Massage therapy has many benefits, one of the most significant being the powerful circulation boost that our clients feel immediately after a treatment. To understand how receiving regular massage can improve your circulation, let’s first have a look at how both blood and lymph naturally flow through the body.
Body pump mechanism and lymphatic circulation
How does blood circulation work? As your heart beats, it pumps blood through the blood vessels (arteries, veins, and capillaries), also called the circulatory system. The vessels are elastic, muscular tubes that carry blood to every part of the body.
In addition to carrying fresh oxygen from the lungs and nutrients to the body’s tissues and muscles, blood also takes away the body’s waste products, including carbon dioxide. This is vital as it sustains the optimal health of all organs.
Together with blood circulation, we also have our lymphatic circulatory system which oversees lymph flow through the body. Lymph is a fluid similar in composition to blood plasma, which returns proteins and excess interstitial fluid to the bloodstream. Also, it plays a major role in supporting the immune system as it picks up bacteria and viruses and transports them to lymph nodes, where they are destroyed.
Lymph circulates through lymphatic vessels, however there is no pump in the lymphatic system like the heart in the cardiovascular system. The pressure gradients to move lymph through the vessels come from skeletal muscle action, respiratory movement, and contraction of smooth muscle in vessel walls.
Body circulation issues
Muscle tension, poor posture and a sedentary lifestyle are likely to create “knots” and blockages that prevent the body circulation from flowing efficiently. Blockages mean that the tissues are not getting enough nutrients and oxygen supplied, while toxin waste is unnecessarily slow which can irritate nerve endings due to the prolonged bathing in stagnant fluids.
How can massage therapy boost body circulation?
Massage therapy helps release muscle tension to allow movement and promotes better posture. Proper musculoskeletal movement acts as a powerful circulation boost. One of the most effective treatments to improve circulation, performed in our clinic in Chiswick, is remedial massage. Remedial massage is designed to balance muscle tone and soft tissue length which will in turn promote the return to normal joint/capsular/bone position. Optimum joint articulation increases the flow of blood and lymph, particularly in injured areas. Thus removing blockages, damaged cells, scar tissue and adhesions resulting from injury.
Remedial massage is mostly used to locate and repair damaged areas of the body and speed up the body’s own healing processes.
The pressure and the movements applied by the therapist during a remedial massage stimulate nerve receptors which cause blood vessels to dilate, thus facilitating blood and lymph flow, so that organs receive more oxygen and nutrients, toxins and waste products are flushed out and the immune system is more efficient. Overall, having good blood circulation makes the body feel lighter, cleansed, and invigorated.
Booking a massage
Where injury or built-up muscle tension exists, a course of remedial massages is recommended to allow the body to heal and maintain optimal circulation. Please do not hesitate to consult with one of our therapists at the Massage Centre in Chiswick: our team is here to assist and give you the most tailored suggestions to your specific needs. Also, post-treatment advice will be provided so that you will be able to make the most of the massage and reach your health goals. If you would like to make a booking or have any enquiries, please contact us on 020 81668958: we will be happy to help and to welcome you to our clinic!
