How Massage Therapy Can Help with Stress-Induced Muscle Tension
In today’s world, emotional stress is an inevitable part of life for almost all adults. Occasional bouts of anxiety may not be too hard to manage, but chronic stress often leads to physical symptoms such as muscular tension. Most often, that tightness tends to embed itself in the neck and shoulders – but it can really manifest itself anywhere.
So what can you do to prevent the stress from hijacking both your brain and your muscles?
One effective way to go about is by adding massage therapy to your wellness routine. This holistic approach is far more than just a treat for yourself when you need to wind down – it offers both immediate stress relief and long-term musculoskeletal health maintenance.
Relieving Stress-Induced Muscle Tension with Massage Therapy
Lowers Cortisol Levels
The application of mindful touch activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which is also known as the “rest and digest” system and counters the stress-induced “fight or flight” response from the sympathetic nervous system. This leads to reduced levels of cortisol, a stress hormone.
When cortisol levels rise during fight-or-flight, the body enters a protective state of hyper-awareness. Necessary for self-preservation when a threat is present, this response causes the muscles to tense up to prepare for quick action. If emotional stress is a constant problem, the muscular tissue can remain hyper-contracted for a prolonged period of time and lead to chronic pain. When massage therapy causes cortisol levels to drop, muscle knots can be removed with ease.
Increases Blood Flow
Stress has an adverse impact on blood flow by releasing stress hormones that lead to vasoconstriction, also known as narrowing of the arteries.
Massage therapy promotes vasodilation through both mechanical and physiological means. By mechanical stimulation of the soft tissues, applied pressure compresses and releases blood vessels in the muscle and skin, creating a pumping action that helps push oxygenated blood through areas of congestion. Those congested areas are partially cut-off from receiving the oxygen and nutrients needed to remove waste products, such as lactic acid, that contribute to muscular pain and stiffness. Once that congestion is cleared and the space is recreated through manual pressure, the blood can resume its job of nourishing the muscles.
Stimulates Endorphin Release
Massage therapy activates pressure receptors beneath the skin and inside deeper tissues. When these receptors are stimulated, they send signals to the brain to release endorphins, which promote relaxation and weaken the perception of physical pain.
Improves Sleep Quality
The aforementioned release of “happy hormones” and suppression of stress hormones leads to better sleep quality. Cortisol, as previously stated, increases alertness – thus, it interferes with the body’s natural sleep-wake cycle.
Endorphins were discussed in the previous section, but massage therapy also stimulates the release of another feel-good chemical called serotonin. Serotonin is a direct precursor to melatonin – the hormone responsible for regulating the sleep-wake cycle.
Because it supports the body’s natural healing process in multiple ways, restful sleep is essential for muscle pain recovery. During deep sleep (non-REM sleep), the body releases human growth hormone (HCG). HCG plays a critical role in repairing muscular tissue and building new cells.
High-quality sleep also allows the muscles to completely relax, which relieves tension brought on by emotional stress. A good rest allows tense muscles an opportunity to reset.
Now You Know!
Tell the cortisol to get lost, let the blood feed the tissues, bring on the endorphins, and get some good sleep. Do away with that stress-induced muscle tension through the healing power of touch!
Katrina Jenkins
Author, Licensed Massage Therapist
Katrina Jenkins graduated from Towson University in 2013 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Health Science and worked as a nurse’s aide briefly before pursuing her true passion. She graduated from the Massage Therapy Institute of Colorado in April 2016 with honors and completed the Touch of Healers Scholarship Program the following summer. She has been a part of the Moyer Total Wellness Team since the summer of 2017.
Resources
Alderton, M. (2022). The Science of Stress | Massage Therapy Journal. [online] American Massage Therapy Association. Available at: https://www.amtamassage.org/publications/massage-therapy-journal/science-of-stress-and-massage/.
American Psychological Association (2024). Stress Effects on the Body. [online] American Psychological Association. Available at: https://www.apa.org/topics/stress/body.
AMTA (2025). Beyond the Physical: Massage for Emotional Health. [online] American Massage Therapy Association. Available at: https://www.amtamassage.org/publications/massage-therapy-journal/massage-and-emotional-health/ [Accessed 16 Jul. 2025].
Lebert, RMT, R., Noy, MSc, RMT, M., Purves, MSc, RMT, E. and Tibbett, PhD, LMT, J. (2022). Massage Therapy: A Person-Centred Approach to Chronic Pain. International Journal of Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork: Research, Education, & Practice, 15(3), pp.27–34. doi:https://doi.org/10.3822/ijtmb.v15i3.713.
Mat Isar, N.E.N., Abdul Halim, M.H.Z. and Ong, M.L.Y. (2022). Acute massage stimulates parasympathetic activation after a single exhaustive muscle contraction exercise. Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies, 30(30), pp.105–111. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbmt.2022.02.016.
Zaffanello, M., Pietrobelli, A., Cavarzere, P., Guzzo, A. and Antoniazzi, F. (2023). Complex relationship between growth hormone and sleep in children: insights, discrepancies, and implications. Frontiers in Endocrinology, [online] 14, p.1332114. doi:https://doi.org/10.3389/fendo.2023.1332114.
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