Natural Healing Through Massage
Ancient people have used massage well before the introduction of modern medicine, well before surgery, drugs or needles. People used massage to heal their aliments.
Massage is the a basic instinct that people used as a natural remedies. This basis need to touch is comparable to our innate fight or flight instinct. Health practitioners believe that massage has powerful healing properties no matter how soft or deep.
Massage has developed greatly over time! There are in fact many different types of massage techniques but we have listed four of the most commonly used methods from our own office experience.
SWEDISH MASSAGE uses soothing, tapping and kneading strokes to work the entire body, relieving muscle tension and loosening sore joints. Swedish massage is more superficial and there are five basic strokes. They are effleurage (stroking); petrissage (muscles are lightly grabbed and lifted); friction (thumbs and fingertips work in deep circles into the thickest part of muscles; tapotement (chopping, beating, and tapping strokes); and vibration (fingers are pressed or flattened firmly on a muscle, then the area is stimulated by shaking briefly for several seconds. Techniques of effleurage and tapoement seem to be the favorites. This method is commonly used at spas.
DEEP TISSUE MASSAGE is used for chronic muscle tension below the thicker body tissues. The body has five layers of muscle in the back. Swedish works only couple of the first layers but doesn’t get deep. But deep tissue massage work against the grain of the muscle by using slow deep movements or friction. Massage therapist use the whole hand, thumbs and even elbows to apply pressure. This massage is best on muscle spasm release and prolonged injuries.
SPORTS MASSAGE has helped athletes, weekend sports enthusiast by using a Swedish and/or Deep tissue massage. These strokes are alternated to help the athlete improve his focus, circulation and warm up of his muscles before a game or run. After the competition the benefits of toxin removal of the muscles helps him recover quickly.
NEUROMUSCULAR MASSAGE is used for specific muscle groups. It is a deep tissue massage used to reduce pain and release pressure on nerves from injuries to a particular muscle or other soft tissue. Neuromusclar massage helps release muscle adhesion or trigger points from areas injured due to micro traumas. Tension or trigger point area in the body and help ease pain. These is a useful massage used with spinal adjustments and other physical therapy.
Want to find out more about massage and chiropractic treatments, then visit Dr. Dirk Kancilia’s site on how to choose the best spinal decompression in Rancho Bernardo for your needs.
