Types Of Massage Services
Why would I consider massage therapy?
Massage isn't capable of curing any serious or life-threatening medical disorders, but it can provide welcome relief from the symptoms of anxiety, tension, depression, insomnia, and stress, as well as back pain, headache, muscle pain, and some forms of chronic pain. It's also frequently recommended for the treatment of minor sports injuries and repetitive stress injuries, and for the enhancement of physical conditioning. Some people find that it even relieves such digestive disorders as constipation.
How are the Treatments Done?
There are dozens of specialized massage techniques for treatment in use today, including Reflexology, NMT, Thai and Shiatsu too name a few... However, the most widespread variation builds upon the:
Five Basic Strokes of Swedish Massage:
Effleurage: Slow, rhythmic, gliding strokes, usually in the direction of blood flow toward the heart, for example, from wrist to shoulder. Usually the massage therapist uses the whole hand (palm and fingers), gradually applying an increasing amount of pressure. Variations of effleurage involve strokes applied with the fingertips, heel of the hand, or knuckles.
Petrissage: Kneading, pressing, and rolling muscle groups. The massage therapist will take hold of the tissue and alternately tighten and loosen his grasp.
Friction: Steady pressure or tight circular movements across muscle fibers without moving across the skin, often used in areas around joints.
Percussion (Tapotement): Drumming hand movements on broad areas of the body, particularly the back. Techniques include beating with the side of loosely clenched fists; cupping or striking with the fingertips and heel of the hand; hacking, rapid chopping motions with the edge of the hand; and clapping, using the flattened hand to clap rapidly over fleshy areas.
Vibration and Jostling: Vibration entails rapid movements by the therapist to transmit an oscillating action to the patient; mechanical vibrators are also used for this purpose. Jostling requires rapid shaking of a muscle back and forth, usually for a brief period.
You may also encounter some specialized techniques employed for specific purposes. These include:
Neuromuscular Massage: Also known as trigger point therapy, this technique applies concentrated finger pressure to painful areas in muscles called trigger points.
Deep Tissue Massage: Slow strokes and deep finger pressure on areas of the body suffering from chronic muscle tension or areas that simply ache or feel contracted. Deep tissue massage is especially effective with tense areas such as stiff necks or sore shoulders.
Sports Massage: This rapidly expanding field, popular among both professional athletes and fitness enthusiasts, focuses on the use of massage to assist training, prevent injury, and aid healing in case of soreness or injury. It is used both before and after exercise, as well as in the treatment of sports injuries such as sprains, strains, and tendonitis.
Reflexology
is an art and science that is based on the principle that there are reflex points and areas in the ears, hands, and especially, the feet that correspond to every gland, organ, and part of the body. By skillful stimulation of these areas and points with hand, finger and thumb techniques, the body systems are facilitated to greater balance.