Do you want to cheer up, improve performance, get rid of muscle pain, forget about discomfort in the lower back? Pay attention to massage.
Even 2 thousand years ago, the great Roman physician Galen recommended massage along with proper nutrition, exercise and rest as an important element for health. The Greeks used massage both in sports and in medicine. And Hippocrates himself recommended it as a method of treating injuries.
Now science can finally explain what the ancients only guessed: the potential therapeutic benefits of massage go beyond a means of wellness. Studies show that massage helps to relax, increases flexibility, improves muscle tone, corrects posture, increases range of motion, activates blood circulation, strengthens the immune system, relieves stress, relieves pain, reduces depression and anxiety .
There are many types of massage - from medical to exotic. The techniques themselves are also different: some involve the development of certain muscles, others stretch, and still others are based on light touches.
Swedish massage
More often than others, it attracts the attention of scientists because of a long-standing good reputation.It is believed that it promotes general relaxation, reduces high blood pressure, normalizes heart rate, and has a positive effect on the well-being of children with eczema.It is based on smooth, sweeping movements covering the whole body, as well as kneading, deep circular movements, vibration, light tapping.
Swedish massage involves lighter pressure compared to many other styles. The focus of the massage therapist is the whole body, and not individual muscles or areas in which pain and tension are concentrated.
Thai massage
The second name is “yoga massage”. This technique involves the impact on invisible channels (they are called "sen"). They are similar but different from the energy channels used in Chinese acupressure and Japanese shiatsu. The purpose of Thai massage is to bring the body to a harmonious state, achieving deep relaxation and an influx of vitality.
Practitioners of Thai massage use their body weight, as well as fingers (mostly large), palms, elbows, knees, feet. The massage can be performed on a mat on the floor, which allows you to perform procedures that cannot be done on the table.
Thai massage improves blood circulation, increases vascular tone, helps to cope with anxiety, insomnia, headache , relieves stress, increases muscle tone, relieves back pain, helps to recover from sports injuries.
Deep tissue massage
It involves the impact on the deeper layers of the muscles. Massage eliminates muscle pain, improves mobility, increases range of motion, and relief usually comes quickly. This technique is often used by dancers, bodybuilders, rugby players and other athletes.
Usually performed in combination with other procedures. The massage therapist uses significant finger pressure to follow muscle lines or cross muscle fibers, tendons, and fascia to relieve strain and tightness resulting from stress or injury. Deep tissue work can sometimes be painful, depending on how long the problem has been and what the symptoms are.
Lymphatic drainage massage
It involves the impact on certain lines of the body in the direction of the lymph flow in order to improve the functioning of the lymphatic system of the body. During the first part of the procedure, there is almost no pressure - this is the so-called skin stretching technique : with the help of gentle movements, the specialist activates the lymphatic system. The second part consists of stimulating the lymph nodes to increase lymph filtration.
This massage relieves swelling and reduces pain in fibromyalgia. Effective for muscle injuries from sports injuries and to reduce fluid retention after ankle sprains and wrist fractures. May reduce pain and swelling associated with liposuction.
Myofascial release
"Myo" means "muscle" in Greek. Fascia is a connective tissue sheath that envelops organs, vessels, nerves, and also forms sheaths for muscles. Release is relaxation. Ideally, the fasciae should always be soft and mobile, but over the years or due to injuries, high physical exertion, poor posture, the fascial tissue loses elasticity, which leads to poor joint mobility and pain. The Myofascial Release Specialist works only with the fascia and does not manipulate the muscles.
Myofascial release helps to improve blood circulation, relieve muscle tension and hypertonicity, relax the fasciae and restore their elasticity. As a result, discomfort in various parts of the body disappears.
Important Rules
For massage to be beneficial, remember a few simple rules.
- Do not rush to cross the threshold of a massage parlor without receiving an exhaustive consultation from your doctor.
- Trust your body only to those specialists who can document, and not verbally, confirm a higher or at least secondary medical education.
- Do not use the services of moonlighting people. Professionals will not let you lie that a qualified massage should be done constantly. Moreover, poor-quality procedures are no less harmful to health than, for example, hastily prescribed medications.
- Pay attention to the duration of the procedure. If the massage time is from 40 to 50 minutes for 10 or more days in a row, there is a reason to refuse such a “pleasure”: even for a healthy person, such a load is akin to an emergency. The body does not have time to fully recover after such frequent and long sessions.
Prohibited
There are a number of diseases in which it is better not to look into the massage parlor. That is why recommendations for this or that type of massage should be based not on the desire to “experience pleasure”, but on medical indications. Massage should be avoided
- thrombophlebitis;
- cholecystitis ;
- allergies in the acute stage;
- if there are small infected wounds;
- benign or malignant tumors;
- trophic ulcers;
- blood diseases;
- elevated temperature.
Although there are massage techniques to relieve high temperatures, and even cancer patients can use special techniques - but they must be prescribed by a doctor.
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