Did You Know?

In a 2002 survey, National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) found that 60% of Americans believe that massage combined with conventional medicine can help treat their condition. Another 33% say that a conventional medicine professional has recommended massage as part of their treatment.

Benefits of Massage:

• Relaxing
• Soothing
• Healing
• Reassuring
• Eases tension, stiffness, and pain
• Improves breathing
• Improves circulation
• Enhances well-being

Regular massage treatments will bring the most benefits. They can have the effect of strengthening and toning the entire body mechanism, and so help to prevent unnecessary strains and injuries that might otherwise occur due to excess tension and any resulting structural weaknesses. Massage can stimulate or calm the nervous system -- depending upon what is required by the individual -- and help reduce fatigue, leaving the receiver with a feeling of replenished energy. At its best, massage has the potential to restore the individual physically, mentally and spiritually.

Massage Therapy Services

Massage Therapy at Columbus Polarity is only given by Licensed Massage Therapist (LMTs). Below is a brief guide to the types of therapeutic massage we offer:

• Lymphatic Massage is a technique designed to accelerate drainage and filtration of lymph fluid though the lymph nodes and circulatory system. It supports the immune system and reduces swelling caused by poor circulation. Lymphatic massage is most often used when a client is suffering from a cold or immune-related condition, upper respiratory allergies, or to relieve edema following surgical removal of lymph nodes (e.g. breast cancer surgery). The massage therapist uses firm long strokes over the skin in the direction of the lymph circulation that assists the body's natural flow of fluids.
• Deep Tissue Massage is a technique for releasing severe and/or chronic tension in the muscle and connective tissues of the body. It involves deep focused pressure on specific points to release tension, followed by deep kneading and friction of the muscles to flush metabolic wastes. It improves circulation and eliminates toxins in the body. Deep tissue massage is often used by athletes, people whose occupations involve heavy physical labor, and for those who prefer a deeper massage technique for relaxation.
• Sports Massage is a special form of massage and is typically used before, during, and after athletic events. The purpose of sports massage therapy is to help alleviate the stress and tension which builds up in the body's soft tissues during physical activity. Where minor injuries and lesions occur, due to overexertion and/or overuse, massage can break them down quickly and effectively. The massage will help prepare the athlete for peak performance, to drain away fatigue, to relieve swelling, to reduce muscle tension, to promote flexibility and to prevent injuries. Sports massage can help prevent those niggling injuries that so often get in the way of performance and achievement, whether a person is an athlete or a once a week jogger.

Relaxation Massage Services

Relaxation Massage at Columbus Polarity is only given by Registered Licensed Masseuses/Massuers.

Relaxation Massage is a standardized full-body session designed to promote relaxation and relieve stress. The pressure used can vary from very light to moderately deep. Clients often enjoy a relaxation massage as a way to unwind after a busy week or to regulate stress during a busy time in their lives. Anyone of any age can benefit from a monthly or weekly relaxation massage as a way to manage stress and enhance the body's circulatory and immune functions.

*Relaxation massage is NOT the same as therapeutic massage.  Relaxation massage is used soley to alleviate stress and does not address any underlying medical conditions. Clients seeking to utilize massage for complementary care of a medical condition should only use a Licensed Massage Therapist.


What is Massage Therapy?

Massage therapy is recognized as one of the oldest methods of healing, with references in medical texts nearly 4,000 years old. In fact, Hippocrates, known as the "father of medicine," referenced massage when he wrote, in the 4th century B.C.: "The physician must be acquainted with many things, and assuredly with rubbing."

Massage is one of the simplest forms of therapy and is a system of stroking, pressing and kneading different areas of the body to relieve pain, relax, stimulate, and tone the body. Massage does much more than create a pleasant sensation on the skin, it also works on the soft tissues (the muscles, tendons, and ligaments) to improve muscle tone. Although it largely affects those muscles just under the skin, its benefits may also reach the deeper layers of muscle and possibly even the organs themselves. Massage also stimulates blood circulation and assists the lymphatic system, which runs parallel to the circulatory system, improving the elimination of waste throughout the body.

What are the Benefits of Massage Therapy?

There are tremendous benefits to be achieved through regular massage therapy sessions from a Licensed Massage Therapist. Whether your need is to have a moment of relaxation, reduce muscle tension or attain relief from chronic pain, a therapeutic massage can enhance your overall sense of emotional and physical well-being as well as your quality of life. While massage therapy benefits the injured, the ill and the stressed, the strength of massage therapy is preventing illness and conditions before they develop. Overlooked in the past, today's massage therapy can be used in the treatment of both acute and chronic stages of conditions.

If you suffer from any of the following disorders, you may benefit from therapeutic massage:

• Any chronic muscle or joint pain
• A known condition of referred pain such as when your neck gets tense from a headache
• Any recurring symptoms that seem to accompany or are precipitated by muscle tightness
• Tight muscles that are limiting the mobility of a joint
• Chronically fatigued muscles
• Low energy level, especially when accompanied by muscle aches and pains
• A recent muscle injury that generates pain or dysfunction in an area not seemingly involved in the injury
• Any visceral dysfunction that texts negative for conventional cause
• Muscle pain that recurs in an area with no apparent new cause
• A tendency for pain to spread to other muscles whenever a simple strain or injury occurs

More Benefits of Massage

Massage, an ancient treatment described as early as 3,000 B.C., had taken a back seat to pharmaceuticals and other modes of care. But that's all changed as scientific studies suggest massage therapy can relieve stress and pain, enhance immune function, banish anxiety and speed athletes recovery.

• Relaxes your body and mind, plus proven to be the most wonderful preventive natural medicine in the world
• Increases circulation
• Releases toxins in the body
• Stimulates the flow of the lymph, your body's natural defense system
• Releases endorphins your body's natural pain killer
• Increases range-of-motion
• Relieves pain for migraines suffers decreases need of medication
• Relaxes and softens injured and overused muscles
• Reduces spasms and cramping
• Provides stretching and exercise to atrophied muscles and reduces shortening of the muscles for those with restricted range-of-motion
• Assists in shorter labor for expected mothers, as well as less need for medication, less depression and anxiety