What happens to the body when you have a massage?
A Massage involves rubbing and pressing the tendons, muscles, skin, and ligaments to reduce pain and strain. A massage uses light strokes or apply deep pressure. There are many types of massages, each with different techniques and benefits. Let us discuss how it affects the body to help you understand the general benefits of a good massage.
- Reduce stress—Massage therapy helps relax the muscles’ tissues, the nervous system, and the mind.
- Relief from pain—Massage is a great way to reduce spasms, contractions, and nerve compressions. A deep massage decreases inflammation.
- Good Sleep—Lack of sleep can cause many ailments. A good massage helps one sleep soundly and for a longer time.
Improved blood circulation—Massage therapy is very beneficial for circulating blood to all parts of the body. It also reduces muscle soreness and tension.
Mental health – A good regular massage is a great way to reduce anxiety levels and depression.
Nervous System & Essential Oils
A typical day in an athlete’s life consists of optimal physical fitness and training. Fitness comprises several aspects such as physical and physiological, mental and psychological, and to attain these levels of fitness, their determination and the support of their peers, including family and coaches, play an immense role. The activities include proper diets, yoga and meditation, regular workouts, and occasional leisure time to enrich themselves and increase endurance.
It is unlikely that sports as a domain will rely on age-old therapeutic agents like essential oil. Still, young athletes depend on alternative and complementary medicinal remedies like aromatherapy massage to help them improve their performance. The problems athletes face are abundant, ranging from the physical challenges of coping with injuries and fitness to mental and emotional upheavals.
Essential oils, in this case, can heal sore muscles, inflammation, and joint inflexibility due to their antiseptic, cicatrizing, and analgesic properties. It is a competitive field, and there is a lot of stress involved daily; essential oils play a significant role in relaxing the mind. This helps the athlete gear up for the game.
Why can using essential oils be effective for athletes?
Essential oils have been proven to improve health and are used to treat several ailments. Their beneficial effects have significantly contributed to athletes’ sports performances.
They help in enhancing neurological functions, calming the mind and reducing anxiety and depressive thoughts.
Some of these oils also positively affect the lungs’ functioning.
They help improve athletic performance, lower the heart rate, improve the functioning of the lungs, increase brain stimulation, control blood pressure, and enhance muscular strength.
These oils also help boost the immune system and keep away any environmental threats.
They help to energise and focus on the task at hand.
Applying the oil before and after any training session can have a long-lasting cooling and warm sensation.
It also helps reduce the foul smell of clothing and other athletic equipment. These oils are also a great way to reduce any skin irritation.
Most Popular Essential Oils for Athletes
On Guard® – in challenging times like these athletes must pay attention to their immunity for endurance. dōTERRA On Guard® blend in this case becomes a natural alternative to other commercial products for immune support.
Wild Orange—An extra boost of energy is always appreciated. For a revitalising and energising workout, the aroma of wild orange oil enhances energy levels.
Ice Blue® —This athletic blend is a must-have for every sportsman. dōTERRA Ice Blue® works best as a muscle-soothing oil blend pre- and post-workout and is ideal for massaging tense muscles after strenuous activities as well.
Muscular System & Essential Oils
Workouts or extensive physical activities can cause painful sore muscles that can derail your day. While there are processes and medicines to relieve muscle pain in the body, there is a more natural way to do so—using essential oils.
These oils can help with muscular dystrophy as they treat specific complaints or ailments and relieve pain and stress. These oils are also very helpful in treating issues like arthritis, back pain, spasms, and cramps.
By permeating the skin, they can help detoxify, relax, and decrease the swelling that occurs in muscle tissue.
Best Essential Oils for the Muscular System
Juniper Oil
Especially during a tough workout regime or an extremely busy day, juniper oil helps eliminate muscle spasms and ease tension.
Peppermint Oil
Aching muscles can benefit from peppermint oil. A few drops in bath water or aromatherapy massage oil would do wonders for sore muscles.
AromaTouch®
dōTERRA AromaTouch® is a blend of soothing oils to relax and comfort the body and mind. Massaging your lower back muscles with this specially formulated blend helps ease mobility and promote good health.
Why using an essential oil can be effective for the muscular system?
The muscular system plays a very important role in our body’s movement. Therapists encounter problems with soft tissue while performing regular massages, and essential oils are very helpful for sudden and overuse injuries, such as fibromyalgia, arthritis, and spasms.
Pain is unique and differs from individual to individual. The most common pain is back pain, especially the lower back. Other pains include myalgia, tendonitis or stress fractures, muscle spasms, and cramps. This muscle pain is high and may result from an injury, loss of blood, or a tumour.
Aromatherapy is a great way to relieve these pains. In aromatherapy massage, oil can be applied on the skin at the place where pain or injury is or to the full body. Aromatherapy baths are also effective for the muscular system.
Essential oils help arthritis patients by improving mobility and treating the root cause of the pain. Similarly, aromatherapy can treat backaches, as essential oils can be used to detoxify, decrease swelling, and relax the tissues in muscles.
Also, spasms and cramps can be treated by the use of essential oils as they are a result of contraction in the muscle. When this contraction is persistent, it is called a spasm, and a more painful version is a cramp.
Skeletal System & Essential Oils
The skeletal system of an adult is composed of around 206 bones that act as an internal framework of the body. This supports body mobility and maintains its shape.
Essential oils used as supplements help keep the joints healthy and encourage fluid movement in the body, which helps ensure normal bone functions. Using these essential oils helps support the skeletal system, especially in routine exercises and post-workout regimes.
Best Essential Oils for Skeletal System
Frankincense Oil
It is known for its analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties. Frankincense oil treats a variety of ailments related to the skeletal system including inflammation and chronic pain.
Ginger Oil
Ginger essential oil is known to reduce the effect of chronic joint pain and inflammation due to its powerful anti-inflammatory properties.
Why using an essential oil can be effective for my skeletal system?
Essential oils have been proven to improve health and are used to treat several ailments. Their beneficial effects have significantly contributed to athletes’ sports performances.
Like any other part of the human body, the musculoskeletal system can get a lot of relief from using essential oils. Essential oils can reduce swelling and also provide much-needed relaxation to the skin. While some oils are warm oils and can increase blood flow, others have a cooling nature and are anti-inflammatory.
Below are some musculoskeletal problems that can be aided with the help of essential oils.
Osteoarthritis
The most common type of arthritis, osteoarthritis, affects joints in weight-bearing areas and becomes more problematic with age. It causes cartilage wear and tear, resulting in swelling, pain, and stiffness. Regular aromatherapy massage using wintergreen essential oil, ginger oil, and eucalyptus oil effectively reduces pain. Aromatherapy using lavender essential oil helps patients remain calm through chronic pain.
Rheumatoid Arthritis
In this condition, the immune system mistakenly identifies and attacks healthy tissues. It is more serious and affects fingers, wrists, knees, feet, and ankles, causing joint pain, stiffness, and swelling. If there is swelling or inflammation, using analgesic oils like peppermint and rosemary can be very helpful.
Fractures
Bone fractures are always accompanied by ligament tears and injuries to muscle tissues. Aromatherapy helps in the healing process by reducing pain and swelling. Antiseptic, antibiotic, and analgesic oils such as Roman chamomile and clove can help reduce inflammation and relieve pain.
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