Positive Effects of Massage for the Chronically Ill
Benefits of massage for chronic illness
The human body is an amazing organism. It’s incredible how it forms, how every cell has a purpose, and how it all just miraculously “works”. Most of the time… Odds are, someone in your life—maybe even you—is suffering from disease or illness. Feeling sick or being in pain for a long period of time is hard not only on our physical body, but our mental health as well.
People with chronic diseases or untreated illness will usually experience depression, anger, apathy, and may have drastic changes in their behavior and mood. All their body systems are fighting so hard day after day to function, they feel awful, which compounds over time and is taxing on their nervous system. It’s exhausting.
Many people also have “unseen” diseases or conditions, meaning there are little or no outward signs that others can see. This can add a layer of difficulty for the person, as they often hear things like “you look healthy to me”, or “could this just be in your head?”. Imagine feeling pain, fatigue, digestive issues, overwhelming anxiety, etc., and no one knowing or believing you’re suffering.
This would certainly take a toll on your mental health and maybe even your willingness to seek help for fear of being brushed off. Add to this complications with not being able to work, frequent doctor visits, medical bills, dealing with insurance—it becomes easy to see why someone with chronic pain or illness might seem irritable or difficult to be around.
The good news is that making some small intentional changes can make a world of difference, and there are many things a person can do to improve their quality of life while dealing with a chronic condition or illness. One of those things is seeking a good massage therapist and building a regular bodywork program with them to help you or your loved one throughout the journey.
The role of massage therapy for the body
While massage and bodywork isn’t going to “fix” anything or cure a disease, we shouldn’t underestimate the powerful effects it can have on a person’s mind and body. The mind and body are intricately intertwined; what affects one affects the other. On the surface of the skin are billions of nerve endings of various types whose job is to continually assess external stimuli and report back to the brain.
The brain then tells the body how to respond. If your nervous system detects a threat, it may respond by tensing up the soft tissues and/or produce a feeling of worry or anxiousness. If your nervous system detects safety and comfort, it may respond by relaxing and releasing tension, and produce feelings of calmness. The latter is what you can generally expect from receiving massage therapy.
By applying a caring, comforting touch to the surface of the body, we can stimulate the client’s nervous system in such a way that allows their muscles and soft tissues to relax, as the endocrine system releases ‘feel good’ hormones which help lower blood pressure, relieve anxiety, slow the heart rate and produce an overall relaxation effect.
Regular massage therapy can be beneficial for anyone, but relaxation massage is particularly helpful for individuals suffering from chronic pain, illness, or disease.
A few examples of chronic pain, illness, and disease are:
Cancer
Lyme disease (manual lymph drainage is great for this)
Multiple sclerosis
Diabetes type I or II
Osteo-, rheumatoid-, psoriatic- arthritis
Fibromyalgia
Chronic pain syndrome
Chronic fatigue syndrome & so many more…
Physical benefits of massage therapy
Massage therapy comes with many benefits for mental and physical wellness, including:
Ease pain and soreness
Boost blood and lymph circulation
Create temporary cushion around joints to ease arthritis pain
Bring awareness to areas of restriction
Encourage “letting go” of holding tension habits
Decrease swelling (lymphatic emphasis)
Emotional/psychological benefits of massage therapy:
Restore balance in nervous system
Reduce anxiety
Reduce depression (stimulating massage vs. relaxation massage)
Improve mood and demeanor
Release of oxytocin, a hormone and neurotransmitter linked to empathy, trust and social bonding
If you are or know someone who is living with a chronic disease or illness, consider adding regular massage therapy to your self care or palliative care regimen. Chances are it will improve your quality of life and change the way you feel!
About the author:
Jami Kohlmann is a licensed massage therapist and certified lymphedema therapist in Champaign, IL.
About Two Roads Wellness Clinic
At Two Roads Wellness Clinic, we want to help you find the path that makes a difference in your life. We’re an integrative health clinic offering a vast array of services including, mental health treatments such as EMDR (eye movement desensitization and reprocessing), expressive arts therapy, family therapy, medication management, primary care, integrative nutritional support including genetic nutritional counseling, life coaching, massage therapy, physical therapy, infrared sauna services, community education and outreach, and more.
The Two Roads Wellness Clinic team of therapists, medical and nutrition staff, massage therapists, life coaches, physical therapists, and emotional support animals are ready to help you find an integrated approach to your wellness. To schedule an appointment, visit our contact page, to get started at one of our convenient locations in Champaign, Danville, or Mahomet.