Tuesday, February 9, 2016

A Simple Guide to Types of Massage Therapy

from Inada
The art of massage has been practiced throughout the world for centuries. There are many different types of massage that are found to be the most commonly practiced, especially in the United States.

Most people think that a massage is something luxurious that is only sought after when they want to indulge themselves or “treat” someone else for a special occasion.

More recently, massage therapy has actually been proven to be a legitimate medical practice that aids in the healing of injuries, back pain, headaches, osteoarthritis, and even cancer. Massage has also been proven to help lower heart rate, blood pressure, and reduce stress.
 

Popular Types Of Massage Therapy:
In the United States alone, there are a number of popular massage techniques and styles. What follows is a little bit of information about some of the approaches to massage that are popular in the U.S.

SWEDISH MASSAGE
Swedish Massage is frequently what we mean when we talk generically about “massage therapy,” and is the most basic type of massage performed by trained therapists.
 

The massage therapist uses specific massage oils or lotions while creating long smooth strokes, kneading, and circular movements on superficial layers of muscle.  
4 common strokes of Swedish massage are: Effleurage, Petrissage, Friction, and Tapotement.
Effleurage relaxes the soft tissue of the body by using a smooth, gliding stroke.

Petrissage is the squeezing, rolling, and kneading of the body that follows the effleurage stroke.

Friction is used throughout the massage by creating deep, circular movements causing layers of muscle tissue to rub against each other. This helps to increase blood flow and break down scar tissue.
Finally, the use of a short, alternating tap done with cupped hands, fingers or the edge of the hand is called Tapotement. This is done on the topmost layers of the muscles.
This is all combined with movement of the joints, resulting in the relief of muscle tension. This enables Swedish massage therapy to be both relaxing and energizing. The techniques used in Swedish massage also make it a common therapy to be used after an injury in order to help quicken the healing process and breakdown scar tissue. 

For the specific type of massage you're looking for, please continue reading . . . .

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