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​Relaxation

Self-massage is an intuitive reflex to injury, stress or over-work says Goddard College Student Affairs Health Services in their publication "51 Simple Relaxation Techniques." Leg massage can help relax leg muscles and it will also contribute to full-body relaxation and diminishment of stress and anxiety. It's easy to massage your legs yourself without potentially inconvenient and expensive professional masseuse intervention.

Goddard recommends starting at the ankle with one hand on each side of the leg and massaging upwards to the thigh and starting again at the ankle. Repeat this process five times. Using your fingertips, massage the knee with circular pressure around the kneecap, then use the fingertips to stroke upward over the back of the knee.

Improve Postural Alignment

Leg, hip, and lower back massage can improve postural misalignment and reduce resulting chronic pain, according to a case study conducted and reported by the International Professional School of Bodywork (IPSB). According to the IPSB, distorted posture can lead to shortening of lower back extensors and hip flexors, which in turn causes pain in the lower back, knees and hips.

Massage is generally accepted as being able to reduce perception of pain, but the IPSB reported that it could do more than that. The organization specifically documented the impacts of leg and lower body massage on chronic pain caused by a long-term pelvic imbalance due to degenerative hip disease. After five sessions of neuromuscular massage therapy administered to the legs and lower back for more than four weeks, the subject demonstrated a considerably straighter back and pelvis alignment, a greater range of motion throughout the body and reported significantly less pain.

Relief from Lymphedema

Lymphedema is swelling, usually in the extremities, caused when a condition stops lymphatic fluids from properly circulating through the torso. Lymphedema often occurs after the lymph nodes have been disrupted or removed due to cancer surgery and other medical treatments. Chronic lymphedema is often a permanent condition that grows progressively worse according to the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer.

Massage therapy aimed at alleviating lymphedema starts with rubbing the torso then proceeds down the affected feet and legs. Appropriate massage therapy coupled with compression garments can significantly reduce the size of the swollen legs.

How leg massage can be beneficial?

Because there isn't a second heart in your feet, the pumping action of blood returning back to the heart is left to muscle contraction. The more you walk, the more your calves, for example, will pump blood upwards.

This pumping action is impaired if you're sitting down for too long. Over time, this takes a toll on the health of your veins and circulation. If you're standing up all the time, because blood has to be pumped against gravity and against pressure, some blood vessels can be damaged.

If you're a smoker, your diet is high in processed carbohydrates, sugars, and bad fats, then it is likely that your blood pressure and cholesterol are high-- these will work against you and can lead to serious damage of the blood vessels of your lower limbs, and will make your heart have to work much harder. While there are many benefits to leg massages, it is important to start with-- and maintain-- lifestyle modifications.

Some benefits of leg massage:
Improve blood circulation: first, determine why the circulation needs increased. If you suffer from a circulatory or heart condition, discuss massage therapy with a physician so you know whether your circulatory system can withstand the pressure of massage and greater blood flow.
Lymphatic system: the lymphatic system carries excess fluid (and cells of the immune system) back into circulation (back to the heart). Theoretically, lymphatic massage could help improve certain circulatory aspects of the cells of the immune system. Because this also affecting the circulatory system, make sure to check with a doctor should you have an underlying health condition (e.g. cancer, blood, heart problems, etc.).
Postural alignment: massage can loosen and relax leg muscles that are sore by bad posture, allowing your body to position itself in its natural form can help reduce pain and improve range of motion.
Which essential oils can be used to favor blood circulation?
I'm not sure if there have been specific scientific studies looking at this, but empirical trials, experience and educated guess suggest that warming oils lead to dilation of superficial blood vessels, thus bringing blood, nutrients and oxygen to the area. "Cooling" essential oils give the sensation of cold application-- perceived by superficial sensory nerves.

These oils can also help with circulation and with the relaxation of smooth muscles-this is the principle behind vapor rub. When your chest feels congested you're coughing, or your nose is all stuffed up ... applying some of it on the chest can help you breathe better and relieves some of the pain.

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Massage oil recipes.
Use a little bit of the oil (more isn't necessarily better); secondly, use a neutral "base" oil like grape seed oil, coconut oil or ghee. Stir the mixture together (you can add more than one essential oil), and apply to the skin, massage the area.

Massage oil recipe for tired legs:.
10 drops of rosemary essential oil.
10 drops of eucalyptus essential oil.
5 drops of cypress essential oil.
5 drops of thyme essential oil.
2 tbsp. of grape seed oil.