Massage Therapy
Massage is one of the oldest healing arts. There are Chinese records that are 3,000 years old that
document its use. Also, the ancient Romans, Japanese, Chinese, and Egyptians used forms of massage for
many ailments. Even Hippocrates, the famous Greek physician (ca 460 BCE), wrote papers recommending the
use of rubbing and friction for joint and circulatory problems.*
Today, massage therapy is often part of prescribed physical therapy and physical rehabilitation
programs because it has proven to be beneficial for many chronic conditions. Patients request massage
for many health conditions in order to relieve stress, to treat medical conditions, and to help promote
general wellness. Massage therapy, or massage for short, refers to over 250 types of body work techniques.
Massage therapists press, rub, and do various types of manipulation of the muscles and other soft
tissues of the body with varying pressure and movement. They most often use their hands and fingers,
but may use their forearms, elbows, or feet. This manipulation can relax the soft tissues, can increase
blood and oxygen flow to the massaged areas to warm them, and to decrease pain.
Some massage techniques are:
- In Swedish massage, the therapist will use long strokes (effleurage), kneading, compression, and
friction on the superficial layers of muscles, and will move the joints to aid flexibility. Excellent
for increasing blood flow, alleviating muscle soreness, relieving stress and bringing one to a state
of relaxation.
- Hot Stone massage is a style of massage therapy in which very
warm water-treated stones are placed at specific sites on the client's
body to promote relaxation and to help open up the meridians (energy
pathways). Muscles are pretreated with the heated stones to allow the
therapist to more easily perform deep tissue manipulations using also
warm oil. Among the benefits that can be expected are: promoting deep
muscle and tissue relaxation, alleviation of stress, release of toxins,
relief of pain, improvement of circulation and calming of the psyche.
- Sports massage focuses on tending to the muscles used for a particular sport, whether for relieving pain,
knots, or soreness. Focusing on tightness or knots in the deep layers of muscle, Deep Tissue massage
releases the chronic patterns of tension though slow strokes, deep finger pressure, or friction. This
modality uses greater pressure and at deeper levels than Swedish massage.
- In Trigger Point massage, the therapist uses a variety of strokes and deeper, more focused finger
pressure on pain pressure points or knots.
- Reflexology (zone therapy) is the practice of massaging,
squeezing, or pushing on parts of the feet, or sometimes the hands and
the ears, with the goal of encouraging a beneficial effect on other
parts of the body, or to improve general health. This whole body
treatment was first introduced in the west by William Fitzgerald in
1913. At this time Dr. Fitzgerald was a medical professional, working as
an ear, nose and throat specialist and surgeon. However, when working
with patients' feet, the doctor noted that when he applied pressure to
specific parts, it sometimes affected another portion of the body in a
positive way. Today, a reflexology therapist will still apply
accupressure and massage to the ears, hands and feet within these same
zones. The client is said to benefit from improved circulation,
detoxification, reduced tension and the body's ability to heal itself.
The Associate of Reflexologists claims that this treatment method can be
effective for back pain, migraines, infertility, arthritis, and many
other problems.
- A technique for finding and correcting cerebral and spinal imbalances or blockages that may cause sensory,
motor or intellectual dysfunction is Cranio-Sacral therapy. It is a gentle, hands-on technique developed
in the early 1900’s. It helps to alleviate a range of illness, pain, and dysfunction.
Massage therapy treatments usually last from 30-60 minutes. For some conditions, a series of appointments may
be advised. At your first appointment, you and your therapist will discuss your symptoms, medical history, and the
results you and your healthcare provider desire. The therapist will then do an evaluation through touch.
If they do not find anything that would make massage inadvisable, they will proceed with the massage.
At any time, please ask questions or express concerns.
* Thanks to National Institutes of Health and the American Massage Therapy Association.
