Massage and Spa therapy for healing! Does it work at hospital?

Reader guidance: This article specially elaborates on the recent claims about Massage and Spa therapy for healing. However, the therapy doesn’t widespread practice in the hospital healing process. All images are assembles from Goolge search. The article’s content is derived from author’s personal views. If you’re not interested on this topic, please discontinue reading. 

When your doctor mentions that you need to start preparing for surgery, most probably you’re definitely NOT thinking of having a ‘massage and spa’ therapy as one of the most beneficial things you can do for yourself. Well, you are not alone in this thinking process and that is unfortunate because the healing benefits of massage therapy are vast. But nobody talk about it, neither your doctor nor your relatives…. And you’re in full of stress and this is something you feel like a luxury wish before surgery. Fundamentally, massage therapy is useful for endless conditions including insomnia, muscle pain, anxiety, circulatory problems, and recovery from injury or before and after having surgery. Even self-massage techniques that target reflexology points in the hands and feet, affect the head, neck, sinuses, in addition to many other parts of the body and organs that are beneficially affected. Massage is particularly effective when used as part of preparing for surgery and the recovery from surgery, particularly bone or muscle reconstructive surgery.

Do you know what massage therapy is? Massage is a general term for pressing, rubbing and manipulating your skin, muscles, tendons and ligaments. Massage therapists typically use their hands and fingers for massage, but may also use their forearms, elbows and even feet. Massage may range from light stroking to deep pressure. There are many different types of massage, including these common types: (1) Swedish massage: This is a gentle form of massage that uses long strokes, kneading, deep circular movements, vibration and tapping to help relax and energize you. (2) Deep massage: This massage technique uses slower, more-forceful strokes to target the deeper layers of muscle and connective tissue, commonly to help with muscle damage from injuries. (3) Sports massage: This is similar to Swedish massage, but it's geared toward people involved in sport activities to help prevent or treat injuries. (4) Trigger point massage: This massage focuses on areas of tight muscle fibres that can form in your muscles after injuries or overuse. Massage is generally considered part of complementary and alternative medicine. It's increasingly being offered along with standard treatment for a wide range of medical conditions and situations. Studies of the benefits of massage demonstrate that it is an effective treatment for reducing stress, pain and muscle tension.

Let’s come back to see how it helps before surgery, you know- Massage is the most important part of your treatment process but often forgot…It can relieve much of the anxiety and tension associated with the anticipation of having surgery. Massage helps to feel you less stressed and lowers your expectations for pain. This lowering of stress promotes a general sense of well-being that enhances your ability to heal quicker and with fewer complications.

After surgery, massage therapy is a great addition to or even a substitute for other pain and recovery treatments, such as pain medication, which can sometimes cause unpleasant side effects. There are several reasons why massage is beneficial after surgery. For one, massage improves the circulation of blood and lymphatic fluid throughout the body, allowing for increased oxygenation of the body's tissues and organs and reduction of swelling and stiffness. Additionally, the simple fact that human touch, something we all need and benefit from, is involved in massage therapy and accounts for much of its physical and mental healing qualities.

Listed below are some of the most valuable health benefits and effects of massage as it applies to surgery.

• Helps to reduce oedema or fluid accumulation
• Reduces swelling
• Reduces or relieves pain
• Increases flexibility of tissues
• Increases mobility
• Reduces stress and tension
• Increases body awareness
• Promotes relaxation
• Enhances immune functions and improved cell functions
• Lowers the production of the hormone Cortisol (also known as the stress-hormone)

Even though 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 many insurance plans do not cover the cost of massage therapy. Another is because massage is often regarded as an unsophisticated, insufficiently researched treatment.

However, people have benefited greatly from massage before and after having surgery and practitioners of massage therapy endorse it as one of the most effective and pleasant healing modalities available to modern medicine. With benefits like the ones listed above, you may want to consider incorporating therapeutic massage into your preparing for surgery plans.

The Benefits of Massage after Surgery: If you consult with a bonafide massage expert, he/she can point out dozens of reasons why you should take advantage of massage therapy after surgery. In the medical world too, massage therapy is increasingly considered a low cost, simple, and effective nursing intervention. Its main (and clinically proven) benefits are as follows:

1. Massage helps patients deal with pain: It not only helps deal with pain but actually reduces pain as research indicates. There have been several studies concluding the benefits of massage in reducing post-operative pain. Massage can have amazing painkilling abilities.. When someone receives a massage treatment, its effect to the body can be literally like a shot of morphine or a pain reliever. Patients in a study said that massage delivered about as much pain relief as a dose from a morphine drip according to Dr. Daniel Hinshaw, a surgeon in the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System. ResearchGate reports in the same study among patients receiving post-op massage therapy after major surgery found that the patients experienced: “.., markedly less intense and less unpleasant pain and less anxiety than patients who got standard pain medication or individual attention but no massage”.

A 2012 study among cardiac surgery patients found that massage therapy significantly reduced the pain, anxiety, and muscular tension and improves relaxation and satisfaction. (PubMed). In another study, foot massage in breast surgery patients also showed to be an effective pain management method. Researchers agree that massage therapy is an important component in the post-op healing process.

 2. Massage helps reduce stress and anxiety: These stressed and anxious feelings are common before and after the operation and often make pain even harder to endure. Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine’s Osher Center for Integrative Medicine published a study finding that shiatsu foot massage, Swedish massage, and acupuncture helped reduce pain and depression in postoperative cancer patients.

 3. Massage can prevent swelling: Swelling is natural after an injury or surgery. The lymphatic drainage massage is a particular technique used for swelling. It helps keep the lymphatic drainage system in order by clearing fluid cellular wastes which are clogged up and are causing the swelling. Massage can help ease the swelling by relaxing the muscles and ensure proper blood circulation.

 4. Massage ensures better blood and oxygen flow: For faster healing of wounds, proper blood and oxygen flow is required. Keeping the blood flow at normal levels is important because it’s the distributor of nourishment towards the affected area. This way it promotes cellular and tissue repair, and due to clotting, it protects the wound against foreign elements particularly of viruses and bacteria which can cause infections. The majority of the therapeutic massage techniques now promote good blood and oxygen flow throughout the body.

 5. Massage shortens post-op healing time: Because of improved blood flow, massage therapy enhances nutrient delivery in the body thus shortening surgical healing time. Increasingly studies show that massage therapy shortens hospital stays. Ask your medical team for massage. The reduced hospitalization is partially because less drug administration and postoperative interventions may be required.

 6. Massage helps prevent scar tissue: Massage also helps breaking up scar tissue and prevents creation of more (excessive) scar tissue formation. This goes for internal scar tissue (adhesions) as well as scars on the outside of the skin.

 7. Massage helps promote flexibility and mobility: Massage also helps in promoting flexibility of the muscles and joints. Because a patient could have been sitting or just lying before and after the operation, the muscles and joints get stuck and become stiff. Even if the patient is immovable yet, massage is the best alternative to heat up and exercise those muscles and joints for flexibility and faster mobility. Massage therapy does appear to have positive effects in the reduction of disability. Study reports on massage after spine surgery.

 8. Massage strengthens the immune system: Relaxed muscles stimulate oxygen supply to the organs and skin which, in its turn, strengthens the immune system and prevents infections.

 9. Massage improves mood: A 2010-2011 study in the Isfahan Chamran Hospital in Iran found that massage therapy improve the mood of patients after open-heart surgery.

How does it work? Research shows that massage creates a pain-blocking sensation due to endorphin-like chemicals that are released in the body. These chemicals reduce pain and create a sense of well-being. All the above mentioned benefits contribute to a faster recovery. Based on clinical studies, massage can even cut the recovery period by as much as half.

Is massage safe as part of surgery recovery? The element of ancient traditional healing is safe. Of course, you need to check with your surgeon or doctor to find out about your personal situation. The UCLA Center for East-West Medicine uses massage for most of its 14,000 patients each year to treat post-surgical pain among other things.

 Time for the health care industry to catch up: As long as massage therapy isn’t re-introduced in the health industry as an integral part of care patients should be pro-active. Some experts even recommend for patients to “demand massage”. Considering the convincing advantages, it’s in both the institution and the patient their interest.

How to use massage to boost your post-op healing? Ideally you could go to a massage salon or get an ambulant massage therapist over but this may be costly or difficult if you are non-weight bearing or otherwise limited in your mobility. If you’re living in USA, check with your health insurance to find out if massage is covered.

“Some U.S. health insurers cover some form of massage therapy”. For those people who aren’t covered or can’t visit a clinic, ‘self-massagers’ such as the HoMedics HHP-350 Percussion Action Massager, offer an alternative. They allow anyone, at any moment, to benefit from what massage has to offer. These tools come in various shapes and types such as heated Shiatsu massage pillows, acupuncture mats, and many more. However, Pre and Post Surgery Massage Benefits Certified and licensed massage therapists are well trained to safely massage patients before and after surgery. The improved blood flow, improved lymph drainage, and relaxed muscles help prepare the body for the trauma of surgery. Post-surgery healing is advanced in the same ways. Some believe that post-surgical pain is lessened by quality massage therapy.

Massage is no longer available only through luxury spas and upscale health clubs. Today, massage therapy is offered in businesses, clinics, hospitals and even airports. Unfortunately, this is not a regular clinical practice especially in preoperative surgery…But now-a-days few ophthalmology clinic and hospital is practicing foot and lower limb massage therapy before cataract surgery, , this is making benefits to reduce stress and patient have better cooperation for local anaesthesia and outcome is less complication during surgery.. The same massage therapy can be practice after major surgery, if not contraindicated and increase patient compliance and outcome…..Doctors and pain specialist should think of this vital therapy before surgery to reduce stress and improve compliance…

Don’t make confusion between ‘Physiotherapy’ and ‘Massage’ therapy,, these two works in two different worlds… although they have very close interaction….. If you attach with maternity and childcare centre, then this massage therapy will improve a lot of your delivery patient’s compliance and increase speedy recovery.. Just try it? You’ll not be disappointed….