Massage Therapy

Massage therapy has a long history in cultures around the world. Today people use many different types of massage therapy for a variety of health-related purposes. In the United States, massage therapy is often considered part of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), although it does have some conventional uses.

History of Massage

Massage therapy dates back thousands of years. References to massage appear in writings from ancient China, Japan, India, Arabic nations, Egypt, Greece (Hippocrates defined medicine as the art of rubbing), and Rome.
Massage became widely used in Europe during the Renaissance. In the 1850s, two American physicians who had studied in Sweden introduced massage therapy in the United States, where it became popular and was promoted for a variety of health purposes. With scientific and technological advances in medical treatment during the 1930s and 1940s, massage fell out of favor in the United States. Interest in massage revived in the 1970s, especially among athletes.
Use of Massage Therapy in the United States
According to the 2007 National Health Interview Survey, which included a comprehensive survey of CAM use by Americans, an estimated 18 million U.S. adults and 700,000 children had received massage therapy in the previous year.
People use massage for a variety of health-related purposes, including to relieve pain, rehabilitate sports injuries, reduce stress, increase relaxation, address anxiety and depression, and aid general wellness.

Research

Research supports the general conclusion that massage therapy is effective. Studies suggest that a single session of massage therapy can reduce state anxiety (a reaction to a particular situation), blood pressure, and heart rate, and multiple sessions can reduce trait anxiety (general anxiety-proneness), depression, and pain.

There are numerous theories about how massage therapy may affect the body. For example, the gate control theory suggests that massage may provide stimulation that helps to block pain signals sent to the brain. Other theories suggest that massage might stimulate the release of certain chemicals in the body, such as serotonin or endorphins, or cause beneficial mechanical changes in the body.

Bob Stockfield

Meet our Massage Therapist

Our massage therapist take great pride in providing clients with a natural conservative treatment approach  to help relieve musculoskeletal pain. Our massage therapist offer specific massage and muscular techniques that are tailored to  meet the clients condition and injury.

Sheree Fontenot, LMT, CPMT, graduated from Blue Cliff College and received her certification in Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork in 2001.  Much of her expertise is in working with acute and chronic soft tissue injuries and dysfunction. In 2010, she received a certification in Pediatric Massage with Tina Allen from The Little Kids "Liddlekidz" Foundation. Sheree is an active member of the American Massage Therapy Association. She has been part of Provance Chiropractic team since 1993.

Celia Taylor, LMT, CLT, graduated from Blue Cliff College and received her certification in Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork in 2000. In 2010, Celia received a Certification for Complete Decongestive Therapy from The Academy of Lymphatic Studies. In addition to massage therapy, she has been teaching ballet for more than 23 years. She is a active member of the The American Massage Therapy Association. Celia has been with Provance Chiropractic since 2005.

Call to make an appointment today: 504-456-9296

information provided by NCCAM: http://nccam.nih.gov/