After a long and tiring day, all your tortured and weary body could ever think of is a good massage. No matter what kind or type it would be, just as long as it will knead all those knots you’ve been feeling due to stress endured all throughout the day! Just imagine how good it will be to just lie down and relax while a pair of capable hands sooth every inch of your tired muscle!
However, for seniors especially those really old ones, massage therapy becomes valuable to alleviate pains and aches that come with an aging body. But, not all types of massage work with seniors. Due to the ever rising number of seniors requiring massage minus the therapy facilities and doctors, many expert therapists are now developing massage techniques that will benefit seniors tremendously. Massage therapy for seniors, commonly referred to as geriatric massage, is more target-specific to seniors’ needs. Furthermore, geriatric massage is a sure-fire way to relax a senior’s body which proves to be very helpful in maintaining a positive outlook in life.
While strokes used in a geriatric massage are no different than a regular massage, trained therapists are more conscious not to hurt or administer unnecessary pressure to the client’s body while applying them only to points where they are needed. Also, some seniors require special attention such that positioning of the body during a massage is very important. Aside from the therapeutic effects of a massage, as well as its instant relaxing feel, it has many benefits.
Therapeutic body massage is known to improve a senior’s mobility, flexibility and range of motion. In a way, it will make one’s quality of life better and more livable. Some of the most bothersome diseases that seniors may have right now such as arthritis and joint pains can be relieved by regular massages. Not only that, even your blood circulation is greatly improved, part of the reason why health care providers specializing in elderly care approved of the practice.
According to studies, massage therapy or even touch therapy, can be extremely beneficial in treatment of Alzheimer’s disease since the sense of touch seems to be the hardest memory to erase. Moreover, the sense of touch involves every inch of your skin. That’s why every time the skin is stimulated, the body remembers.
Therapeutic massage should never be considered as a cure, instead doctors and health practitioners deem them to be complimentary medicine wherein it should work hand-in-hand with scientific-based medication. While its affects are indeed felt, there is no existing medical explanation as to why it does that and to what extent it can help a person.
