What term describes the body's response to physical stressors, including massage?

The term "General Adaptation Syndrome" accurately describes the body's adaptive response to physical stressors, which encompasses the various stages the body goes through when faced with stress, including the therapeutic context of massage. This concept, developed by Hans Selye, outlines how the body reacts to stress through three distinct phases: alarm, resistance, and exhaustion.

During the alarm phase, the body initial reacts to the stressor. In the case of massage, this could involve a momentary increase in blood pressure or heart rate as the body becomes aware of the physical manipulations. The resistance phase represents the body's efforts to adapt to the stressor, where the positive effects of massage may begin to manifest, such as decreased muscle tension and improved circulation. Finally, the exhaustion phase occurs when stressors persist longer than the body can handle, leading to potential burnout or diminished functioning, which is less relevant in the context of beneficial practices like massage.

Other terms, while related to stress and adaptation, do not encompass the complete response process as effectively as General Adaptation Syndrome. The stress response refers more generally to how the body reacts to stress without delineating the stages of adaptation. The fight or flight response is a specific reaction to acute stress that prepares the body to either