Effective Massage Techniques

Ahhh… there is nothing more relaxing than lying in a massage bed and feeling strong and steady hands slowly kneading those tired and often stiff muscles on your back, arms and legs. Massage therapy has long been used as a way to rid the person of aching muscles and to heal the person from a wide range of ailments. Babies, women who have gone through labor, people who suffer from paralysis, or those who just want to feel relaxed have benefitted from massage therapy. Nowadays, there are a lot of options when it comes to massage techniques. The more popular ones include shiatsu massage, Swedish massage, and reflexology. There are also specific techniques that target a specific part of the body – the back, the foot, the deep tissue and so on.

In this article, we’ll give you’re a quick lowdown on some of the more popular massage techniques.

Shiatsu Massage This massage hails from the Orient and is all about “finger pressure”. Pressure is applied using the palms, fingers and thumb on key areas (or what is called energy meridians). The strokes used are vibrating, grasping, rolling and brushing. Sometimes, the feet are also used to add more pressure on the person’s back and legs.

Swedish Massage This technique makes use of strokes that tap, knead and soothe. Swedish massage is for the whole body, giving a whole measure of relaxation. It soothes tense muscles, as well as loosen sore joints. There are five strokes used in Swedish massage: stroking and gliding strokes (or effleurage), stroke that knead (petrissage), a press-roll movement of the thumbs and fingertips that makes use of deep circles and is applied on where the muscles are at its thickest (friction). There is also the stroke that rhythmically taps, beats and chops (tapotement) and the stroke that shakes the area in rapid succession (vibration).

Deep Tissue Massage This technique targets tension in the muscles and fascia (connective tissue) that are located beyond the skin’s surface. The strokes (administered with the thumbs, fingers and elbows) are slow and provide friction or direct pressure way down to the fifth layer of the muscles. These are usually given to those who suffer from sustained physical injury or are athletes.

Neuromuscular Massage This is one form of deep tissue massage that is targeted to specific muscles. It effectively eliminates the pain caused by muscle injuries. The massage aims to encourage blood circulation and relieve the pressure on the nerves.

Ayurvedic massage From exotic India, this combine massage with herbal medicine, meditation and yoga – all in one neat and highly relaxing package. Herbal oils are used during the massage to promote healing and overall wellness.

Accupressure This is part of traditional Chinese medicine and involves applying pressure to key points in the body. The pressure is applied using the hand, the elbow, as well as other massage tools. When needles are used, this technique is called acupuncture.

Reflexology This is a certain kind of foot and hand massage that put pressure on areas that are believed to be linked to specific organs in the body. The concentration of the massage is on the hands and the feet.

Rolfing This is aimed towards correcting body posture. Poor posture can lead to backaches, joint pain and headaches. This message aims to solve these symptoms by straightening out your body and relieve the pressure on muscles and connective tissue that are affected by poor posture.

This is actually just an abbreviated list, as there are many other massage techniques that can be used.  What is important is that when you go for a massage treatment, you know what your body wants and needs.  Surely, there is a massage technique that will work best for you.