Swedish massage is the most popular type of massage therapy. It is a full-body therapeutic massage designed to relax muscles and joints. This technique applies gentle stroking movements, with the hands lying flat, side by side, and gliding smoothly over the body. The four basic massage movements are effleurage (light or deep stroking), petrisage (kneading), tapotement (soft slaps) and friction.
Effleurage is designed for relaxation and stress relief, while petrisage helps to relieve muscle spasms. Tapotement is a gentle tap or cupping of the skin with the hand to create a percussion-like effect, and friction is the concentration of pressure at a specific point. Other popular types of massage include deep tissue, shiatsu, hot stones, reflexology, and Thai massage. When giving a massage, it is important to communicate with the client to ensure maximum comfort.
If something hurts during a massage session, this is the time to stop. However, not everyone wants to pursue a professional career in massage therapy and instead would like to learn some techniques to be able to provide a certain type of massage. In this case, it is important to understand the basics of massage movements such as effleurage, petrisage, tapotement and friction. Petrissage refers to kneading, rolling and twisting tissue with the massage therapist's thumbs and knuckles.
This movement works very well to release muscle knots and also increases blood flow and lymphatic drainage in the area of the body being worked on. Friction is also one of the most common massaging movements used to loosen muscle knots. The massage therapist will rub both hands in quick movements along the part of the body being worked on to generate heat and help the muscles relax and rest. Tapotement consists of the masseuse gently and rhythmically hitting the body with his fists, the side of the hands or the cup-shaped hands.
Vibration involves the massage therapist using the fingertips or heel of the hand to perform a back and forth motion on the skin. Shiatsu massage treats symptoms such as stress reduction, indigestion, nausea, constipation, chronic pain, depression, migraines, muscle pain and arthritis. For expectant mothers, prenatal massage is useful to reduce stress on joints and improve circulation. Trigger point therapy is also beneficial for relieving muscle knots.
A good way to know how much pressure and speed to use when giving someone a massage is to ask them their preferences. The demand for massage therapy and its benefits will continue to grow, as will the demand for more professional masseurs. If you want more information from your massage therapist about their techniques without interrupting their session, you can ask them to write down some of their techniques after your session so that you can look them up later. Massage therapy can be an incredibly rewarding career path for those who are passionate about helping others find relaxation and relief.
