How to Give a Swedish Massage
What is Swedish Massage? Swedish Massage is an all-natural, sensual massage therapy used for healing purposes. The Swedish massage methods originate from attaining complete body relaxation through the stimulation of the five nerve points located in and around our own body. Employing this technique, the therapist works using these factors to discharge any muscle tension and enhance circulation. Moreover, this kind of massage also helps release emotional and mental blocks and enhance flexibility and posture.
How is Swedish Massage Different? The Swedish massage technique uses gentle pressure from the hands to excite and ease pain, stretch, loosen tight muscles, as well as stimulating the blood flow. Basically, the massage therapist applies long strokes with his palms or thumbs on such areas to soothe and stimulate the region. As a result, the muscular tissues and soft tissues are relaxed and the blood flow well throughout the area. This practice is known as tapotement.
Swedish Massage and Stress - Studies show that Swedish massage reduces stress and enhances sleep and overall physical health. But do these scientific findings include anxiety? There are tons of anxiety treatments available but the most popular one is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). However, it has been noted that although CBT reduces stress, the patients that underwent the therapy still had elevated levels of tension and worry despite the decrease of the anxiety symptoms. So it's thought that additional factors like the outcomes of the Swedish massage, the actual effect of this massage as well as the psychological factors all contribute to the causes of anxiety.
What is Swedish Massage Therapy for Children? In addition to how Swedish massage techniques can decrease stress, they also help in boosting the health of kids. Among the reasons why Swedish massage is believed to be effective for kids is because it gives a holistic approach to health care including cleansing the body in addition to the mind.
It is well-known that the body provides its own healing mechanisms to manage physical injury or disorder. When we get sick, the human body generates biological methods to fight the disease. One of the many advantages of getting a Swedish massage, it is considered to enhance biological processes in the body leading to better health and well-being. In a recent analysis, it was discovered that both physiological reactions to stress (fight or flight) are reversed by receiving routine Swedish massage. The results of the study revealed that the two physiological responses were entirely different and that routine Swedish massage improved the production of DHEAS (physicians and scientists refer to this as"DAMO").
The part of Sleep and Relaxation A major benefit of Swedish massage therapy is that it enhances the quality of sleep and relaxation. When we aren't well rested, we can't perform our best tasks efficiently leading to reduced work productivity and loss of money. Lack of sleep and relaxation can also be related to a number of ailments such as cardiovascular disease, depression, osteoporosis, hypertension, and cancer. The good news is there are several strategies to induce relaxation and sleep like meditation, yoga, hypnosis, massage, and deep breathing. On the other hand, the mix of these five methods have proven to be the best in healing the mind, body and soul. Other research has shown that Swedish massage techniques can reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety in patients suffering from depression.
Petrissage and Effleurage Some of the most popular Swedish massage techniques comprise petrissage and effleurage methods. They are implemented on certain parts of the body. With petrissage, pressure is applied on the skin and the muscles are relaxed; using effleurage, hot oil is pumped on the skin and the muscles are warmed. There are various kinds of petrissage and effleurage techniques such as the traditional cat stroke and stroke back position for back pain relief and classic Thai back massage and wing back position for leg pain relief. With regular Swedish massage therapy, your petrissage therapist will be able to teach you which petrissage technique is most effective for each specific area of the body.
Swedish massage therapists are trained to gently knead the muscles in a soothing and curative way. They create pressure points using their hands or a brush and slowly move the hand along the muscle before the pressure stage is attained. When the pressure point has been attained, the massage therapist then uses petrissage and effleurage methods to relax and release the tension in the muscles. If a patient undergoes a long period of therapy, they can experience soreness in the treatment site. To reduce this soreness, the therapist may apply ice to the tender muscles. This can help relieve the soreness in addition to prevent additional swelling.