How Massage Increases Flexibility

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Flexibility. It’s your body’s ability to move without restriction or pain. How freely we’re able to move our bodies is also known as our“range of motion”, which is greatly affected by how well the muscles can stretch.

While flexibility is often considered a goal for physical practices, such as ballet, gymnastics, or martial arts, there are also everyday benefits to becoming more flexible. One of the benefits is having less pain when moving, as increased flexibility helps your muscles to loosen and become less tense. Another benefit is injury prevention, as flexibility helps the body withstand stress.

There are many routes that lead to flexibility, but massage is a way that many might not consider. Massage is known to help with flexibility in a couple of ways:

Increased Elasticity

When you get a massage, the therapist will apply pressure and stretch your muscles. This pressure helps to loosen the muscle and increase blood flow. The extra blood flow raises the body temperature which in turn increases muscle elasticity. As a result, this decreases muscle tension and gives your body less restrictions in movement.

Decreased Pain

When the muscles experience pain or injury, they tighten up, which restricts flexibility. Massage works to loosen the muscles, which helps jumpstart the healing process.

Whether you’re doing martial arts, ballet, sports, or just want to become flexible for its benefits, we are here for you at EPIC. Give us a call to book your massage therapy!