Does anyone go for regular massage treatments?

Does it help at all? Is there any research to back up the claims?

i thought you were talking about the sort one of the women posted in one of the abortion threads

what?

never mind. It was a technique designed to cause a misscarage by "massage"

forget which thread it was brought up in or who brought it up

I had a serious neck injury a few years back, and I saw a massage therapist pretty regularly. It helped a little bit, but usually after a day or two I was back to where I was before. Did you hurt yourself ben?

No. I was just wondering.

I started a weight lifting routine at the beginning of the summer (I'm down about 30 pounds, thank you very much), and from time to time I tweak a small muscle in my back, or I have sore shoulders or thighs. They usually go away by the next time I lift, but I was just wondering if there were any (tangible, quantifiable) benefits to regular massage therapy.

I used to be into weight lifting, and I had a roommate who was going to school to be a massage therapist, so she would practice on me from time to time. I actually found that it would feel good during the massage, but I would often feel even more soar the next day. Have you ever had a deep tissue massage? They usually leave me feeling soar in the same kind of way that working out does. I guess I can't answer if there is any benefits. I do know that excessive massaging can sort of "milk" water molecules from muscles, so I imagine that would probably not be good to do after a workout, unless you do some serious hydration afterwards, which you should be doing after a workout anyway, but I'd say if you get a massage after a workout, you should make sure to hydrate even more.

I often find that a warm bath with about 4 cups of epsom salts, 1 cup of baking soda, and some baby oil often really help to loosen up overworked muscles and make them relax. And it makes your skin really soft too:D

edit: the baby oil thing might be kinda gay, but hey, it makes the muscles feel better

edit: Hell, men taking baths at all is kind of gay... damn

Well the "makes your skin really soft too" thing clinches it, if there was any doubt :)

Well the "makes your skin really soft too" thing clinches it, if there was any doubt :)

*sigh* yeah, but you know what, the chicks dig it man. Ever hear that song by The Bloodhound Gang called "I Wish I Was Queer So I Could Get Chicks"?

I just remembered the one thing that really helped me was to take magnesium supplements. Made a world of a difference, but I had to be on them for a while. But it really did help a lot. Epsom salts contain magnesium :D

Does anyone go for regular massage treatments?

Does it help at all? Is there any research to back up the claims?

I do, I do, until two years ago! Here in Germany is expensive, so I never did since I
come here. Normally I did it every two weeks in a beauty parlor. In big cities
in Indonesia, you can find this services in almost all shopping malls. Much cheaper
than you do in hotel's beauty parlor. I normally will have complete package
which consist of whole body message, creambath (for hair), lulur (don't know
what is in English, but this is for face), and 'reflexy' (special massage for feet).
I did for the face once per month, but all the others once per two weeks, and
normally I did it after playing 5 sets of badminton (this I did every weekend).
It's very relaxing. For whole complete package (body message, creambath,
'lulur', and 'reflexy'), we have to pay around $25. Here in Europe it is impossible!
Just for creambath alone you have to pay €25 *cry*

Something like this:
http://www.fourseasons.com/image_library/BAN/BAN_018_320x400_web-large.jpg

http://www.balipranajaya.com/spa/rindu_spa/rindu_creambath.jpg

I miss home T_T

Massage therapy on healthy individuals is more placebo than not. It does help sore muscles to heal slightly quicker. A heavy duty vibrator works just as good. Better is Tai Chi or Yoga for overall benefit. Steam Rooms help too...

Massage therapy on healthy individuals is more placebo than not.

This is what I figured.


A heavy duty vibrator works just as good.

*giggle*

I'll let you know if I ever hurt myself badly, as I can get massages, hypnosis, all sorts of stuff for free.

I'll let you know if I ever hurt myself badly, as I can get massages, hypnosis, all sorts of stuff for free.

Courtesy of the gov't.?

I just remembered the one thing that really helped me was to take magnesium supplements. Made a world of a difference, but I had to be on them for a while. But it really did help a lot. Epsom salts contain magnesium

What about other protein supplements? I can't remember what they're called...the ones that supposedly help you heal?

Just take a multi vitamin and mineral supplement daily and that's all you really need do to insure that you get what you need.

Courtesy of the gov't.?

Auntie.

Whey protein shake (with banana!) and a papaya enzyme should do the trick...

Whey protein shake (with banana!) and a papaya enzyme should do the trick...

I've never heard of taking papaya enzyme. What does that do?

I have always wanted to get a massage. But I don't like people I don't know touching me.

get your husband to do it, they actually do short courses on how to give a good massage and if its your husband it doesnt matter if you both end up aroused:p

get your husband to do it, they actually do short courses on how to give a good massage and if its your husband it doesnt matter if you both end up aroused:p

Because sometimes I just want a massage and he has never been able to do that. :rolleyes: EVER!

Because sometimes I just want a massage and he has never been able to do that. :rolleyes: EVER!

Wait another 20 years when ED kicks in....:D

I am pretty familiar with different massage techniques, but not sure what this one is. Is it just a regular massage with aroma therapy? I don't think that is anything special. but if there is something different about this treatment I'd love to know, so I can schedule and appointment.

______________
w w w . s w i h a . e d u

Indian head massage is amazingly relaxing ... I don't potentially have "fox mulder like evidence" to back the claim that massage is medically helpful, but in any event it has helped me in stress busting in past, and I continue to use it (self-massage);

Rick

how can anything that reduces stress not be medically helpful?

It has to be true, I just don't know any med journals or articles or paper work expounding on the same.


Rick

I go every year on my birthday and sometimes at Christmas. It's money well spent.

~String

I go every year on my birthday and sometimes at Christmas. It's money well spent.

~String

do you get the happy ending? :D

how can anything that reduces stress not be medically helpful?

Well if people drink hard liquer it reduces stress but it isn't healthy for humans. Taking drugs also reduces stress but also isn't a good thing to do .

Well if people drink hard liquer it reduces stress but it isn't healthy for humans. Taking drugs also reduces stress but also isn't a good thing to do .

but those are things you're putting into your body. Massages are external. And unlike when you use an external tanning bed, nothing about your body changes. (unless you get the happy ending) Its just a rub down.

but those are things you're putting into your body. Massages are external. And unlike when you use an external tanning bed, nothing about your body changes. (unless you get the happy ending) Its just a rub down.

You didn't make that point clear enough to me, sorry, I thought you meant either injesting or inhaling were also included in your "how can anything that reduces stress not be medically helpful?" question.

You didn't make that point clear enough to me, sorry, I thought you meant either injesting or inhaling were also included in your "how can anything that reduces stress not be medically helpful?" question.

no. I was talking massage only.
Please try and keep up with my randomness. :D

no. I was talking massage only.
Please try and keep up with my randomness. :D

Only if my medications kick in! :D

do you get the happy ending? :D

They call it "super big finish" here...

errrr.... I've heard.

Look, I have a 21 year old boyfriend who is ready for "happy ending" with the merest hint of sex. I have to pry him off with a crow bar on most weekends. Why pay little asian girl for sucky-sucky (me ruv you rong time), when I have it (and a pretty damned good "it") at arms length. ;)

~String

Well if people drink hard liquer it reduces stress but it isn't healthy for humans. Taking drugs also reduces stress but also isn't a good thing to do .

Your connection is flawed. Those use chemicals which can, themselves, cause long term harm. Therapeutic massage has been shown to help muscles grow after a workout, reduce stress, increase blood flow to fatty regions (helping them to be burned off by the body) and lower blood pressure, all of which are extremely healthful.

~String

...girl for sucky-sucky (me ruv you rong time), ...

LOL, I say that to my husband all the time.

Oh... you say "sucky-sucky" to him. He's one lucky man. ;)

~String

sucky-sucky and ne ruv you rong time, usually while he is on the phone talking (or at least trying ;) ) to someone

I've given many more massages than I've received, (and picked up a suite of specific tricks or techniques for specific situations that I've never had employed on me), so this is by observation: massage is a direct benefit in many ways, and its actual benefits are often underestimated or overlooked in favor of placebo-based claims for other benefits.

As far as injury or disease recovery greater than with a whirlpool or the like I wouldn't know and rather doubt,

but something that makes you feel great and walk taller and concentrate more easily and even focus your eyes better,

and something that will, predictably in a defined time, remove specific pains and discomforts from specific places more or less permanently, and make a measurable and easily observed improvement in something like range of motion of your neck and head,

is not a placebo. It's a benefit.

I can, for example, relieve you quickly of some kinds of headaches that aspirin handles poorly, with none of aspirin's risks. I can get rid of a "knot", a sort of cramp, under your shoulder blade or inside your collar bone or at the base of your neck, that is ruining your day and possibly your week, in about three minutes. I can improve your posture, make you taller and better balanced, in about 20 minutes.

My guess is that there are some long term benefits in the way of lymph circulation and venous blood flow, and possibly blood flow to ligaments or other poorly irrigated places, but one would expect similar benefits from jacuzzis or yoga etc. One area massage may be uniquely beneficial is in hard bone manipulation - working the skull sutures, the thighbone sheaths. I don't really know, but people do feel better. Sometimes, a lot better for a long time.