Massage and its types

October 5, 202414

Massage and its types

Massage

Massage is the manipulation of the soft tissues of the body, including: muscles, connective tissues, tendons, ligaments and joints. Massage therapy is a clinical health care and wellness practice that helps reduce discomfort from everyday and occupational stress, muscle overuse, and many chronic conditions to increase relaxation, healing, and pleasure.

Touching is the main component of massage, which combines science and art in its heart. In the massage, all areas of the person’s body are punched and rubbed by the massage therapist. Sessions usually last at least 50 minutes, allowing enough time to work on all major body parts such as the back, shoulders, legs, abdomen, arms and neck.

What is massage?

Massage is the systematic manipulation of soft tissue with the aim of normalizing them. Massage actually results from the human feeling of being touched; In its most basic form, you can refer to hugging or shaking hands with each other. In other words, massage is the most complete form of sensory communication through touch.

This work is usually done professionally by massage therapists. They use a variety of physical methods, including static or dynamic pressure. Therapists mainly use their hands, but may also use their forearms, elbows, or feet.

They apply special techniques to the person’s body and use their sense of touch to determine the appropriate amount of pressure and discover areas of tension and other joint problems. Touching the skin also brings a sense of care, which is an important component of healing.

What is the purpose of massage?

The main goal of massage therapy is to help the body heal to increase health and relaxation. It means balancing people’s psychological, emotional and physical needs. Most of the types of massage techniques and styles are determined based on the skill of the therapist, the scope of practice and the main purpose of the massage session.

Massage procedures may include: relaxing massage, clinical massage, therapeutic (healing), movement recovery and energy-related activities. Techniques may include: Swedish massage (stretching hands over the back and other areas of the body), Kneading (deep circular motions), vibration, percussion massage, Deep Tissue Massage, Myofascial massage release, neuro-muscular therapeutic massage and Trigger Point massage.

Numerous studies have shown how massage can lead to a healthy and long life for humans and indeed all living beings. Massage is ideal for stimulating the nervous system and releasing endorphins (feel-good hormones) to reduce stress and increase relaxation.

Date of massage

Archaeological evidence indicates that massage was widely practiced in many ancient civilizations such as: China, India, Japan, Korea, Egypt, Rome, Greece and Mesopotamia.

In other words, massage is one of the oldest treatments used to improve physical and mental conditions. Around 2700 BC, the Chinese have been using massage to treat various diseases and problems, from labor pain to various types of paralysis.

Ancient Egyptian tombs are decorated with images of massage procedures. In addition, according to traditional Indian medicine, massage therapy using a variety of aromatic oils (aromatherapy) and spices for their healing properties has been used for a long time.

Even the pictures and figures of famous Greek and Roman figures such as Julius Caesar show that they regularly performed daily massage to treat their nervous problems. In Western culture, forms of massage commonly include: Swedish, therapeutic, and sports, which were first introduced in the 19th century.

However, massage today seems to have borrowed many of its techniques from the traditional therapies of China, Egypt, Greece, and Rome. Massage is often used in other complementary methods such as: physiotherapy and occupational rehabilitation.

Massage can be a part of people’s lives, a regular routine just like exercising. This prevents injury and stress and creates a stable balance between physical and mental health. A person who does moderate to vigorous activity on a daily basis and has a stressful job can enjoy a massage at least once a week.

Also, someone who is working in a fixed position for a long time, such as sitting at a desk and working on a computer, working with a special tool or any other repetitive movement, can experience an ideal massage once a week. In general, having a plan to receive massages regularly is recommended for both short-term and long-term goals.

Remember that pain is simply a message from the brain that tells us which part of our body is affected by an imbalance. The special case is about pain, the strength and ability of a person to heal himself.

Benefits of massage

In general, the benefits of massage are divided into physical, emotional and psychological, as follows:

physical:

Relieve tension, improve relaxation
Relieve muscle stiffness and tension
Reducing discomfort during pregnancy
Rapid improvement of muscle fatigue and ligament strain
Reducing the effect of wounds
Reduction of pain, swelling and muscle spasm
Increasing joint flexibility and range of motion
Improving the performance of athletes by treating sports injuries
Improve easy and deep breathing
Improving blood circulation and lymphatic fluid movement
Lower blood pressure
Improve body shape
Increase the health and nutrition of the skin
Increase the immune system
Treatment of musculoskeletal problems
Rehabilitation after surgery

Emotional:

Satisfying spiritual needs and creating satisfaction and pleasure
Increased feeling good
Reducing the level of anxiety
Increased alertness
Increasing awareness of the connection between mind and body

Psychological:

Strengthen mental peace
Promote a state of mental peace
Help reduce mental stress
Ability to control stress signals and improve appropriate responses
Increasing the capacity for calm and creative thinking
Warnings and side effects of massage

Massage may have several serious risks, however, if performed with utmost care by a professional massage therapist. The number of serious injuries reported is very low. Side effects of massage may include temporary pain or discomfort, bruising, swelling, or sensitivity to the oil.

Intense massage should be avoided by people with bleeding disorders or low blood platelet counts, and people on blood-thinning medications such as warfarin.
Massage on any part of the body should not be done with blood clots, fractures, open or newly healed wounds, skin infections or bone weakness (including osteoporosis or cancer) or where surgery has recently taken place.
Although massage is generally not recommended for cancer patients, they should consult with their oncologist before engaging in massage that involves deep or intense pressure. Any direct pressure on the tumor should not be applied in any way.
Pregnant women should consult a gynecologist before massage, depending on the month of pregnancy. In any case, foot massage in pregnant women is not a problem at all during pregnancy and it also reduces swelling in their legs.
However, massage therapists should take some precautions in people with certain health conditions. If you have a medical condition and are unsure whether massage therapy is right for you, discuss your concerns with a qualified medical and health care provider.

Types of massage techniques

There are many different types of massage styles and techniques. We describe some of the most popular and well-known of them:

Craniosacral massage

Craniosacral (also called CTS) is an alternative medicine therapy used by osteopaths, massage therapists, nature healers (naturally with food, sun and exercise rather than drugs, etc.) and chiropractors (arthrologists).

The therapist works gently with the spine, skull, diaphragms and connective tissues. It is said that the restriction of nerve passage is reduced in this way, also the movement of cerebrospinal fluid through the spinal cord is optimized and uneven bones return to their proper position.

Craniosacral therapists use this technique to reduce mental tension, neck and back pain, migraines, TMJ (temporomandibular joint) syndrome and for chronic diseases such as fibromyalgia (musculoskeletal pain syndrome).

Deep Tissue Massage

Deep tissue massage is designed to relieve intense tension in muscles and connective tissue. This type of massage focuses on the underlying muscles and not the superficial muscles. Deep tissue massage is often recommended for people with chronic pain during strenuous physical activity, such as professional athletes. Deep tissue work is very different. When receiving a deep tissue massage, it’s important to connect with what you’re feeling.

Hydrotherapy water massage

The term hydrotherapy itself is synonymous with the term water therapy, which involves the use of water to relieve pain and treat disease. This method was first used by doctors in the 1800s. Such a person is called a hydrotherapist.

According to the International Spa Association (ISPA), hydrotherapy is one of the main treatment methods in Europe. This technique is performed using water jet (water with pressure), underwater massage, jacuzzi and mineral baths, etc. This method uses the physical properties of water such as temperature and pressure for therapeutic purposes to stimulate blood circulation and reduce the symptoms of diseases.

Myofascial release massage

This type of massage is performed on soft tissue, which is used to treat functional disorders with pain and limitation of body movement. This is done by relaxing contracted muscles, increasing blood circulation, stimulating the stretch reflex of muscles and connective tissues.

Prenatal massage

Massage during prenatal period (prenatal) is similar to massage during non-pregnancy in terms of goals such as: relaxation, pain relief, increased blood circulation and mobility, etc. However, due to the changes that occur during pregnancy, corrections are made.

This method requires special pillows, position and unique techniques to ensure the comfort of mother and baby. With weight gain, changes in the center of gravity and many other changes associated with pregnancy, prenatal massage can help the mother relax and feel good.

Thai massage

Thai massage is typically guided by rhythmic pressure movements with the hands or fingers into the muscle tissues. Thai massage is usually done on a mat on the floor, and the person is moved along and in different positions under the supervision of the masseur in comfortable clothes and pants.

Thai massage can be both relaxing and energizing, so it’s a great choice if you want to be active after your massage. The masseur creates constant contact between his body and the client by using a variety of different techniques, such as face-to-face, back, sitting, or side techniques, but instead of rubbing the muscles, he squeezes, squeezes, or pulls the body.

Shiatsu massage

Shiatsu (“shi” means finger and “atsu” means pressure) is a Japanese massage that is done by pulling hands and using fingers and applying pressure.

Also, rolling, rotating, shaking, grasping (grasping the muscle with hands) techniques and a special technique developed by Suzuki Yamamoto in the form of: pressure with the soles of the feet on people’s backs and legs are used.

Stone massage

Stone massage uses cold (marble) and hot (basalt) stones to apply pressure and heat to the body. The use of massage stone along with oil is also used by massage therapists.

Also, hot stones are usually river stones that have been polished and smoothed over time. As the stone is placed on the recipient’s back and lower back, the heat penetrates deeply into the muscles and relieves tension and pain.

Swedish massage

Swedish massage is performed using five different forms, including: rotary movements with the palm, longitudinal movements with the fingers, fast movements with impact (rhythmic impact), rubbing movements with friction and vibrational movements.

Swedish massage has shown beneficial results in reducing pain, joint stiffness and improving function in knee osteoarthritis patients within eight weeks. It is also great for people with poor circulation.

Swedish massage was developed by Per Henrik Ling. The term “Swedish” is not attributed to the country of Sweden, but is originally known as “classic” massage.

Trigger point massage

Trigger points are described as high-risk points in skeletal muscles that are associated with palpable knots in muscle fiber bands. Experts believe that these palpable nodes are a common cause of pain.

Trigger point compression may cause local sensitivity and reaction or pain. A sudden stretch response will not be the same as a muscle spasm. This is because a muscle spasm refers to all the muscles in the affected area, while a sprain only involves a small stretch without contraction.

A trigger point states that the pain extends from a specific point to wider areas and in other words to other parts of the body. Massage therapists claim to identify the source of the pain and allow the pain in a specific point to be connected to other points in order to massage and create relaxation.