Massage is a manual therapy that manipulates the soft tissues and decreases muscle tension, pain, stress and depression.
However, when posing the question, “What is massage?” it is common to hear the following replies: “Massage is such a luxury.” “Ah, massage, it is so relaxing.” “Massage is something I treat myself to on special occasions.” While all of these statements capture the idea of massage as a way to relax and to treat ourselves, none come close to touching on the essence of massage and its therapeutic benefits to body, mind and spirit.
“One of the main therapeutic benefits is that it counteracts all that sitting we do,” says Cameron Richards, a registered massage therapist and owner of Somatic Wellness, in Lake Success. “Most individuals are dealing with some kind of postural stress. More often than not [that stress]tends to manifest in the shoulders and neck and back.” Desk workers, beware. More advanced forms of postural stress “show up as pain or weakness in the low back and gluteals caused by prolonged periods of sitting.”
Luckily, massage can counteract the imbalance caused from sitting, “which means you can keep your desk job—as long as you schedule a regular massage.”
For more information and to schedule a massage, call Somatic Wellness at 516-686-9557.
