Massage Therapy for Pain

Massage for Pain Relief: More than just muscle aches

Not many of us would say no to a relaxing massage - stress relief, a feeling of calm, and a reduction of muscle tension sounds pretty good! But did you know we actually have a hormonal response to this kind of treatment that leads to a sense of calm and pain relief.

What hormones are involved?

Oxytocin, the hormone involved in labour (birth) and breast feeding, is also released in response to skin-to-skin contact between moms and babies, during sexual activity, in connection with positive, warm connections between humans and humans and animals.

It is also released during massage!

How does it help my feelings of stress?

Oxytocin can induce a feeling of wellbeing by stimulating dopamine release in the brain, decrease anxiety through it’s actions on the amygdala (a part of our brain that processes emotional learning - especially fear), and decrease stress by acting on our HPA-axis.

When it comes to manual therapy, stimulating the sensory nerves in our skin leading to the release of oxytocin, seems to impact our parasympathetic nervous system (think, rest & digest). This results in muscle relaxation, peace of mind, and decreased heart rate and blood pressure!

When a group of researchers measured oxytocin levels in massage clients’ blood, they found them to be higher after a massage. They also found their cortisol (one of our key stress hormones!) to be lower.

A relaxing massage could benefit most of us, but particularly those with chronically high stress, chronic pain conditions, and anxiety.

Book a massage treatment to take in the benefits for your stress response!