How Your Body Feels Touch

Have you ever wondered why massage feels so good — or how it helps reduce pain? It all comes down to the amazing network of touch receptors and nerve endings in your skin and muscles.

Our bodies are full of specialized sensory receptors. Some, like Meissner’s corpuscles, respond to light touch and fluttering sensations. Others, like Pacinian corpuscles, detect deep pressure and vibration. Merkel cells sense steady pressure and texture, while Ruffini endings respond to skin stretch — important for body awareness. We also have nociceptors, which detect potential harm (pain), and thermoreceptors, which respond to changes in temperature.

Massage stimulates these different receptors, which helps your brain process sensation in a more balanced way. This ties into something called the Gate Control Theory of Pain — the idea that non-painful input (like touch or pressure) can actually “close the gate” to painful signals trying to reach the brain. In other words, when we stimulate the body with massage, we can help reduce the perception of pain by essentially distracting the nervous system.

It’s not just about relaxation — it’s about how we’re wired. Every stroke has a purpose.