According to the organization known as the “American Pregnancy Association”, there are numerous benefits associated with prenatal massage.
For many centuries, massage has been used as a therapeutic means of optimizing a person’s health, reducing their stress levels and alleviating tension associated with the muscles.
In recent years, the health community has provided many positive responses and reviews of the use of massage during pregnancy.
According to studies conducted on pre-natal massage, or massage administered to a pregnant female, this type of therapy may prove to be exceptionally beneficial when used as a form of prenatal care.
Throughout this guide, you will learn about the most popular benefits related to pregnancy massages.
Prenatal Massage Benefits
According to the case studies conducted on women that received prenatal massage, this form of therapy has been linked to reduction in anxiety levels, reducing the amount of pain that is experienced by the female in the joints and the muscles and optimizing the mood.(1,2)
Not only does pregnancy massages optimize the female’s physiological health, it also optimizes her psychological health. During pregnancy, a female’s body experiences numerous changes.
Examples of these changes include increased hormone production, weight gain and even chemical changes within the body and the brain.
As a result, many women may experience depression, irritability and numerous physical health complications.
According to professionals, therapeutic massage may assist a female in adapting to these changes and reduces the possibility for mental and/or psychological complications to occur.
Many pregnant women that have received prenatal massage have been studied throughout the past decade. When they received massage, it was discovered that the hormones associated with stress regulation and the ability to relax were increased.(3,4)
As a result, the women were better able to regulate their mood and experienced higher levels of health as far as their cardiovascular system was concerned.
In the same respect, hormones that were associated with unhealthy stress – such as norepinephrine and cortisol – were drastically reduced after receiving pre-natal massage.(5)
When these hormones were reduced, productive hormones such as dopamine and serotonin were instantly increased.
As a result of changes in the hormone levels, the women that were subjected to massage sessions during pregnancy experienced fewer birthing issues and less of a chance of their baby being born with defects and/or health issues.
Many women suffer from inflammation and swelling of the joints during pregnancy.(6,7) Those that were subjected to massage therapy experienced fewer bouts with this issue.
The inflammation often comes from the increased pressure on the blood vessels of the body by the growing infant. In addition to this, circulation complications may occur as a result of the growing uterus.
This, in turn, results in painful swelling. Prenatal massage assists in softening the tissues and relaxing the muscles.
Less fluid accumulates in and/or around the joints. As a result, the lymph system is optimized and carries out waste from the tissues more effectively.
In addition to this benefit of prenatal massage, the pregnant female may find that she experiences less body pain associated with the pregnancy, lower levels of anxiety, and more productive sleep.
Conclusion
There are numerous benefits associated with prenatal massage. This guide outlines the most common benefits.
If you want to experience optimal health during your pregnancy and have a desire to have a healthy infant, you should consider incorporating prenatal massage into your care.
When receiving prenatal message, it is absolutely essential to ensure that you seek out professionals that specialize in this type of treatment.
It is best to opt for certified massage therapists – especially considering that you are carrying a child.
Furthermore, if you are experiencing a high-risk pregnancy or suffer from any type of physical complication, a doctor’s approval should be obtained before indulging in prenatal massage therapy sessions.
However, once approved, you may want to ask your doctor for a recommendation to a massage therapist that is certified and knowledgeable in prenatal massage.
Further reading:
- Retroverted and Anteverted uterus – What’s the difference?
References
(1)http://www.webmd.com/baby/pregnancy-and-massage
(2)https://books.google.com/books?id=_cbGBAAAQBAJ&dq
(3)http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2870995/
(4)https://books.google.com/books?id=IfyQ6JDmWAAC&dq
(5)http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15715034
(6)http://www.orthop.washington.edu/?q=patient-care/articles/arthritis/pregnancy-and-arthritis.html
(7)http://www.healthline.com/health-slideshow/pregnancy-arthritis
„http://americanpregnancy.org/pregnancy-health/prenatal-massage
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