After surgery, your body may be in pain. Nerve signals can be erratic, making large portions of your body hurt even though you have small incisions. While it's counterintuitive to touch the area, getting a massage can help. There are a few reasons massage therapy can benefit you, so read along and learn why it's so great for surgery patients. 

Massage Therapy Breaks Down Scar Tissue

Following surgery, you may have scar tissue develop. This painful tissue can cause a number of problems from adhesions to rough, painful skin. A few massage techniques can help reduce scar tissue in the body and even prevent it from forming to begin with. 

• Manual lymph drainage: This kind of massage works to drain the lymph nodes. It uses circular motions around and across the scar. Over time, the tissue in the area will feel softer as the scar tissue breaks down. 
• Deep transverse friction: This kind of massage prevents adhesions and breaks down adhesions in the body. It's a deep tissue massage that is applied directly to the scar tissue. 
• Hot stone massage: This kind of massage uses heat to increase the flexibility of a scar. This makes the skin softer and more likely to break down and heal correctly over time. 

Massage Therapy Increases Circulation

Massage therapy has several benefits for the body when it comes to your circulation. Increasing the circulation to muscle tissue aids in healing. The area receives more oxygen-rich blood, so it has more of what it needs to function correctly.

When the legs are massaged, the lymphatic system is also stimulated. This can prevent the pooling of blood that could result in varicose veins. Following surgery on these areas, it's important to receive soft massages to dispel swelling and edema. 

Massage Therapy Lowers Anxiety

According to a study involving 605 veterans who had gone through abdominal or chest surgeries, adding touch and massage therapy to the test group following surgery reduced their pain and reduced the men's anxiety levels. According to some of the patients, the therapy provided as much relief from pain as morphine drips, but how does this work? Massage therapy helps release endorphins. Contact between humans produces comfort, and the added release of endorphins lasts even after the massage has ended. 

These are just a few kinds of massages and how they can help you heal after a surgery. Speak with a massage therapist like Gulf Coast Massage & Skin Care about the treatment that will suit you.