Massage therapy is a type of treatment in which a trained and certified medical professional works on the soft tissues of your body — muscle, connective tissue, tendons, ligaments and skin — using varying degrees of pressure and movement.  Studies of the benefits of massage demonstrate that it is an effective treatment for reducing stress, pain and muscle tension.

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There are many different types of massage, including these common types:

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• Swedish massage:  This is a gentle form of massage that uses long strokes, kneading, deep circular movements, vibration and tapping to help relax and energize you.

• Deep massage:   This massage technique uses slower, more-forceful strokes to target the deeper layers of muscle and connective tissue, commonly to help with muscle damage from injuries.

• Sports massage:   This is similar to Swedish massage, but it's geared toward people involved in sport activities to help prevent or treat injuries.

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Benefits of massage

Massage is generally considered part of complementary and alternative medicine. It's increasingly being offered along with standard treatment for a wide range of medical conditions and situations.

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The therapeutic benefits of massage continue to be researched and studied. Recent research has shown the effectiveness of massage for the following conditions:

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• Cancer-related fatigue

• Low back pain

• Osteoarthritis of the knee

• Reducing post-operative pain

• Boosting the body’s immune system functioning

• Decreasing the symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome

• Lowering blood pressure

• Reducing headache frequency

• Easing alcohol withdrawal symptoms

• Decreasing pain in cancer patients

• Fibromyalgia