I’m a German Shepoodle, and I Get More Massages Than Most Humans: The Therapeutic Benefits of Massage

By Aria, HormoneSynergy® Editorial Watchdog and Rapidly Growing German Shepoodle

First things first. I need to set the record straight.

There are a lot of doodles around these days, but I am not a regular doodle. I have decided that I no longer identify simply as a doodle. I am also too furry and Muppet-like to identify as the human Daniel and Dr. Retzler sometimes treat me like.

I now identify as a German Shepoodle.

My mother is a full German Shepherd. My father, whom I do not remember meeting, was a full Standard Poodle. Apparently, one Christmas, my previous owner had a friend visiting and believed a closed door would be sufficient to keep my mother and father apart while the humans enjoyed the festivities.

The door was not the barrier he thought it was.

Evidently, the mistletoe worked. My parents had a brief holiday romance, and I was among the results.

I needed to get that off my shoulders. It was a lot of identity weight for a rapidly growing adolescent dog to carry. It also turns out that shoulders are one of the places humans commonly carry physical tension, which brings me to the subject of therapeutic massage.

I receive some form of massage nearly every day. There are head rubs, ear rubs, belly rubs, paw massages, grooming massages, tickle rubs, and long sessions devoted to the precise area behind my ears. Dogs are very well cared for in this regard.

Humans, from what I have observed, are not.

Daniel and Dr. Retzler get at least one professional massage each month. I am not convinced this is enough. Few people know that Daniel was a certified massage therapist in a former life. He completed more than 1,000 hours of training between Total Health Works School of Massage and the Kansas College of Chinese Medicine.

This does not mean Dr. Retzler receives massages from him as often as she would like. Apparently, professional qualifications and availability within one’s own home are not the same thing. Perhaps if she were furry and looked like a black Muppet, she would have better results.

I was contemplating this in my private den this morning while Daniel and Dr. Retzler left for a couples massage.

In This Article

• What therapeutic massage actually does
• Massage and pain relief
• Exercise recovery and muscle soreness
• Stress, relaxation, and the nervous system
• Massage and sleep
• Where massage fits into healthy aging
• Claims massage has not earned
• When massage requires caution

What Therapeutic Massage Actually Does

Massage is a broad term for the manipulation of muscles and other soft tissues. A relaxation massage, sports massage, focused clinical session, lymphatic technique, and vigorous deep-tissue massage are not interchangeable. The goal, pressure, training required, and person receiving the massage all matter.

Some effects are straightforward. Pressure and movement stimulate sensory receptors, alter how an area feels, and may temporarily reduce muscle guarding or discomfort. Massage may improve short-term range of motion in some settings. It also provides a structured period in which the person stops moving, puts down the phone, breathes, and allows someone else to take care of them.

Researchers continue to study possible effects on pain processing, autonomic activity, local circulation, inflammatory signaling, and psychological stress. These mechanisms are interesting, but they should not be presented as settled explanations for every benefit someone experiences.

Sometimes the most accurate statement is simply that massage helped the person feel better for a period of time. That is a legitimate outcome, even if it does not require a dramatic biological story.

Massage and Pain Relief

Pain is one of the most common reasons people seek massage, and it is also where some of the better research exists. The results are encouraging in selected situations, but more modest than massage advertising often suggests.

The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health reports that massage may provide short-term relief for some people with neck or shoulder pain. Studies of knee osteoarthritis also suggest possible short-term improvements in pain. Evidence for low-back pain is mixed and generally considered low in certainty.

The American College of Physicians included massage among the nonmedication options that may be considered for acute or subacute low-back pain. It was not included among its principal recommendations for chronic low-back pain.

A 2024 evidence review examined systematic reviews of massage for painful adult health conditions. None of the conclusions reached high-certainty evidence. A small number reached moderate certainty, generally finding that massage was associated with improved pain, while most conclusions remained low or very low certainty. Evidence that massage consistently outperforms other active treatments was uncommon.

That distinction matters. Massage may help without being the only effective option or the best option for every person. Persistent, worsening, unexplained, or neurologic pain still needs appropriate evaluation. Massage should not be used to keep rubbing an area whose underlying problem has not been identified.

Exercise Recovery and Muscle Soreness

Dogs understand recovery. After running, wrestling, investigating the yard, and moving several household objects that allegedly did not belong to me, I sleep.

Humans often finish a difficult workout, stay up too late, answer emails, under-eat protein, and then wonder why their bodies feel depleted.

Massage may reduce delayed-onset muscle soreness and perceived fatigue after strenuous exercise. Reviews of sports massage, however, have not found convincing evidence that it directly improves strength, speed, endurance, or athletic performance. It may help someone feel less sore or move more comfortably without accelerating every part of muscle recovery.

This is still useful. If reduced soreness makes it easier to continue walking, training, or performing normal daily activities, massage may support consistency. It simply should not be confused with the adaptations produced by exercise itself.

Massage cannot replace progressive strength training, adequate protein, hydration, sleep, rest days, or rehabilitation when an injury is present. It occupies a supporting role, which is a perfectly respectable place to be.

Stress, Relaxation, and the Nervous System

People often describe feeling calmer after massage. Some become so relaxed that they fall asleep on the table, which I consider an excellent use of professional time.

Massage may influence autonomic activity and reduce perceived tension or anxiety during and shortly after a session. The environment probably contributes as well. The person is warm, supported, away from ordinary demands, and given permission to remain still. There is usually quiet music, low lighting, and no expectation that they solve a problem while lying there.

The biology is more complicated than saying massage “turns off cortisol.” Cortisol changes throughout the day and responds to sleep, illness, exercise, food, anticipation, pain, and the timing of measurement. A systematic review examining massage and cortisol found that the average cortisol effect was small and did not support cortisol reduction as the primary explanation for massage benefits.

People do not need a dramatic hormone shift for a massage to feel restorative. Reduced perceived stress, less guarding, comfortable touch, and an hour free from stimulation may be meaningful on their own.

Massage is not a treatment for every cause of anxiety, depression, trauma, or chronic stress. It may be one part of supportive care, but it does not replace counseling, medical care, social connection, exercise, or changes to the conditions creating the stress.

Can Massage Improve Sleep?

Some studies have reported better sleep after massage, particularly in specific groups such as hospitalized patients, people experiencing pain, and individuals with symptoms of insomnia. The studies use different massage techniques, schedules, populations, and methods of measuring sleep, so it is difficult to translate them into one general prescription.

Massage may help indirectly when discomfort, tension, or difficulty unwinding is keeping someone awake. A relaxing session later in the day can also become part of a transition away from work and stimulation.

It should not be presented as a treatment for obstructive sleep apnea, restless legs syndrome, significant circadian disruption, or persistent insomnia. Someone who snores loudly, stops breathing during sleep, wakes with headaches, or remains exhausted despite adequate time in bed needs more than softer lighting and lavender oil.

Massage may make sleep easier for some people. It does not explain why every person is sleeping poorly.

Where Massage Fits Into Healthy Aging

There is no good evidence that massage itself extends lifespan. It does not remove arterial plaque, build meaningful muscle mass, improve bone density, or substitute for metabolic and cardiovascular risk assessment.

Its potential value in healthy aging is indirect. Pain, stiffness, poor sleep, stress, and inadequate recovery can make it harder to remain active. When massage reduces one of those barriers, a person may find it easier to exercise, move comfortably, recover, and maintain the routines that more directly influence long-term health.

Touch and attentive care may also matter more as people age. Some adults experience less physical contact because they live alone, have lost a spouse, are caring for someone else, or spend much of their time interacting through screens. Professional massage can provide safe, structured human contact with clear boundaries and consent.

That is not a biomarker, and it cannot be measured on a longevity dashboard. It can still be part of wellbeing.

The most useful question is not whether massage is a longevity treatment. It is whether massage helps a particular person manage discomfort, recover, rest, or remain engaged in the activities that support health.

Claims Massage Has Not Earned

Massage has enough reasonable uses that it does not need imaginary ones.

It does not squeeze unspecified “toxins” out of tissues. The liver, kidneys, lungs, gastrointestinal tract, and lymphatic system manage the body’s waste products. Massage may influence local fluid movement, but that is not the same as detoxification.

Massage also does not flush lactic acid out of muscles after exercise. Lactate is processed relatively quickly and is not the cause of soreness that appears a day or two after a workout.

Deep pressure is not automatically more therapeutic. Painful treatment can increase guarding, cause bruising, irritate sensitive tissue, or make a person feel worse. Some people benefit from focused pressure. Others respond better to a gentler approach.

A massage should not have to hurt in order to count.

How Often Should People Get a Massage?

There is no scientifically established schedule that applies to everyone. Frequency depends on the purpose, the person’s response, medical considerations, cost, and whether the benefit lasts.

A short series of more frequent sessions may be reasonable when massage is being used for a defined musculoskeletal concern. Someone using it mainly for relaxation or general recovery may choose a monthly session, occasional appointments during demanding periods, or shorter sessions as needed.

Daniel and Dr. Retzler receive at least one massage a month. I receive attention every day, but I have a different compensation package and considerably more fur.

The useful measure is not how impressive the schedule sounds. It is whether the person experiences a meaningful benefit without neglecting more important care.

When Massage Requires Caution

Massage is generally low risk when it is performed appropriately, but low risk does not mean risk-free. Rare injuries involving nerves, fractures, bleeding, or blood clots have been reported, particularly with vigorous techniques or in people with increased vulnerability.

People should speak with a healthcare professional before massage, or make sure the therapist modifies the session, when there is:

• A suspected or confirmed blood clot
• Use of anticoagulant medication or a significant bleeding disorder
• Severe osteoporosis or recent fracture
• Recent surgery or an incompletely healed injury
• Active infection, fever, open wounds, burns, or contagious skin conditions
• Cancer treatment, lymphedema, or lymph-node removal
• Pregnancy requiring specialized positioning or precautions
• Neuropathy or reduced ability to feel pressure and pain
• New weakness, numbness, severe pain, or unexplained swelling

A qualified therapist should ask about health history, medications, injuries, current symptoms, pressure preferences, and goals. The person receiving the massage should be able to change the pressure, decline work on any area, or end the session at any time.

Credentials do not make communication optional. Daniel is certified and everything, and I still move his hand when he is rubbing the wrong part of my head.

Aria’s Final Assessment

Humans have a strange habit of treating care as something that must be earned after they are exhausted. Dogs take a more sensible approach. We stretch when we stand up, sleep when we are tired, seek contact when we need reassurance, and present the appropriate body part when a massage opportunity appears.

Massage is not a cure-all or an anti-aging breakthrough. The research is strongest for modest, often short-term improvements in certain types of pain and post-exercise soreness. Relaxation, comfort, and better sleep may occur, although individual responses vary and the underlying biology is not as simple as many wellness claims imply.

Daniel and Dr. Retzler returned from their couples massage looking more relaxed. I greeted them warmly and then reminded them that their recovery schedule does not supersede mine.

I am, after all, a rapidly growing German Shepoodle. Daily massage is part of my cultural heritage.

Related HormoneSynergy® Resources

• Massage Therapy, Recovery, Stress Physiology, and Longevity Medicine
• Sleep and Recovery in Longevity Medicine
• Strength Training, Muscle Mass, and Healthy Aging
• HormoneSynergy® Longevity Medicine Resource Library

References

1. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. Massage Therapy: What You Need to Know.
2. Qaseem A, Wilt TJ, McLean RM, et al. Noninvasive Treatments for Acute, Subacute, and Chronic Low Back Pain. Annals of Internal Medicine. 2017.
3. Mak S, Allen J, Begashaw M, et al. Use of Massage Therapy for Pain, 2018–2023: A Systematic Review. 2024.
4. Dupuy O, Douzi W, Theurot D, Bosquet L, Dugué B. An Evidence-Based Approach for Choosing Post-Exercise Recovery Techniques. Frontiers in Physiology. 2018.
5. Davis HL, Alabed S, Chico TJA. Effect of Sports Massage on Performance and Recovery. 2020.
6. Moyer CA, Seefeldt L, Mann ES, Jackley LM. Does Massage Therapy Reduce Cortisol? A Comprehensive Quantitative Review. 2011.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is therapeutic massage evidence-based?

Massage has been studied for pain, muscle soreness, relaxation, anxiety, sleep, and supportive care. Evidence suggests potential short-term benefits in selected situations, but the strength of the evidence varies considerably by condition.

Does massage remove toxins?

No convincing evidence shows that routine massage removes unspecified toxins from the body. The liver, kidneys, lungs, digestive system, and lymphatic system perform the body’s primary waste-processing functions.

Does deep-tissue massage work better?

Not necessarily. The appropriate pressure depends on the person, the treatment goal, tissue sensitivity, health history, and response. More pain during a massage does not prove that the treatment is more effective.

Can massage improve exercise recovery?

Massage may reduce perceived soreness and fatigue after strenuous exercise. Research has not shown a consistent direct improvement in strength, endurance, or athletic performance.

How often should someone receive massage?

There is no universal schedule. Frequency should reflect the person’s goals, response, medical considerations, and budget. Some people use a short series for a specific concern, while others choose monthly or occasional sessions for relaxation and recovery.

Can massage replace medical care or physical therapy?

No. Massage may be useful supportive care, but persistent pain, weakness, numbness, swelling, injury, or other concerning symptoms require appropriate evaluation.

Editorial Transparency: Aria is HormoneSynergy®’s German Shepoodle, editorial watchdog, and guest contributor. She is observant, highly affectionate, and not a clinician. Clinical content is reviewed within the HormoneSynergy® editorial process.

This article is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Massage therapy should not be used to delay evaluation of persistent, worsening, or unexplained symptoms. Discuss individual health concerns and treatment decisions with a qualified healthcare professional.