Posted on May 19, 2008 in Latest News
Massaging is more than just pressing one’s body with hands or palms. It is an art in itself. The massage therapist has to know the focal points of the body which need attention and work toward it. People flock into massage parlours to relieve pain and stress, so the massage must mainly deal with eliminating these 2 most common worries. Here are 5 great massage techniques, which happen to be the most popular ones which therapists employ.
Swedish Massage: This technique makes use of soothing, kneading and tapping strokes for the entire body to relieve muscular tension and sore joints. Swedish massage therapists employ five basic kinds of strokes, which is easy to practice and use on oneself and others. They are effleurage (strokies); petrissage (muscles aregently held and lifted); friction (thumbs and tips of fingers are worked in deep circles on the thick part of the muscles; tapotement (gentle beating, chopping, and tapping strokes); and vibration (fingers are flattened or pressed firmly on a muscle following which the area is shaken thoroughly and rapidly for a few seconds).
Deep Tissue Massage: Deep tissue massage targets the tension which builds up in muscles that lie below the surface of the body. For instance, you have five layers of muscle in your back. Swedish massage helps the first two of layers, but it might not do much for the muscles underneath. Deep muscle techniques generally involve slow strokes, direct pressure or movements with friction that go into the grain of the muscles. The massage therapists commonly use their fingers, thumbs and sometimes the elbows to apply the required pressure.
Neuromuscular Massage: This is one tye of deep tissue massage applied to muscles individually. This technique increases the blood flow, reduces pain and releases pressure on nerves due to injury to muscles and other soft tissue. Neuromuscular massage helps also to release trigger points which are knots of tense muscle which can also “refer” pain to other areas of the body. Eliminating a tense trigger point on your back, could help mitigate any pain in your shoulder and fight headaches.
Cranio-sacral Therapy: This technique of massage focuses spinal column and the skull. Therapists usually apply very gentle pressure no more than the weight of a coin to massage fluids, membranes and the bones that support and maintain the health of your skull and spinal column. The principle is that such manipulations certainly relieve tension and combat any physical trauma you may have experienced on your head.
Aston Patterning: This technique is a development fron ‘Rolfing’. Aston patterning was developed to educate people to maintain the improved alignment that they acquired through Rolfing. Aston-Patterning aims at posture re-education and places thrust on physical fitness techniques.
