Massage and Massage therapy, What is massage Therapy?

Most people know how great a massage is and how relaxed and soothing it makes them feel for hours after it’s over. But, few truly know how beneficial massage therapy is to their emotional and physical well-being. Massage therapy fits well into the alternative health remedies because it is a holistic practice that involuntarily lifts your mood, reduces stress and heals physical ailments.

People have been giving and receiving massage therapy for years because it is the simplest form of natural healing. It isn’t hard to give a massage, though you do receive the most benefit from trained hands.

Massage therapy involves stroking, pressing and kneading skin in various spots on the body. Pressure also varies depending on how much is needed and how much the recipient can take. It will alleviate pain, relax, stimulate and even tone your body with repeated massage therapy sessions.

Your muscles, tendons and ligaments benefit from massage therapy as well. Muscle tone is improved and so is your flexibility with massage therapy. Blood circulation increases and the lymphatic system works better as well.

You can get massage therapy in a few different places, but its best to go where you know people have been properly trained and educated. If you don’t have much money to spend, try a holistic school where students can practice on you underneath the watchful eyes of their professors. Beauty schools often have massage therapy programs as well and won’t cost you much but will provide great massage services. But, if money is no object, check out the ritzy spas in your city to have the best of the best when it comes to massage therapy. You will get to choose your massage from a menu that includes deep tissue, stone and sport therapy. The choices are always changing and spas are constantly coming up with new and exciting massages to present you with. Facials and hand massages are sometimes complimentary with massage therapy packages as well.

With the stresses we all face in our modern world it should come as no surprise that massage therapy is topping the list of stress reducers. The massage does more than make a person feel good it, it actually has healing benefits.

A professional massage can relieve tension that is true, but a deep massage can be good for the health of your internal organs. I am not talking about the kind that you get at a day spa, although certainly make you feel fabulous it the kind that you get a clinic that offers the complete benefit of a deep tissue massage.

Many sports players get daily massage therapy because of injuries both past and present. The massage can break the scar tissue letting it heal better. The massage also allow the tissue to get more oxygen. A deep massage can also relive the tension in upper shoulders and neck that can cause patients great deal of pain from head aches. What many people do not know is that every part of your body hold tension and when you relieve this it promotes a tension free life.

Accident patients may have to attend therapy for many months following their accident. The initial massage may be painful but over time massage therapy will aid in the proper healing of tissue that may have been damaged in the accident.

Types of massage

Massage therapy treatment is a general title for all categories of treatment therapies. In other words, used as a means to proactive and positive ends, massage therapy treatment meets the goals and needs of patients in a number of different therapeutic and healing environs.

For example, medical massage therapy treatment and orthopedic massage therapy both have problem-focused goals. In particular, both emphasize soft-tissue rehabilitation and subsequent relieving of pain and/or dysfunction.

At the same time, general massage therapy treatment is a hands-on method involving a rehabilitation and/or a maintenance of skeletal, muscular, lymphatic and nervous system functioning-while the more specific therapeutic massage therapy treatment emphasizes manipulation (also hands-on) of tissues to alleviate pain, reduce and eliminate stress, and encourage wellness and well-being.

So in the case of massage therapy treatment, the goals are set to be reachable, to have positive results, that positively affect the life of the client, and to be relevant and reflective of what the client needs, whether they need extensive rehabilitation or monthly health maintenance.

Massage therapy is a method for healing pain by releasing the stiffness and soreness of the muscles and improving the oxygen supply in those regions. There are different techniques of massage therapy. The therapists often use their hands, elbows, arms or at times even feet to apply pressure on the affected area. They may hold, rock, vibrate, knead or apply certain fixed pressure onto your problem area to relieve you of the pain therein.

The massage therapy is mainly of five different kinds. The first type is the traditional European method based on human anatomy. The next is a step ahead, using certain techniques to reach the inner tissues. Another type is the corrective one to set right the injured muscles. Some others stress on reviving the static energy levels of the human body.

Some of the types of massage are:

Reflexology:

Reflexology is a natural healing art that uses reflexes in your feet and hands to increase circulation and muscle functioning. The basic principle in reflexology is that the reflexes in your feet and hands correspond to every other part of your body.Read More >

Acupressure:

Acupressure massage is a approximately a 20 minute acupressure sequence given to clients in a specially designed chair, either in the therapy room or workplace.The sequence works to improve the flow of energy throughout the body and acts additionally on Read More >

Cranial-sacral Therapy, or CST:

Cranial-sacral Therapy, (CST), is a very subtle yet very powerful treatment that works with the body's craniosacral system. That includes the cranium or skull, the sacrum, the spine with all its components in-between, and the cerebrospinal fluid that bathes the brain and spinal cord. Read More >

Reiki Massage:

Reiki which means "Universal Life Force Energy" in Japanese is based on natural laws of the universe. When we are in perfect physical, mental and emotional health we are vibrating in harmony with the universe. The natural law of cause and effect means that anything which affects our system will have a vibration rate of its own and will therefore impact on the frequency at which we vibrate. Read More >

Slavic Massage:

Slavic massage dates back to the Genghis Khan era and has its roots in the Lake Baikal/Atlai Mountain regions.It was used on both horses and humans alike.Warm oil is drizzled on to the skin and slow but smooth flowing movements induce deep relaxation. Read More >

Medical Massage:

Medical massage is massage performed for the specific function of aiding a person's recovery from accident, injury or chronic pain. The massage therapist is trained to treat specific conditions as they relate each individual person's needs. Read More >