Types of Massage and Services
There are a variety of different styles, types and techniques of massage utilized by massage therapists. I've provided a description of some of the more popular modalities that I can provide:
Swedish
Massage
Swedish massage uses five
styles of long, flowing strokes to massage. The five basic strokes are
effleurage (sliding or gliding), petrissage (kneading), tapotement
(rhythmic tapping), friction (cross fiber) and vibration/shaking.
Swedish massage has shown to be helpful in reducing pain, joint
stiffness, and improving function in patients with osteoarthritis of the
knee over a period of eight weeks. It has also been shown to be helpful
in individuals with poor circulation. The development of Swedish
massage is credited to Per Henrik Ling, though the Dutch practitioner
Johan Georg Mezger adopted the French names to denote the basic strokes.
The term "Swedish" massage is not really known in the country of
Sweden, where it is called "classic massage".
[2]
Deep Tissue Massage
Deep Tissue massage is designed to relieve severe
tension in the muscle and the connective tissue or fascia. This type of
massage focuses on the muscles located below the surface of the top
muscles. Deep tissue massage is often recommended for individuals who
experience consistent pain, are involved in heavy physical activity,
such as athletes, and patients who have sustained physical injury. It is
also not uncommon for receivers of Deep Tissue Massage to have their
pain replaced with a new muscle ache for a day or two. Deep tissue work
varies greatly. What one calls deep tissue another will call light. When
receiving deep tissue work it is important to communicate what you are
feeling.
[2]Sports Massage
Sports massage is actually a form of Swedish massage
that is delivered to athletes. Most commonly, sports massage focuses on
increasing blood and lymphatic fluid flow, reducing and eliminating pain
as well as tender trigger points, and increasing range of motion of the
affected area. Sports massages can be broken into 4 distinct types -
the pre-event sports massage, the post-event sports massage, the
restorative sports massage and the rehabilitative sports massage. As the
names indicate, each type of sports massage has a different focus for
the athlete as they are delivered at different times during their
training and performance schedule.
[1]
Reflexology
Reflexology is a therapeutic method of relieving discomfort by stimulating predefined pressure points on the feet and hands. This
controlled pressure alleviates the source of the discomfort. In the
absence of any particular malady or abnormality, reflexology may be as
effective for promoting good health and for preventing illness as it may
be for relieving symptoms of
stress, injury, and illness by stimulating the
nerves in the body and encouraging the flow of blood. Reflexologists
work from maps of predefined pressure points that are located on the
hands and feet. These pressure points are reputed to connect directly
through the nervous system and affect the bodily organs and glands. The
reflexologist manipulates the pressure points according to specific
techniques of reflexology therapy. By means of this touching therapy,
any part of the body that is the source of pain, illness, or potential
debility can be strengthened through the application of pressure at the
respective foot or hand location.
[1]
Myofascial
Release
Myofascial release is a form of soft tissue therapy
used to treat somatic dysfunction and accompanying pain and restriction
of motion. This is accomplished by relaxing contracted muscles,
increasing circulation, increasing venous and lymphatic drainage, and
stimulating the stretch reflex of muscles and overlying fascia.
[2]
Trigger
Point Therapy
Trigger points or
trigger sites
are described as hyperirritable spots in skeletal muscle that are
associated with palpable nodules in taut bands of muscle fibers. Trigger
point practitioners believe that palpable nodules are small
contraction knots[ambiguous] and a common cause of pain. Compression of a
trigger point may elicit local tenderness, referred pain, or local
twitch response. The local twitch response is not the same as a muscle
spasm. This is because a muscle spasm refers to the entire muscle
entirely contracting whereas the local twitch response also refers to
the entire muscle but only involves a small twitch, no contraction. The
trigger point model states that unexplained pain frequently radiates
from these points of local tenderness to broader areas, sometimes
distant from the trigger point itself. Practitioners claim to have
identified reliable referred pain patterns, allowing practitioners to
associate pain in one location with trigger points elsewhere.
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[1] Content Copyright ProfessionalPlanets.com LLC dba MassagePlanet.com
[2] Content Obtained from Wikipedia.com.