Laura Skarpa is a licensed orthopedic massage therapist who works with injured athletes, soldiers, people with fibromyalgia, multiple sclerosis, and injured rotator cuffs. In as little as 20 minutes, she delivers substantial and sometimes permanent relief from injuries, muscle sprains and sprains, and even sleeplessness. 

Why massage works

Laura does not provide recreational stress relief: she is certified as a medical massage practitioner, certified lymphedema therapist, orthopedic massage therapist, and she is trained in myoskeletal / myofascial release.

Professional orthopedic massage and myofascial release are scientific therapies that have physical and chemical effects on the body. Research has demonstrated that injured muscles experience increased blood flow, reduced inflammation, and increased mitochondrial activity after a massage.[1] Massage has also been shown to cause relaxation and pain relief by increasing the body’s levels of serotonin, dopamine, and endorphins.[2,3]

One study focused specifically on patients recovering from arthroscopic knee surgery. Joint surgeries like this typically result in large amounts of pain during the recovery process, but patients who received massage therapy reported reduced pain severity compared to those who did not.[4]

How to benefit from massage

Make sure to find a licensed orthopedic massage therapist with experience in your specific condition. To get started, use the physician finder to locate a therapist near you.

—Jeff Riddle

[1] Sci Transl Med. 2012 Feb 1;4(119):119ra13.

[2] Int J Neurosci. 2005 Oct;115(10):1397-413.

[3] Gen Pharmacol. 1989;20(4):487-9.

[4] Iran J Nurs Midwifery Res. 2010 Winter;15(1):32-6.