Introduction to Swedish Massage
A brief look at the history of Swedish massage, what is involved in a session and what benificial benifits it can have on the body.
Thinking about having a Swedish massage treatment? Look no further than this article for finding out a brief history of the treatment, what sort of ailments it can help to treat and what a treatment entails.
History
Massage has been used all over the world since prehistoric times. The earliest recorded use of massage as a therapeutic pastime is in china, India, Japan, Rome and Greece. In fact most people instinctively rub a sore area. It was not until the 19th century when people started to harness this healing power.
Swedish massage is a misleading name for this type of massage as it did not actually originate from Sweden. It was a Dutch practitioner called Johan George Mezger (1838-1909) who founded modern day Swedish massage. Swedish massage is also known as basic body massage, classic massage and some people also call it therapeutic massage but therapeutic massage can also add in some other therapies such as Shiatsu.
Swedish massage is the most basic of all the massage treatments and is often used alongside other massage type therapies as it has deeply relaxing benefits to the client. Swedish massage is distinguished by the strokes used. There are five different types of strokes which were given French names; Pretissage- kneading, effleurage- long strokes, tapotent- tapping, frictions- rubbing and vibrations – shaking. This type of massage was adopted by sanatoriums in America as a part of the treatment of the patient. Keeping the practice alive. It resurged back into the public domain in the 1960’s when people started to look at their health in a more holistic way.
What Can Swedish Massage Help to Treat?
Swedish massage can help in the treatment of lots of different ailments. It can be beneficial in releasing tight muscles causing headaches, back pain, migraine, improve flexibility and the list is not exhaustive. Before going for a treatment if it is for a medical reason please speak to your GP before consulting a masseuse just to make sure that it will not make any existing ailments worse. Most alternative therapies have not been scientifically proven to cure specific ailments. Anyone who is in practice should not claim that their chosen discipline can cure specific diseases. It can help as a compliment to medical treatment. Most masseuses will give you a consultation before commencing a treatment so that they are aware of any pre-existing health problems.
What Happens in a Treatment?
After a consultation you will be asked to either undress or keep partially clothed depending on what part of the body is getting treated. If you are undressed the masseuse will put towels over you to preserve your modesty and to keep you warm.
To help with gliding the hands over the client’s skin the masseuse uses either oils or lotions. In the treatment room the client is asked to lie on the floor, on a purpose built table or chair. With all Swedish massage it will start with the long strokes of effleurage to help the body to relax and release any tension. It then depends on what style of treatment you have gone for as to what the therapist will do next, because a relaxation massage is much slower and gentler than an invigorating one designed to help increase energy levels and get rid of toxins out of the body. No massage treatment should be sore or painful, it is there to help relieve you of pain, not cause it!
Though saying this, it is possible if you have had an awful lot of muscle spasm in your body for a while, then the next day after a treatment you can be stiff because that muscle has released tension in some cases which you have become accustomed to and were unaware of. It is in effect like ending a marathon exercise session!
Right, How Do I Find a Masseuse?
It is recommended going to a fully qualified masseuse regardless of where they carry out their massage. You find masseuses from beauty salons to chiropractors and also in some countries doctor’s surgeries. There are a vast amount of qualifications for Swedish massage. Most of the courses make sure that the trainee therapists have at least 85 hours of supervised practice of massage therapy and interacting with members of the public. All masseuses should also be insured, if they are not then they haven’t done the necessary training required for the companies. Above all Swedish massage is a very good therapy to have as either a one off treat of a regular part of your health care routine.
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