Tuesday 19 February 2013

Massage for Osteoporosis and Arthritis


Osteoarthritis and Osteoporosis are two degenerative diseases that come with age. As such, they do not have any known cure. Aging is a natural process that cannot be reversed and there will be degenerative consequences. The main problem, where these become known as diseases is that they create a lot of pain and discomfort in the patient.

Certain experiments have shown that a person can live a painless, healthy life even with Osteoporosis and Osteoarthritis if the muscles of the body are healthy enough. If you look at a car, it has shock-absorbers which not only protect the people inside it from jerks but even the car from damage if it goes on bumpy roads. Similarly, muscles act as the shock-absorbers of the body. If they are healthy and elastic, any jerks and shocks generated by any activity we do are absorbed by the muscles. But if the muscles are too tight, they can damage easily, while if they are too weak, the bones underneath them are more prone to damage.

This is why those who work out too much or participate in sports without enough warm-up and stretches have very tight muscles which are prone to injuries. And this is also why older people who have weak or under-exercised muscles, tend to easily fracture their bones with a fall. The central point here is muscle health.

The best way to keep the muscles strong and elastic is through Massage and Yoga Asanas. Yoga Asanas ensure that all the muscles of the body, external as well as internal, are used and kept healthy, like a well used and well oiled machine. Massage ensures that stressed and contracted muscles are relaxed through specific manipulating techniques and they get enough fresh blood supply to keep them healthy. Mental relaxation, which is a result of massage, help in improving body functions, including digestion and absorption of important nutrients like calcium.

Massage also helps in draining out toxins from the muscles and the body in general, which helps in better functioning of the body and has also anti-aging in property. Geriatric Massage is very important for the physical and mental health of senior citizens. However, it is important to note that degenerative diseases are a long-term process. They can start at a younger age and only show themselves through symptoms when we get older and when the condition worsens. And so, if we start taking measures at a younger age, it helps to slow down the degenerative processes and thus can even help in preventing these diseases to a certain extent.


Writer:
Mr. Pinakin Shah
Founder