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What is a Swedish Massage?
The term "Swedish Massage" refers to a variety of techniques specifically designed to relax muscles by applying pressure to them against deeper muscles and bones, and rubbing in the same direction as the flow of blood returning to the heart.
Swedish massage was developed in the 1700's by a Swedish doctor named Per Henrik Ling.
Purpose of Swedish Massage?
The main purpose of Swedish massage is to increase oxygen flow in the blood and release toxins from the muscles.
Swedish massage shortens recovery time from muscular strain by flushing the tissues of lactic acid, uric acid, and other metabolic wastes. It increases circulation without increasing heart load. It stretches the ligaments and tendons keeping them supple and pliable. Swedish massage also stimulates the skin and nervous system and soothes the nerves themselves at the same time. It reduces stress, both emotional and physical, and is suggested in a regular program for stress management. It also has many specific medical uses.
Swedish Massage Techniques?
Swedish massage techniques include: long strokes, kneading, friction, tapping, percussion, vibration, effleurage, and shaking motions. The usually sequence of techniques are:
1. Effleurage: Gliding strokes with the palms, thumbs and/or fingertips
2. Petrissage: Kneading movements with the hands, thumbs and/or fingers
3. Friction: Circular pressures with the palms of hands, thumbs and/or fingers
4. Vibration: Oscillatory movements that shake or vibrate the body
5. Percussion: Brisk hacking or tapping
6. Passive and active movements: Bending and stretching
Benefits of Swedish Massage?
Swedish massage feels good, is relaxing and invigorating. It affects the nerves, muscles, glands, and circulation, while promoting health and well being.
Massage - Remedial -Sports
When muscles and tendons become damaged or impaired, knotted and tense or immobile, Remedial Massage provides a healing treatment that can be gentle or strong, deep or shallow. Remedial massage holistically treats the whole body and traces the discomfort as far as possible back to the original cause, healing both the cause of the disorder as well as the symptoms.
Remedial Massage Technique
It uses several specialised techniques to locate and repair damage and to support and speed up the body's own repair mechanisms. The massage is applied directly to the skin using a lubricating medium, usually oil, which ensures that the muscles associated with the disorder and mobilization of the joint are deeply penetrated. Passive stretching moves are also used.
Benefits of Remedial Massage
Key benefits of Remedial Massage include: the stimulation to the blood supply allowing toxins in the muscles to be removed; the calming of the peripheral nervous system to ease pain and discomfort; and the toning and relaxing of muscles to improve joint mobility. An improvement to the health of the cells, the repairing of tissues, and the easing of stiffness and tension can also be experienced through therapeutic relaxation.
Muscular and skeletal dysfunction’s often addressed with Remedial Massage include Fibrosis, Spondylitis, Arthritis, frozen shoulder, muscular cramps, Whiplash, muscular atrophy, sports and dancing injuries.
Sessions usually take 30 minutes to an hour, depending on the whether the practitioner will just address a specific area or give a whole body massage. As oil is used, it is necessary for the patient to be partially unclothed for the treatment.
Reflexology
The Reflexology Association of Canada defines it as "A natural healing art, based on the principle that there are reflexes in the feet and hands which correspond to every part of the body." By stimulating and applying pressure to the feet or hands, you are increasing circulation and promoting specific bodily and muscular functions. Kevin Kunz, one of the pioneers of reflexology, puts it best -- "Imagine stepping on a tack. Your whole body reacts because of something perceived by the foot. Reflexology with a full range of pressure sensors, utilizes the same body system of fight or flight to relax the body." Indeed the feet and hands are more sensitive than most people realize. Similar to how we use our eyes to detect light, the hands and feet detect pressure, stretch, movement and weight distribution.
The Benefits of Reflexology
The 1996 China Reflexology Symposium Report has found foot reflexology to be 93.63% effective in treating 63 disorders. After an analysis of 8,096 clinical cases, Dr. Wang Liang reported that reflexology was significantly effective (the cure) in 48.68% of all the cases, and an effective/improved treatment in 44.95% of the cases
Another study, in Britain, had fifteen women receive half-hour reflexology sessions for eight weeks. The findings included noticeable physical and emotional improvements, increased self-esteem and confidence, an ability to stay motivated and be heard and taken seriously, and an improvement in concentration.
Precautions
Here are some important reminders before using reflexology.
* Avoid use for one hour after meals.
* Within 30 minutes after massage, you should drink at least 500 cc (cubic centimeters) of warm water; in cases of kidney or heart disease, you should drink no more than 150 cc of water.
* Do not apply heavy pressure to bones.
* In case of serious heart conditions, diabetes, or kidney problems, use at any time should be restricted to under 10 minutes.
* In case of epilepsy, heart conditions, or high blood pressure, a physician should be consulted.
* If after use of the massage board for a period of time, do not feel alarmed if an ailment seems to worsen or the mouth feels dry. This is normal, especially in the case of inflammation or rheumatism and will pass shortly.
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