Health benefits of massage, seen in real life and backed by research

A national paper finally said it. Massage helps people feel better. It helps them function. It eases pain. It lowers stress. It supports recovery. These are things I see every week. Many still think massage is a treat. The evidence tells a different story.

One of the studies looked at people living with chronic pain. Regular massage helped them over time. That mirrors what I see in clinic. Real change takes time, and if pain is something you are dealing with you can read a little more about how I work with pain here. It shows up in small ways like better sleep and easier movement and a body that is not gripping so tightly, and these quiet shifts add up.

The article also explored how massage settles the nervous system.

“Massage triggered stronger activity in the parasympathetic nervous system.”

You feel this happen in the room, your breathing slows and your muscles soften and your body stops working so hard to hold everything together, which matters if you live with stress, low energy or poor sleep because a calmer system gives you more space to cope.

Hospital settings showed similar results, with people feeling less tense and less tired and sleeping better, and I hear the same from clients who arrive stretched thin and leave with more room in their body and a clearer sense of themselves, their posture shifting and their movement becoming smoother, small moments of relief that make a real difference.

Another finding focused on circulation. Massage improved blood flow in treated and untreated areas. You notice this when your body feels lighter or when stiff areas loosen up. People who sit all day often feel more mobile after treatment, and if your body feels tight from desk work you can see how my workstation assessments support you at home or at work. People who train hard tend to recover more comfortably. Good circulation helps tissue repair and reduces that heavy, stuck feeling your body collects.

There is something the article cannot fully say. Massage is under researched. Not because it lacks value, but because the work does not sit inside a big funding system. There is no large industry behind it. No pharmaceutical budget. No financial incentive for large trials. Touch does not make anyone rich. As a result, it is studied far less than it deserves. If proper funding existed, we would understand far more about what touch does to the body and why it helps so many people.

This is why the article feels important. The benefits people experience in the room are real, even if the research is still catching up. Your body holds everything you go through. Skilled touch helps release some of that load so you can move with more ease and feel more settled in yourself.

If your body feels tight, sore or overwhelmed, book a session. It can help more than you expect.

Read the full article here: https://www.theguardian.com/wellness/2025/nov/13/massage-health-benefits