Everyone knows that a trip to a Phuket spa can help to ease stiff muscles and sore feet after a long flight or a day of sight-seeing. What’s a little less well-known is the impact of massage therapy on the symptoms of arthritis. It might not be a full cure, but it can certainly help to ease the crippling pain caused by this all-too-common affliction.

What is arthritis?

There are over 100 different forms of arthritis, mostly just differing in what causes it. The short version of the story, however, is that it’s an inflammation of of the joints, causing extreme pain and a reduction in your flexibility and mobility. It’s particularly common in the elderly, partially just because they’ve been alive longer and have had more time for some defect to appear in the smooth operation of their joints. However, it’s not unheard of for younger people to suffer just the same.

How massage helps

A deep tissue massage from a Phuket spa can help to give some relief by treating a variety of causes. Firstly, it reduces the production of cortisol – the stress hormone – and promotes the production of serotonin. Not only does this put you in a good mood, but it also helps to reduce how much you feel pain. Other pain-related neurotransmitters and also reduced with a good massage.

Of course, there are other ways to relax beyond a massage. However, a targeted massage, aimed at those muscles around the problem joints, help to increase flexibility and reduce the specific pain around that joint. Immediately after a deep massage, many sufferers have found themselves able to return to normal activities with the pain either gone (temporarily) or at least significantly reduced.

What else helps?

While a trip to a Phuket spa is certainly effective, it’s not always completely convenient. You can’t just call up a certified masseuse whenever your joints are playing up. Fortunately, there are other things which can help to keep the pain of arthritis to a minimum. Adjusting your diet may help reduce the inflammation, for example.

The most important thing is to keep the joints flexible and, while Phuket massages are certainly effective in that, you can also just make sure you keep moving as much as possible. Low-impact exercises like yoga have shown to be particularly effective at reducing muscle and joint stiffness.