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Therapeutic massages are the need of the hour for every working individual, sportsperson, etc. For relaxing or for a health condition, for recovering from sports injuries to just the heck of it, you can find different types of massage therapies. Choosing the right kind for your needs may be confusing if you do not know what is involved in it. From Swedish to shiatsu, there are different types and forms of massages to choose from. If you know the types and their significance it will be easier for you to choose from.
Few Popular Massage Types
Here are a few popular types of massage therapies.
Swedish Massage Therapy – This is the most popular and standard type of massage therapy that is offered in clinics, gyms, spas, and wellness centers. It is based on the Western concepts of physiology and anatomy much unlike the energy-centric style in Asian massage.
Aromatherapy Massage – This is also a Swedish massage done using scented plant-based oils. This can provide immediate relief from different conditions such as headaches, back pain, insomnia, neck pain, digestive disorders, and premenstrual symptoms.
Hot Stone Massage – In this heated and smooth basalt stones are placed on specific points that help in relaxing and soothing the fatigued muscles. It can also treat medical conditions like high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, and varicose veins.
Shiatsu Massage – This is Japanese bodywork that involves localized pressure using fingers, hands, and elbows applied in a rhythmic sequence to stimulate acupressure points of your body to regain its balance and improve the flow of energy.
Thai Massage – This is a blend of assisted yoga, pressing massage, and passive stretching. It is done to align the energies of the body in a correct pattern.
Types of Therapeutic Massage
Therapeutic massage needs are different for each person depending on the physical conditions. A combination of methods is followed sometimes according to your needs.
Trigger Point Therapy – The trigger point is the tight area within your muscle tissue. This area when affected causes pain in other parts of your body. This massage therapy is precisely intended to eliminate the basic cause of the pain. Diverse cycles of isolated pressure and release are followed in this process.
Deep Tissue Massage – This type of massage is almost similar to Swedish massage. The only difference is that in this massage the focus is primarily on the deepest layer of muscles. This targets the knots and releases any chronic muscle tension.
Reflexology – This is a special type of massage that applies pressure to the areas of your hands and feet. These areas are called the reflex zones. It helps to relieve stress and promote relaxation overall by addressing specific conditions of your feet and ankles.
Cranial Sacral Therapy – This is a gentle massage therapy that focuses on the spinal column, bones of your head, and the sacrum. It offers effective and immediate relief from headaches, and neck and back pain along with TMJD.
Prenatal Massage – This is ideal for prenatal care and each massage technique differs from the other based on individual requests and needs.
Geriatric Massage – This special massage helps relieve stress, anxiety, and depression in elderly patients and also helps in maintaining and improving their overall health.
There are a few other types of massage therapy including:
Myofascial Release – In this, the practitioner gently stretches the fascia until it is fully elongated and released along with the direction of the muscle.
Sports massage – As the name suggests is designed especially for athletes and fitness enthusiasts. This type is more vigorous than any other form and involves warming the muscle tissue, preventing injury, and assisting in training.
Last is Reiki which works at the deepest level and is favored by cancer patients. Lymphatic massage is done to stimulate the lymphatic system and Rolfing helps release fascia adhesions and allows alignment throughout the body.