Massage for Healthy Aging: Offering Comfort and Promoting Wellness

Global population aged 65 and older hit 49.2 million in 2016 and is projected to reach 98 million by 2060. As we age, muscles lose mass and forget how to restore their original position and function.  Tight muscles and related pain decrease range of motion, inhibiting activity and leading to a more sedentary lifestyle. The World Health Organization defines healthy aging as doing what it takes to be and do what you value throughout life. Massage therapy can be used to offer comfort and promote healthy mind, body and spirit.

As we age, our muscles are less able to supply blood to our tissue, inhibting natural recovery. Massage therapy can be used to manage symptoms of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, improving function. Massage can be used to enhance muscle health, improve posture, and reduce tension causing distortion. Retraining muscles may increase range of motion and encourage healthy movement activities. 

Massage therapy is a viable option for pain management. Identifying the root cause of pain and addressing the underlying issue may relieve a problem long-term. Decreasing pain, increasing range of motion, and improving strength impacts how we feel, what we do, and how we interact with the world.

Traditional Chinese Medicine offers another perspective on healthy aging. Shen-Nong, of Integrated Chinese Medicine Holdings, LTD, in an article titled Views on the Natural Aging Process, describes aging as follows. "In TCM understanding, aging is mainly due to congenital essence being used up while the ability to supply acquired essence declines. The two essences are what make up human vitality."

Massage, in combination with self-care and appropriate exercise, can restore healthy muscles. In working with clients, massage therapists should ask questions and listen carefully to responses when determining a treatment plan. A therapist should research unfamiliar conditions and ask for guidance from mentors in areas of uncertainty.

In working with aging clients, massage therapists should be aware of changes that occur in the body as we age. For instance, muscle mass and muscle tone decreases at an observed rate of 3% - 5% per decade, according to a journal from Harvard Medical School. Deterioration of muscle impairs performance and physical function which causes instability and may lead to falls. Aging bones become brittle and prone to fracturing, and skin becomes thin and fragile. Considerations should also be made for increased incidence of disease, medication use, impairment and disability. Care and attention to patient needs should be offered by a massage therapist when working with aging clients.