The Wisdom of Touch: Ancient Practice, Modern Understanding

Massage has been used as a therapeutic tool for centuries. It takes many forms, with different traditions contributing ways to work with tension, movement, recovery, and the experience of touch.

That depth of knowledge is part of what makes bodywork so valuable. Today, research is helping us better understand what practitioners have long sought to accomplish—and what happens inside the body during that work.

More than a spa experience

You may think of massage as a chance to relax. That is a worthwhile reason to receive it. You may also seek it because turning your head is uncomfortable, your back feels persistently tight, or everyday movement takes more effort than it should.

Those goals give bodywork direction.

My nursing and massage therapy experience helps me choose how to approach your session. I draw from different techniques while paying attention to what I feel beneath my hands, how you move, and how you respond. Pressure, positioning, technique, and pace all matter. The skill is in knowing how to use them together.

Why consider a series?

One session gives us information. A planned series gives us opportunities to work, observe changes, and adjust.

Research supports considering massage as a course of care for some concerns. In one large study of chronic low-back pain, ten weekly massage sessions improved symptoms and everyday function compared with usual care. Both relaxation massage and more focused structural massage helped (Cherkin et al., 2011).

That doesn’t mean everyone needs ten appointments. It means there is value in setting a goal and assessing progress over time. Your needs and response help determine the plan.

The effects can reach beyond tight muscles

Researchers are also studying massage and emotional well-being.

A small study found that twice-weekly Swedish massage over six weeks reduced anxiety symptoms more than light touch (Rapaport et al., 2016). Another found similar improvements with massage, heat therapy, and quiet time in a relaxing room (Sherman et al., 2010). These findings invite us to consider both skilled touch and the experience of receiving care.

For me, your physical comfort and your experience of the session both deserve attention.

Your tissue responds to touch

This is a question that especially interests me: what does your body do with the work we provide?

Researchers are looking beyond how massage feels to understand how the body responds—including changes in cellular signaling, inflammation, and recovery. A small study examining muscle after strenuous exercise found changes in inflammatory signaling following massage (Crane et al., 2012). That gives us a glimpse into the biological response to skilled touch and a reason to keep exploring its place in whole-body care.

This is where ancient practice and modern understanding meet. Our hands provide the stimulus; your living tissue responds.

More discoveries ahead

Registered studies are exploring massage’s biological and psychological effects in people with type 1 diabetes, as well as its role in trauma-informed care (National Library of Medicine, n.d.-a, n.d.-b). These studies are asking questions whose results we can follow. As findings become available, I’ll share what we learn here in The Edit.

For now, we bring the wisdom of many massage disciplines together with professional experience, current evidence, and careful attention to you.

The goal is for the work on the table to make a useful difference in the life you live beyond it.

Stephanie Cunningham, RN, LMT
Founder, The Metabolic Spa

Book online, or call or text 985-304-3143. When texting, include your name and question.

References

Cherkin, D. C., Sherman, K. J., Kahn, J., Wellman, R., Cook, A. J., Johnson, E., Erro, J., Delaney, K., & Deyo, R. A. (2011). A comparison of the effects of 2 types of massage and usual care on chronic low back pain: A randomized, controlled trial. Annals of Internal Medicine, 155(1), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-155-1-201107050-00002

Crane, J. D., Ogborn, D. I., Cupido, C., Melov, S., Hubbard, A., Bourgeois, J. M., & Tarnopolsky, M. A. (2012). Massage therapy attenuates inflammatory signaling after exercise-induced muscle damage. Science Translational Medicine, 4(119), Article 119ra13. https://doi.org/10.1126/scitranslmed.3002882

National Library of Medicine. (n.d.-a). TCI-massage clinical trial (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT07482358) [Clinical trial registration]. ClinicalTrials.gov. Retrieved October 4, 2026, from https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT07482358

National Library of Medicine. (n.d.-b). Therapeutic outcomes of using complementary hand-based treatment in diabetes (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT07275086) [Clinical trial registration]. ClinicalTrials.gov. Retrieved October 4, 2026, from https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT07275086

Rapaport, M. H., Schettler, P., Larson, E. R., Edwards, S. A., Dunlop, B. W., Rakofsky, J. J., & Kinkead, B. (2016). Acute Swedish massage monotherapy successfully remediates symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder: A proof-of-concept, randomized controlled study. The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 77(7), e883–e891. https://doi.org/10.4088/JCP.15m10151

Sherman, K. J., Ludman, E. J., Cook, A. J., Hawkes, R. J., Roy-Byrne, P. P., Bentley, S., Brooks, M. Z., & Cherkin, D. C. (2010). Effectiveness of therapeutic massage for generalized anxiety disorder: A randomized controlled trial. Depression and Anxiety, 27(5), 441–450. https://doi.org/10.1002/da.20671