Although most people think of massages as a luxury, the truth is that they offer a lot of health benefits, making them a great addition to most any health and fitness regimen. In fact, if any of these situations apply to you, a massage may be just what you need:

• When you’ve suffered a sports or exercise-related injury. While some major injuries require rehabilitation and/or surgery, another alternative therapy suggested by the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases is massage. The reason it works in these types of situations is because massage helps improve blood flow to the affected area, which means that it is better able to get the nutrients it needs to properly heal.

• When you’re majorly stressed. It might seem like stress is purely mental, but the reality is that chronic stress that isn’t released will likely turn physical. This can prevent you from engaging in everyday, ordinary activities like going to work. In fact, the Health and Safety Executive reports that work-related stress negatively impacted almost half a million workers in 2014 and 2015, causing just under 10 million days of work to be lost. Massage can help combat this kind of stress by relaxing you and helping your muscles release their tension.

• When you have frequent headaches. If you struggle with a lot of headaches or migraines, getting regular massages can oftentimes help. One study even found that positive results, such as reduced headache duration, were noticed after just one week of massage treatment. This sure beats taking a lot of medication which usually delivers negative side effects such as drowsiness, dizziness, and an inability to concentrate or focus.

While there are many great uses for massage, these are the three best.

Have you ever got a massage to help you? If so, what was your experience? We’d love to know, so please share it in the comment section below!