When your doctor mentions that you need to start preparing for surgery, I’ll venture to guess that you won’t think of massage as one of the most beneficial things you can do for yourself. Well, you are not alone in this thought and that is unfortunate because the healing benefits of massage are enormous.
Massage therapy is useful for a host of conditions including insomnia, muscle pain, anxiety, circulatory problems, and recovery from injury or before and after surgery.
Even self-massage techniques that target reflexology points on the hands and feet affect the head, neck, sinuses, as well as many other body parts and organs that benefit. Massage is particularly effective when used as part of preparation for and recovery from surgery, particularly bone or muscle reconstructive surgery.
Prior to surgery, massage can relieve much of the anxiety and tension associated with anticipating surgery. Massage helps the patient feel less stressed and reduces the patient’s expectations of pain. This stress reduction promotes a general sense of well-being that improves the patient’s ability to heal faster and with fewer complications.
After surgery, massage therapy is an excellent addition to or even a substitute for other pain and recovery treatments, such as pain relievers, which can sometimes cause unpleasant side effects. There are several reasons why massage is beneficial after surgery. On the one hand, massage improves the circulation of blood and lymphatic fluid throughout the body, allowing greater oxygenation of the body’s tissues and organs and the reduction of swelling and stiffness. Also, the simple fact that human contact, something we all need and benefit from, is involved in massage therapy and explains much of its mental and physical healing qualities.
Listed below are some of the most valuable health benefits and effects of massage as applied to surgery.
– Helps reduce edema or fluid accumulation
– Reduces swelling
– Reduces or relieves pain
– Increases tissue flexibility
– Increases mobility
– Reduces stress and tension.
– Increases body awareness.
– Promotes relaxation
– Improves immune functions and improves cellular functions.
– Decreases the production of the hormone Cortisol (also known as the stress hormone)
Although the benefits of massage are immense, there are a couple of main reasons why massage therapy is not widely used or recommended by doctors. One reason is that many insurance plans do not cover the cost of massage therapy. Another is that massage is often seen as an unsophisticated and under-researched treatment.
However, people have greatly benefited from massage before and after surgery and massage therapy practitioners endorse it as one of the most effective and pleasurable healing modalities available in modern medicine.
With benefits like those listed above, you may want to consider incorporating massage therapy into your surgery preparation plans.
