Massage is the manipulation of soft tissues effecting a change in the surrounding tissue and structures. Massage has also been shown to improve the symptoms of Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome as well as other possibly related syndromes like IBS, TMJ, Migraines and Sleep Disorders.

Our bodies and posture are held in balance by the muscular system. In order for you to stand still there are various muscles throughout the body constantly tightening and slackening to maintain the stillness that you desire.

If one or more of your muscles becomes too tight or slack then your posture will be thrown out and your body will deliberately put other muscles out of their normal state of tone to compensate. If this is not corrected it will over a period of time be accepted by your body and you will have a permanent imbalance.

You will become accustomed to this over time and quite probably will not notice that you have a dysfunction until you try to do something which requires a normal full range of movement.

This is where massage therapy comes into its own for if the muscles being worked are too tight they will be relaxed and stretch, however if they are too slack then they will be toned and tightened.

If a joint is too tight causing stiffness then it will be released, or if too slack then it will be tightened, or rather the surrounding tissue that holds it in its proper alignment will be adjusted.

This is the main physical property to massage but it does have a pronounced effect on all the systems of your body, as well as relaxing you mentally and reducing emotional turmoil.

Massage was used extensively in the national health system up till the 1950s when it was abandoned, not because it was ineffective rather because it demanded a one to one approach which was deemed to costly in therapists time. They then taught their physiotherapists to use exercise and machinery which is why there is such a big difference between a NHS trained Physical Therapist and a Massage trained Physical Therapist.

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