Popular among active people, Swedish massages are the perfect balance between toning and relaxation. Their numerous benefits, such as muscle tension relief, improved circulation, and reduced side effects of stress, are designed to revitalize the body. Using gentle-to-medium pressure, each kneading and stretching motion is adapted to your needs and is used specifically to warm your muscles and loosen your joints. This massage is one of the most popular in the Western world.
The Swedish body massage has become the most common massage practice in the West, and the one that’s associated with that quintessential massage blissfulness. That’s because of the soothing strokes and gentle kneading, which are meant to relax, not stimulate, the body. And yet studies have shown, Swedish massage reduces stress, promotes health, and prevents injuries. At most spas, Swedish massage is the most popular treatment, and it’s for good reason. It helps jangled nerves and release neck knots without being too demanding of the spa-goer.
In the United States, two men, Dr. John Henry Kellog (1852-1943) and his brother Will (1860-1951) promoted Swedish Massage in the last years of the 19th century and the early years of the 20th. In fact, Massage, Swedish Massage worked as an integral part of conventional medicine between 1880 and 193o. This was the Golden Age of Massage. It did not last long.
Massage has a multifaceted effect on the body and evokes complex reactions involving all the tissues, organs, and systems. It improves the movement of lymph and blood in the vessels and tones the vascular system, facilitating the work of the heart. The hemoglobin content of the blood and the erythrocyte and leukocyte counts are raised. Massage increases gas exchange and the excretion of mineral salts, urea, and uric acid. Changing the character, force, and duration of the massage can affect the functional state of the cerebral cortex by lowering or raising general excitability, intensifying attenuated reflexes and reviving lost ones, improving the function of conduction tracts, and reinforcing the reflex links of the cerebral cortex with the muscles, vessels, and internal organs. Massage can accelerate the regeneration of a nerve after injury and relieve or stop pain.
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. Swedish massage feels good, is relaxing and invigorating. It affects the nerves, muscles, glands, and circulation, while promoting health and well-being.
The benefits of a sports massage are numerous: improved flexibility, reduced risk of injury, and a boosted circulatory system, just to name a few. But bodywork isn’t a one-size-fits all tool, and there are certain things to consider before booking an appointment. Here, three runner-trusted massage therapists impart important pre-massage knowledge.
The purpose of the practice of massage is to enhance the general health and well-being of the recipient. ‘Massage’ is used as a general term to describe manual manipulation of the muscles and joints to help relieve pain and stress in the body. This generalized term can be broken down into many subcategories such as: deep tissue, trigger point, prenatal/pregnancy massage, hot stone, sports massage, Thai massage, myofascial release, lymphatic drainage, crainiosacral, lomilomi, shiatsu, reflexology, Hellerwork, looyen work, polarity therapy, tui na, and connective tissue massage, just to name a few.
You’d hope this sort of thing would be rare, but it’s not. Readers regularly tell me about massage therapists who do not ask them what they want, who dismiss their patients’ concerns about pressure, and who ignore signs that their clients are in pain. They display a “doctor knows best” arrogance — ironic for an alternative health care professional — imposing their own idea of the “right” intensity.
As a Reflexologist works each reflex, it triggers a release of stress and tension in the corresponding area or body zone, as well as an overall relaxation response. The release of tension unblocks nerve impulses and improves the blood supply to all parts of the body. Because reflexology works from the inside, it also has a balancing effect on each gland, organ and body region. . . ." [10]
Deep tissue massage stretches out the fascia, the connective tissue covering muscles, allowing therapists to directly affect long-standing muscle knots. (If you’re suffering from muscle aches, you can try a DIY office massage in between Zeel Massage appointments – just watch this video.) When you have specific back pain or muscle pain or neck pain, probably due to your terrible office posture, a deep tissue massage can help.
Medical Massage is a controversial term in the massage profession.[50] Many use it to describe a specific technique. Others use it to describe a general category of massage and many methods such as deep tissue massage, myofascial release and triggerpoint therapy as well as osteopathic techniques, cranial-sacral techniques and many more can be used to work with various medical conditions.[51]
It’s important to be open with your massage therapist about the level of pressure and discomfort you wish to endure. This may be different for certain areas and throughout the massage, feel free to communicate with your massage therapist before and during the massage. Some massage therapists find pain to be counterproductive to the process and expect you to speak up if the pain is too much.
To make sure all people are aware of this problems and benefits of reflexology, the Ministry of Health should organize awareness programs such as talks, offers class for reflexology practitioners with low fees, and campaign about the importance of having correct reflexology technique with recognized premises. A reflexology practitioner association is yet to be formed. Any case of problems happen related to reflexology in this country can be referred to this organization.
The pressure from Swedish massage is ideal for relieving muscle tension, like the kind that builds up from hunching over a computer all day. This tension can sometimes result in knots: trigger points of extremely tense muscle fibers that form tiny nodules. Massage therapists are trained to feel for these knots, and Swedish-massage techniques are ideal for gently coaxing them away.
The most widely recognized and commonly used category of massage is the Swedish massage. The Swedish massage techniques vary from light to vigorous. Swedish massage uses five styles of strokes. The five basic strokes are effleurage (sliding or gliding), petrissage (kneading), tapotement (rhythmic tapping), friction (cross fiber or with the fibers) 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. The development of Swedish massage is often inaccurately credited to Per Henrik Ling, though the Dutch practitioner Johann Georg Mezger applied the French terms to name the basic strokes. The term “Swedish” massage is actually only recognized in English and Dutch speaking countries, and in Hungary. Elsewhere the style is referred to as “classic massage”.