Fix It With Massage

Yes, massages feel fantastic. But they're more than just indulgences; they're proven health and mood treatments. Case in point: We've found seven common ailments that can be alleviated by a good rub down. So consider this your excuse to schedule a massage today. After all, it's for your own good.

Neck Pain - Ten neck massages over 10 weeks. Sound good? It was for chronic neck pain sufferers, who reported a 55 percent improvement of symptoms in a 2009 study published in the Clinical Journal of Pain. They even scored 39 percent better on the worst-sounding test ever, the Neck Disability Index. (It assesses how neck pain affects a person's life.)

Athletic performance - A musculotendinous massage targets where muscle meets tendon, and a 2010 study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research found that even a 30-second round improved hip-flexor range of motion. Try it yourself: Locate an intersection of tendon (it will feel like a cord) and muscle, and rub it in small circles with your thumb.

Stress - You don't need a full-body rubdown to feel good. In a 2010 Swedish study, one 80-minute hand-and-foot massage significantly lowered people's heart rates, cortisol levels, and insulin levels—all of which help lower stress. Scalp massages may help relax you, too. Plus, giving them is good way to score points with your partner, which is why you should learn how to give the perfect 15-minute scalp massage.

Depression - Take your pick: Swedish, shiatsu, and other common massage types may help ease depression, according to a 2010 meta-analysis in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry. How? A massage can reduce your stress hormone levels, blood pressure, and heart rate, as well as boost your mood and relaxation by triggering releases of oxytocin and serotonin in your brain. Another fix for depression: Exercise.scientists found that regularly lifting weights significantly reduces symptoms of major depression. In fact, the response rate was similar to those taking antidepressants.

High blood pressure - For a study in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, people with normal blood pressure underwent deep-tissue massage for 45 to 60 minutes. (Such suffering for science!) At the end, their systolic blood pressure had fallen by an average of 10.4 millimeters of mercury (mm/Hg) and their diastolic blood pressure by 5.3 mm/Hg.

Lower back pain - Back problems are complex. One solution is simple: Common massage techniques help you relax and trigger an endorphin release that raises your pain threshold—and that might help people with all sorts of lower-back pain, according to a 2009 meta-analysis in the journal Spine.

Constipation - Would you like an abdominal massage with that laxative? Yes, you would: A 2009 Swedish study found that people who received both a massage along with traditional constipation treatment felt significantly better those who stuck with just laxatives.

Source: Men's Health, from the editors at Men's Health, April 14, 2011