mind and body.

Revive and rejuvenate your mental and physical well-being during the wet and cold season by trying a hot stone massage therapy session. Call our Elements Therapeutic Massage Richland studio today to take the chill out of the air and your body with one of our trained Tri-City professionals.

Spring Sports Massage in Richland

Elements Therapeutic Massage Richland uses Sports Massage to enhance the health regime of athletes in the Tri-Cities area.  During spring, requirements of the body are changed as focus is directed to outside sports such as Golf, Tennis and Running.  Whether professional or amateur, all athletes are susceptible to injuries from their sport of choice, and all can benefit from Therapeutic Sports Massage.  Therapeutic Sports Massage highlights the healing of injuries to tendons and ligaments and helps to ease built up tension and stress the body develops during physical activity.

Golfers who are working to reclaim their club shots after our long winters need to be aware of the main stresses on the body.  The golf swing and hunched over putters stance are the primary contributors to back, neck and shoulder pain.  Therapeutic Massage prior to golfing can be beneficial in increasing flexibility and range of motion, both of which are necessary for the golf swing. Other common injuries include carpal tunnel, and knee pain both of which can be addressed before and after injuries by working to increase flexibility and circulation to the areas.

Tennis players suffer from two types of injuries, overuse and acute (traumatic).  Overuse injuries happen over time as stress to the muscles, joints and soft tissues are unable to properly heal between uses. If not treated early, overuse injuries that begin as a small ache or pain can become debilitating.  As with golfers, Therapeutic Massage can work to increase the circulation, range of motion and flexibility to help avoid overuse injuries.  Acute injuries such as rotator cuff tendonitis, shoulder tendonitis, achilles tendonitis and tennis elbow (or lateral epicondylitis) can benefit from Massage to help reduce stress to the body and mind in order to help advance the return to the courts as well as reducing inflammation to the areas through an increase in circulation.

Runners put specific repetitive stress on their bodies which is different from most other sports.  Lower body injuries are the most common and destructive to a runner.  Preventative massage may help runners avoid injuries such like pulled hamstrings by stretching the muscle and increasing flexibility.  The benefits of massage can help with hip bursitis, where pain is caused with hip movement, and snapping hip syndrome, which encompasses three distinct hip problems, by increasing the circulation to the affected areas to help reduce inflammation.  Itiotibial Band syndrome, an inflamed fibrous band spanning from the hip to the shin that lends stability, and tibial stress syndrome (shin splints) can be helped by massage to reduce inflation and reduce stress on the areas.

Most spring sports and physical activity in general are extremely susceptible to knee injuries.  From a golfer twisting a knee with the swing, a tennis player’s jerky movements and quickly changing directions, to a runner’s repeated impact to the joints, the knee takes a lot of abuse.  Massage before activity may help prepare the joints for the change in activity and can be used after sports to reduce stress and increase healing time to avoid injuries.

Elements Therapeutic Massage Richland understands that each sport has its own unique impact on the body and uses different muscle groups.  Spring sports such as golf, tennis and running are just a few examples of the many available sports in the Tri-Cities area and we encourage everyone to get out and enjoy sports as part of a healthy lifestyle.  The benefits of physical activity are seen in both the mind and the body. At Elements, our therapists are specially trained in Therapeutic Sports massage, and we are here to help keep you in the game before, during and after.

At Elements Richland, each massage is individually customized to best fit your health and wellness regimen.  Contact our Richland studio to book an appointment with one of our sports massage specialists to get out and enjoy Pasco, Kennewick, Richland and all the Tri-Cities has to offer.

Deep Tissue Massage

Elements Therapeutic Massage Richland is not just a place for a massage, but a place to get the right massage for your body and your needs. While the techniques differ from traditional Swedish massage, Deep Tissue increases pressure to muscles in an attempt to release chronic muscle tension through slower strokes and more direct deep pressure and friction.

Deep Tissue Massage works on loosening stressed muscles. Under stress, muscles block oxygen and nutrients from proper circulation and lead to inflammation that builds up toxins in muscle tissues. Techniques such as slower, stronger strokes across the grain of the muscle and deeper pressure to areas help perpetuate increased circulation. Many benefits are attributed to increased circulation in the body from reduced stress, increased sleep, pain relief, the release of toxins from worked and strained muscles.

As Therapeutic Deep Tissue Massage works to do more for the body than relaxation alone, it can also be helpful in the elimination of scar tissue by breaking up the tissue and increasing blood circulation to the area to help restore normal movement. Through stretching of muscles to release tension, Deep Tissue massage helps encourage the body to return to its natural state of alignment, helping to improve posture.

The increased pressure of a Deep Tissue Massage has immediate affects and impacts. As the therapist works to release muscle tension, the massage will be more uncomfortable than a Swedish massage and you may be sore the next day. All Elements therapists are trained in working with the client to assess the proper massage for each person. At the conclusion of the massage you may be instructed to apply ice to massaged areas. All massages should be followed by drinking a lot of water, to help flush the lactic acid out of the tissues. The soreness you may feel after an effective Deep Tissue massage corresponds to the waste products flushed out of the tissues.

Recent research suggests that “both relaxation massage and structural massage are reasonable treatment options for persons with chronic low back pain.” Daniel Cherkin
http://annals.org/article.aspx?articleid=747008
While there is a suggestion of advantage given to relaxation massage, it is to be noted that those benefits are in correlation with the perceived expense and accessibility of having more therapists trained in relaxation massage over structural or therapeutic massage.

Deep Tissue Massage not only relaxes, but also works to stimulate, condition and heal the body. It is important to remember that one massage is not going to restore the body to a natural state and Deep Tissue and Therapeutic Massage should be integrated as part of a wellness program.

At Elements Therapeutic Massage Richland, each massage is individually customized to best fit your health and wellness regimen. Contact our studio to book an appointment with one of our specialists.

Weight Loss & Control

 A favorite New Year resolution for many is to lose weight and become healthier.  With so many programs and options available, some which may work and some which may not, Therapeutic Massage can enhance any weight loss program.

At Elements Therapeutic Massage Richland we don’t believe massage alone is a viable weight loss solution, instead exercise and nutrition are the healthiest ways to achieve this goal.  We do believe that Therapeutic Massage can help increase the likelihood of success in any program.  Benefits of an Elements Therapeutic Massage that directly correspond with weight loss or weight control are improved circulation, improved range of motion and flexibility and lower stress.

During exercise the body creates high levels of known waste products such as lactic and carbonic acid which build up in the muscles. Increased circulation helps to eliminate these while also supplying nutrition to the used muscles.  Circulation increases the interchange of vital substances between blood and tissues increasing tissue metabolism and maximizing the supply of vital nutrients and oxygen.  The outcome of increased circulation through massage are improved muscle recovery time and burning the maximum number of calories.

Improved range of motion and flexibility through Therapeutic Massage correspond to weight loss and weight control by enhancing a workout routine.  Improved range of motion helps maintain maximum power and performance while muscles are active, burning the maximum number of calories. Increased flexibility is a key function in any exercise program by reducing the risk of injury.  Range of motion and flexibility of muscles through Therapeutic Massage allow an exercise program to stay on course, allow muscles a chance to be stretched and rested and avoid burnout.  A combination of improved Circulation, range of motion and flexibility through Therapeutic Massage has been seen in improvements in body contour and skin texture.

Preparing not only your body, but your mind for a lifestyle change is an area Elements Therapeutic Massage is specialized in. Reducing stress relaxes muscles allowing them to rest between workouts and prevent muscle strain.  The physical aspects of stress relief are combined with a new attitude, shifting towards a more healthy approach on life which can increase the dedication to a new or existing exercise program.

Therapeutic Massage as part of a weight loss or weight control plan can increase your success rate. We encourage the advice of a doctor when starting or changing any exercise program to see what works best for you and please ask them about the benefits of massage.  Don’t be surprised if they recommend more massages at the beginning of your plan as this is normal to avoid injury and to help know your body’s way of handing stress and exertion.

At Elements Therapeutic Massage Richland, each massage is individually customized to best fit your health and wellness regimen.  Contact our studio to book an appointment with one of our specialists.