NOTE: Grant will be away training in Thailand until December 20.

How does Thai massage increase blood circulation?

The movement in a Thai massage helps enhances the circulation of blood in the body, which brings more oxygen to your brain and lowers the chance of blood clotting.

Introduction

Unlike a Swedish massage, the movement of a traditional Thai massage helps boost circulation of blood to your body’s extremities. With increased circulation, more oxygen will be brought to the brain. This will lower the number of migraines and headaches from which the individual suffers.

A person with poor circulation can suffer from a variety of discomforts including the pooling of fluid in the extremities, cold hands and feet, fatigue and achiness created by an accumulation of lactic acid in the muscles. Good circulation brings damaged, tense muscles the oxygen-rich blood they need to heal.

Massage facilitates circulation because the pressure created by the massage technique actually moves blood through the congested areas. The release of this same pressure causes new blood to flow in. The squeezing and pulling also flushes lactic acid from the muscles and improves the circulation of the lymph fluid which carries metabolic waste away from muscles and internal organs.

Increased circulation will lower the chances of blood clotting in the arteries. Thai massage will rejuvenate and refresh you. It will help you think clearer because you will feel better after it.

Thai Massage and Blood Stops

One technique usend in traditional Thai massage is called a Blood Stop, which, in Thai, is called Opening the Wind Gate. The Thai massage practitioner applies direct pressure with their palms or feet to the femoral artery, located in the groin, or to the axillary artery, located in the armpit, to slow the blood flow into the legs and arms respectively. The length of the compression varies, usually 15-45 seconds, and is only done on healthy individuals – never on anyone with heart disease, high blood pressure or varicose veins.

One benefit of a Blood Stop is that it builds a stronger circulatory system. By slowing the blood flow through the limb’s primary artery and routing it to deeper, less frequently used arteries, the body is encouraged the body to build strength in secondary arteries.

Another benefit to stopping the blood involves detoxification and removal of stagnant blood. Although arterial blood flow decreases during a blood stop, venous return continues unimpeded. The suction of venous blood back towards the heart increases in the vessels of the limbs affected by the blood stop. Stagnant blood, which would ordinarily pool at the far ends of the limbs, is returned back into circulation. When the pressure on the artery is released, a rush of fresh oxygenated blood courses through the arteries, capillaries and veins, further removing stagnant blood and toxins that accumulate on the walls of the blood vessels.

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