The Basics of Massage Therapy Demystified

After a tiring week at work, nothing seems more alluring and calming than a soothing and rejuvenating session of massage. However, the sheer variety and styles of massages can leave you somewhat bewildered. This can happen when you visit a nearby beauty spa or wellness center. While these entities may offer their massage packages laced with numerous terms and tags, at its core, massage is manual manipulation of different body tissues and muscles. Of course, you will find variants of massages in market that are associated with spiritualism, peace, healing and so on.
As a matter of fact, massage is administered for pain relief, reduction of stress and body ache. Broadly, massage therapy can be classified into two sections- relaxation style massages and clinical style massages. No matter what type of massage you opt for, ensure you receive it from a certified and professional masseur.
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Relaxation style massages

As evident from the name, relaxation style massages are administered to women and men for helping them to relax. These massages involve gentle tissue manipulation methods that help general relaxation, better body fluid circulation, pain reduction caused by stiff muscles etc. Massage balms, oils, creams and similar products can be used to achieve desired results on applicants. Relaxation massage techniques are suited for people who lead hectic and stressful life and develop muscular ache, joint pain owing to lifestyle issues and nature of work.
After a proper relaxation style massaging session, you will feel the stiffened muscles at various body parts like shoulder, lower back have become relaxed. As the muscles are relaxed, blood flow to various body parts improves and this induces a sense of well being in general. As a result, candidates feel better after opting for a session of relaxing massage. Negative felling and emotions like negativity and tension are wiped out for some time from their mind. It also helps to sleep well.

Techniques used in popular relaxation style massages

There are a number of relaxation style massage sessions available at beauty spas and wellness centers. Popular variants are Swedish relaxation massage, pregnancy massage, Geriatric massage, Lastone therapy etc. In some of these massage methods, heat or cold compression can be used. To relieve tensed body joints and stiff muscles in various parts of the body, controlled friction and pressure are also deployed. Hands are mostly used to treat stiffened muscles and pressure points in body in such methods but occasionally handheld machines are used.

Clinical style massages

Clinical style massages are meant for relief from specific physiological conditions and ailments in women and men. They have therapeutic goals and the masseurs need to undergo specialized training to be able to administer such massaging techniques. While in clinical massages, tissues and muscles are manipulated, the masseurs have in depth knowledge of body parts and nerves functioning.
These massages can be effective for relief from several types of pains. Application of clinical massages is often found to be helpful for candidates post operation or surgery. To treat chronic conditions like Epilepsy, Migraines, Multiple Sclerosis, Anxiety Disorder etc these massage techniques are effective. Application of such massages also helps in repairing tissue and attaining better control over body movements.

Techniques used in popular clinical style massages

Similar to relaxation style massaging, clinical style massages are offered in some variations and some of them are meant for treating specific physical conditions and disorders. The popular and widely used clinical massages are NeuroMuscular therapy, Thai massage, Orthopedic massage, Myofascial release, Lymphatic drainage etc. Kelly Leis Massage Therapy, a leading massage therapy center is also offering some of these therapies. Using hot and cold therapy is commonplace in clinical massages. Apart from that methods like kneading, Cross fiber friction, traction and different types of stretching are also used.

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