Depression: A 2010 meta-analysis in the Journal of Clinical
Psychiatry found Swedish, shiatsu, and other massage types may ease depression.
Massage reduces stress hormone levels, heart rate, and blood pressure, and boost
mood and relaxation by triggering the release of oxytocin
and serotonin.
Neck Pain: People with chronic neck pain reported a 55 percent
improvement after 10 massage sessions, as stated in a study in the Clinical
Journal of Pain.
High Blood Pressure: After people with normal blood pressure had
deep-tissue massage for 45 to 60 minutes, their BPs
fell, according to a study in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary
Medicine.
Lower Back Pain: Back problems can be complex. Common massage
techniques can help you relax, and trigger an endorphin release that raises
your threshold for pain. This might help people with all sorts of lower-back
pain as stated in a 2009 journal, Spine.
Constipation: A 2009 Swedish study found that people who received a
massage along with traditional constipation treatment felt significantly better
than those who stuck with just laxatives.
Athletic Performance: Short-duration massage at the musculotendinous
junction (hamstrings, hip, pelvic, etc.) induces greater range of motion.
National Institutes of Health reports that even a 30-second round improved
hip-flexor range of motion.
Stress: In a 2010 study from