Massage therapy

Massage Therapy: Basics and Glossary

Article by: Heather

Basic Massage Techniques

Effleurage - meaning to skim over, this is a light stroking movement of the whole hand. It can be used all over the body. Body weight can be introduced to exert pressure, however this should be kept somewhat minimal. Effleurage helps venous blood flow. It is found to promote the most beneficial psychological and physical relaxation, and also prepares the body for deeper manipulation. To apply effleurage, the hands are relaxed with the fingers touching and the thumbs slightly apart. Begin by stroking gently and rhythmically away from you and back towards you. Then alternate each hand so one is moving towards and one away.

Petrissage - Petrissage is a form of massage stroke in which the skin is lifted up and pressed down, squeezed, pinched and rolled. Alternate squeezing and relaxation of the tissues helps stimulate circulation and reduce muscular pain. Petrissage is applied with a whole hand movement. The fingers are relaxed, though touching each other, and the thumbs are open, allowing the hands to move my lifting the thumb edge up and away from the body while maintaining contact with the outside of the palm edge. Kneading is applied with a whole hand movement, with the fingers relaxed but touching. Lightly grasp the muscle and skin, picking up and squeezing the contours of the body beneath.

Wringing is used on larger areas of the body such as the torso, thighs, and calves. Use the whole hand with a lifting motion and draw the skin toward you with one hand and away with the other. Release the pressure and reverse the action.

Tapotement - sometimes called percussion. It includes cupping, hacking, and tapping. The body part being treated is struck with soft blows of the hand propelled by wrist action, stimulating and promoting muscle reflexes. Cupping involves making a cup shape with the whole hand and using a controlled flicking motion on the rounder contours of the body. Hacking stimulates the body’s blood supply. The hands are held at a 90 degree angle to the surface being massage and moved up and down in a quick chopping motion.

Tapping uses the pads of the finger on delicate areas in a gentle up and down motion.

GLOSSARY OF TERMS:

Aromatherapy - therapy that uses aromas from essential oils to aid in healing.

Massage therapy - therapy in which the practitioner applies manual techniques, and may apply adjunctive therapies, with the intention of positively affecting the health and well-being of the client.

Deep Tissue – releases the chronic patterns of tension in the body through slow strokes and deep finger pressure on the contracted areas, either following or going across the grain of muscles, tendons and fascia. It is called deep tissue, because it also focuses on the deeper layers of muscle tissue.

Effleurage – is a stroke generally used in a standard massage treatment. This smooth, gliding stroke is used to relax soft tissue and is applied using both hands.

Essential Oils - Aromatic, concentrated plant oil extracted from a single botanical source.

Friction – is the deepest of standard massage strokes. This stroke encompasses deep, circular movements applied to soft tissue causing the underlying layers of tissue to rub against each other. The result causes an increase in blood flow to the massaged area.

Massage is a manual soft tissue manipulation, and includes holding, causing movement, and/or applying pressure to the body.

Petrissage (also called kneading) – involves squeezing, rolling and kneading the muscles and usually follows effleurage during standard massage.

Reflexology – massage based around a system of points in the hands and feet thought to correspond, or "reflex," to all areas of the body.

Standard Massage (Swedish massage on Terra) – a system of long strokes, kneading and friction techniques on the more superficial layers of the muscles, combined with active and passive movements of the joints.

Tapotement – is executed with cupped hands, fingers or the edge of the hand with short, alternating taps to the client.

Trigger Point Therapy – applies concentrated finger pressure to "trigger points" (painful irritated areas in muscles) to break cycles of spasm and pain.

Massage Therapy: Benefits and Usage

The Benefits of Massage Therapy

• Deeply relaxing
• Helps to reduce anxiety and stress
• Aids in pain relief
• Increases blood flow improving poor circulation
• Releases the body’s natural pain reducing chemicals
• Aids in digestion
• Helps detoxify the body
• Releases muscle tension
• Strengthens the body’s immune system

Massage Therapy Contraindications

There are several conditions, instances, and disorders in which massage therapy is contraindicated. They are outlined below.

During the first trimester of pregnancy. - There is a high risk of complications when massage is performed during the first trimester. It is believed that strong, circular motions can stimulate contractions. A gentle head massage and a light back massage with long, smooth strokes are all acceptable. The use of oils and aromatherapy should be avoided.

During menstruation - Massage can stimulate blood to flow more heavily.

Heart conditions - Avoid massage because of the increased blood flow.

Arthritis - Massage produces excess heat in inflamed joints.

Severe skin problems - Massage can increase the skin irritation.

Open wounds, cuts, bruising - Only light massage is indicated. Oils are contraindicated for open wounds as they may irritate the wound.