Benefits of Massage Therapy Many visits to primary care physicians are in part due to stress-related complaints. Massage directly affects your body's nervous system, counteracting your body's negative response to stress, relaxing muscle tension, and allowing your heart rate, blood pressure and circulation to return to normal. Muscles become tight and ineffective due to stress, injury, poor circulation, misuse and overuse. These conditions hamper the quality of your lifestyle. Massage improves the circulation of blood and its vital nutrients and lymph which helps fight infection. The improved circulation of these important fluids speeds recovery from illness and injury. Contracted muscles pinch nerves and cause tingling, numbness or pain. Tension and stress disrupt your sleep patterns leaving you feeling irritable, tired and drained. Massage relaxes tense muscles and calms the nervous system.   Massage can help with a wide range of medical conditions, including: allergies anxiety arthritis asthma and bronchitis carpal tunnel syndrome chronic and temporary pain circulatory problems depression digestive disorders, including spastic colon, constipation and diarrhea headache, especially when due to muscle tension insomnia myofascial pain (a condition of the tissueconnecting the muscles) reduced range of motion sinusitis sports injuries, including pulled or strained muscles and sprained ligaments stress temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TMJ) Although massage therapy does not increase muscle strength, it can stimulate weak, inactive muscles and, thus partially compensate for the lack of exercise and inactivity resulting from illness or injury. It also can hasten a more complete recovery from exercise or injury. Therapeutic massage can be inappropriate in some cases, such as in people with: inflammation of the veins (phlebitis) infectious diseases certain forms of cancer some skin conditions some cardiac problems If you have one of these or some other diagnosed medical condition, always check with your doctor before seeking a massage.