Diabetes affects a large section of the world’s population, and it can cause drastic changes in your body. Despite no formal cure at present, diabetic people are vigilant of their blood sugar levels and use insulin to manage them.
Regular exercise and a healthy diet are crucial to control the metabolic condition that affects over 38 million people in the USA. Many diabetic people customize their care management. Among the many components they choose, foot and body massage therapy is one of them.
Benefits of Foot and Body Massage for Diabetics
If you’ve been recently diagnosed, you are responsible for leading a healthy and active lifestyle to prevent serious complications. While massage therapy isn’t a replacement for medical care, it’s an excellent way to complement your treatment plan.
A well-balanced diet and an exercise routine are the foundations of good diabetes management. Massage therapy adds to this sustainable plan. It not only targets your body, but it also relaxes your mind, which makes it worth incorporating in your routine. So, let us take a closer look at how the best full body massage helps your diabetes:
Increased Circulation and Blood Flow
Massage enables better transport of nutrients and oxygen in the body. When this circulation improves, it helps your cells to absorb and actually retain insulin.
Diabetes affects blood circulation and causes arterial damage, particularly in the extremities. Thus, this is one of the most significant advantages of massage therapy for diabetics.
Better Range of Motion
The sudden rise and drop of blood sugar levels puts agonizing strain on your body. This drastic side-effect of diabetes thickens the connective tissue. Ligaments, muscles, and tendons can become stiff, causing your overall range of motion to decrease.
The best solution for this is massage therapy in Richmond. It improves the flexibility of your joints and tissues, providing you with physical comfort and returning some flexibility.
Improves Nerve Function
An estimated 50% of diabetics experience diabetic neuropathy, which is nerve damage caused by long-term high blood sugar levels. It causes sensations of pain and tingling, commonly affecting the legs and feet. Massage therapy stimulates the nerves and improves blood flow. This can lower neuropathy pain and aid in alleviating other symptoms.
Stress Relief
The navigation of the treatment plan can get stressful for many. Diabetes has physical symptoms, but it also triggers mental stress.
Changing diets, constantly tracking blood sugar, ensuring enough exercise, and trying to clarify these changes to friends and family can impact your mental health as well. You might feel overwhelmed and frustrated. In this situation, a full body and foot massage in Richmond can put your mind at ease.
Best Massage Therapies for Diabetes
The topic of massage therapy for diabetes has been heavily researched. In 2019, it was discovered that massage lowers blood glucose levels. However, researchers also claimed that more studies are crucial before the effectiveness of various massage therapies can be fully understood and refined.
Everyone agrees that it’s a complementary therapy, implying it supports conventional medical treatment. But research is currently ongoing on how to use massage in the best way to manage diabetes.
It’s important to note, once again, that massage therapy isn’t a substitute. So, if you want to include therapeutic massage in Richmond in your treatment plan, here are the types of massages you can choose from:
- Thai foot massage
- Connective tissue massage
- Swedish massage
- Traditional Chinese massage
Consult with a Professional
A licensed massage therapist will work together with you to help manage your symptoms. If you have persistent tingling, pain, or numbness, a visit to a reputable establishment, such as Palais France Massage, might be helpful.
Let your massage therapist know about the symptoms that are bothering you. The more they know, the better they can treat you. If you feel more uncomfortable than expected during the session, tell your therapist. This helps them adjust their technique.
Massage is a complementary component of a diabetes management plan. It can help with blood sugar levels, increase circulation, and manage neuropathy symptoms. While research is still ongoing on which type of massage is more effective, they rarely report severe side effects.
Diabetes is a chronic metabolic condition with no “cure”. Therefore, if massage proves to be beneficial in your treatment plan, book your appointment!
