Massage Therapy

Overview

Trained specialists at Mayo Clinic offer massage therapy for various conditions. Massage therapy techniques can decrease swelling and impaired joint mobility, ease muscle spasms and muscle tension, and increase circulation to promote healing. Massage also can reduce pain and improve muscle tone.

Specialists at Mayo Clinic recognize that many complementary and alternative medicine treatments such as massage can promote physical, mental and spiritual wellness. They have created a new specialty (Complementary and Integrative Medicine) to blend the best of both worlds — conventional medicine and complementary and alternative medicine.

Physicians and massage therapists at Mayo Clinic work together to coordinate a massage therapy treatment plan for an injury or condition as part of a patient's plan of care.

Massage therapy is often recommended for these conditions:

• Neck and back pain
• Headaches
• Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) pain and dysfunction
• Muscle and joint pain
• Paresthesias (numbness and tingling sensations) and nerve pain
• Fibromyalgia
• Myofascial pain syndrome
• Anxiety
• Stress-related insomnia
• Digestive disorders
• Sports injuries
• Soft tissue injuries

Mayo's care is evidence-based. Treatment recommendations are based on research that demonstrates the effectiveness of complementary and alternative medicine techniques. Mayo conducts research to continually develop better treatments.

About Massage Therapy

During a massage, a certified massage therapist or medical professional manipulates the soft tissues (muscle, connective tissue, tendons, ligaments and skin) of the body using varying degrees of pressure and movement after evaluating the patient's needs. The massage strokes used depend on the injury or condition. Learn about the types of massage used at Mayo Clinic.

Benefits of massage therapy include reduced stress, anxiety and pain, improved circulation, improved levels of alertness, enhanced sleep patterns, release of endorphins (the body's natural painkillers), relaxation and increased oxygen supply. Massage also can reduce heart rate and blood pressure and increase energy and immune system activity.

Read more about massage therapy at MayoClinic.com.