Massage
Massage is generally considered part of integrative medicine. Medical centers are offering it more and more as a treatment along with standard treatment. It may be used for a wide range of medical conditions.
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Studies of massage benefits have found massage can:
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Help reduce stress
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Lessen pain and muscle tension
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Increase relaxation
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Improve immune function
- Mayo Clinic
Massage therapy and documented clinical benefits
Therapeutic massage may be recommended for children and adults to deliver benefits.
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Click here for a partial list of benefits.
Massage therapy may also be recommended for its documented clinical benefits such as improving pulmonary function in young asthma patients, reducing psychoemotional distress in individuals who suffer from chronic inflammatory bowel disease, helping with weight gain, improving motor development in premature infants, and enhancing immune system functioning Massage therapy is one of the oldest healthcare practices known.
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References to massage are found in ancient Chinese medical texts written more than 4,000 years ago. Massage has been advocated in Western healthcare practices since the time of Hippocrates, the "father of medicine."
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Massage therapy is the scientific manipulation of the soft tissues of the body for the purpose of normalizing those tissues and consists of a group of manual techniques that include applying fixed or movable pressure, holding, and/or causing movement to parts of the body. While massage therapy is applied primarily with the hands, sometimes the forearms or elbows are used. These techniques affect the muscular, skeletal, circulatory, lymphatic, nervous, and other systems of the body.
The basic philosophy of massage therapy embraces the concept of vis Medicatrix naturae , which means "aiding the ability of the body to heal itself."
Deep Tissue Massage
Deep tissue massage is used to release chronic patterns of muscular tension using slow strokes, direct pressure, or friction directed across the grain of the muscles. It is applied with greater pressure and to deeper layers of muscle than Swedish, which is why it is called deep tissue and is effective for chronic muscular tension.
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Sports massage uses techniques that are similar to deep tissue but are specially adapted to deal with the effects of athletic performance on the body and the needs of athletes regarding training, performing, and recovery from injury.
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In practice, many massage therapists use more than one technique or method in their work and sometimes combine several. Effective massage therapists ascertain each person's needs and then use the techniques that will best meet those needs.
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Touch is the fundamental medium of massage therapy. While massage can be described in terms of the type of techniques performed, touch is not used solely in a mechanistic way in massage therapy. Because massage usually involves applying touch with some degree of pressure and movement, the massage therapist must use touch with sensitivity in order to determine the optimal amount of pressure to use for each person.
For example, using too much pressure may cause the body to tense up, while using too little may not have enough effect. Touch used with sensitivity also allows the massage therapist to receive useful information via his or her hands about the individual's body, such as locating areas of muscle tension and other soft tissue problems. Because touch is also a form of communication, sensitive touch can convey a sense of caring to the person receiving massage, enhancing the individual's sense of self and well being.