Massage therapy is used to help manage a health condition or improve well-being. It involves manipulating the soft tissues of the body. Massage has been practiced in most cultures, both Eastern and Western, throughout human history, and was one of the first tools people used to try to relieve pain. Massage therapy relaxes muscle tissue, reducing painful contractions and spasms.
Massage can also reduce nerve compression. To understand this, consider that when muscles contract, they sometimes compress the nerves around them. When these muscles are relaxed, the nerves are no longer compressed and, in theory, they can get the right nutrients and work more efficiently. Nerves can take on their normal job of transmitting messages to and from the brain, which improves the functioning of muscles and organs.
