Swedish Massage
Swedish Massage may be defined as the manipulation of the body's soft tissues for therapeutic and relaxation purposes.
Per Heinrich Ling
Swedish Massage became popular during the 19th century by Per Heinrich Ling, a Swedish gymnast turned therapist. Combining his knowledge of physical exercise and physiology, he devised a scientific system of massage treatments. This became known as Swedish Massage and the French terminology, by which he named some of the strokes, is still used today.
Techniques
My first massage and I will certainly be back for more
A massage usually starts with effleurage, followed by petrissage and/or tapotement, finishing with effleurage again. Information about these individual massage techniques is provided further below.
Swedish massage can have both psychological and physiological beneficial effects on the mind and body.
As a Massage Practitioner I use a variety of strokes and movements. These, when used individually or together affect the different body systems. This is dependent upon the position and pressure of the strokes and movements involved.
Effleurage
This derives from the French word effleurer, meaning 'to stroke' or 'to skim over'. It is performed slowly and rhythmically, using gentle, gliding movements with the palms, thumbs or fingertips. It is an ideal stroke to start a massage. Not only does it allow the recipient to become familiar with the therapist's hands, it also enables both parties to become in tune with each other. It warms and relaxes tense muscles, reduces stress, lowers blood pressure and induces a sense of euphoria and well-being.
Petrissage
Taken from the French word pétrir, 'to knead', this is useful for deeper massage to soft tissue areas. Normally applied with the ball of the thumb and/or fingertips it is particularly beneficial to the neck, shoulders, buttocks and thighs- these being areas where tension accumulates. Petrissage releases tension from stiff muscles, stimulates the circulation helping to eliminate waste products.
Tapotement
Again taken from a French word, tapoter meaning 'to pat' or 'to tap'. These are quick, light, percussive movements, with different parts of the hands used depending on the part of the body being massaged. For relaxation, finger tips would be used on the face and head. For a stimulating massage, to increase the blood flow and break down toxins, the edge of relaxed hands or the hands in a cupping position would be used. This latter movement, ideally, is used on shoulders, thighs and buttocks.