Reward your body and mind with a relaxing Swedish massage

What is a Swedish Massage?

Massage therapy is a technique which is used in complementary and alternative medicine practices for centuries. There are well over 80 different techniques in massage therapy. One of those is Swedish massage which refers to a variety of styles specifically designed to relax the muscles through the application of pressure against deeper muscles and bones.

A Swedish massage technique was developed in 1700 by a Swedish doctor named Henri Peter Ling.

The technique of Swedish massage uses five styles of long flowing strokes. These five basic strokes are sliding or gliding, kneading, rhythmic tapping, cross fiber, and rhythmic shaking. Research has shown that it is helpful for individuals who have poor circulation.

The best Swedish massage techniques after which you will feel reborn

• Effleurage, or sliding or gliding, is the technique most individuals associate with a massage in general and with Swedish massage in particular. While doing this technique, the masseuse uses long and sweeping strokes that cover more than one area of the body. Although it makes the individual feel like their muscles are being broken down, the purpose is to connect one part of the body to the others and is always done toward the heart.

• The massage therapist makes the muscles relax, and deep friction is used to warm up the area to be treated. While other massage techniques may use warm stones or heated towels, the Swedish massage therapist utilises a friction technique by rubbing the palms of their hands vigorously on the skin’s surface or by rubbing their palms together and then laying them on the skin.

• Petrissage is the act of kneading and squeezing the muscles of the body. This technique does not target or focus on any particular part, but the process allows for deeper and more penetrating effects of the massage.

• Tapotement, sometimes called rhythmic tapping, are strokes aimed to energise the treated area of the body. This method is done by chopping the area with the sides of the hands or hitting it rhythmically with fists depending upon the desired results and the masseuse’s strength.

• Traction involves pulling at the arms and legs and, interestingly, sometimes at the head.  The act of pulling will stretch the muscles and is always on as the last part of the routine to stretch muscles that have already been relaxed and warmed up so that no injury occurs.

• Pinpoint pressure is directed toward points that are knotted or hardened and painful to the touch. The main purpose of this movement is to break the sore spots down and release the muscle.

• Skin rolling involves pinching a fold of skin and moving it forward in a rolling motion.  This process lifts the skin off its connective tissues to promote better blood circulation and improve skin tone.

• Finger brushing is usually performed at the closing of the Swedish massage treatment session as fingertips are lightly brushing against the skin’s surface to relax the stimulated muscles while calming the nervous system.

• Vibration is the last Swedish massage technique. It is used to shake the treated area and done by moving the heel of the hand and sometimes the fingers forward and backwards across the skin to loosen the muscles of a particular site.

Swedish massage health benefits

Swedish massage has been shown to shorten the recovery time of muscle strains by flushing the tissues of the lactic acid, uric acid, and other metabolic wastes that build up during an injury. This increase in circulation to the area that has been injured happens without increasing the load on the heart.

Swedish massage also helps to stimulate the skin and nervous system and reduces both emotional and physical stress. In fact, some psychologists suggest a regular program of Swedish massage for stress management.

The most magnificent health benefits of the Swedish massage are the following ones:

• Relaxing of tired, tense or overused muscles.
• Improving blood circulation without overburdening the heart.
• Increasing flexibility and widening the range of motion by stretching the body’s soft tissues: muscles, tendons, ligaments, skin, joints and connective tissues.
• Stimulating the nervous system while simultaneously relaxing the nerve endings.
• Decreasing the recovery time of strained muscles by cleansing the tissues of lactic acid and uric acid as well as all other toxins and metabolic wastes.
• Bringing the skin to a healthier and more vibrant appearance of wellness.
• Helping the client achieve a feeling of connectedness and body awareness for maintaining a better posture and stance.
• Alleviating pain and any associated discomfort due to muscle tension, fractures, sprains, sciatica and stiff joints.
• Reducing emotional distress.

Swedish massage – roots

The Swedish massage, conceived by Henri Peter Ling, a Swedish physiologist at the University of Stockholm, was publicly introduced in 1812 as the best way to improve blood circulation, relieve muscle stress and pain, increase flexibility as well as to promote total relaxation of the body and mind. The Swedish massage was imported into the United States in the 1850s by Charles and George Taylor, two American brothers practising medicine in New York. They opened the first two Swedish clinics in the New World:

• The first in Boston, Massachusetts, and
• The second in Washington, D. C.

Allegedly, Ulysses S. Grant, the 18th president of the United States (1869 – 1877), frequented the school in Washington regularly for Swedish massage treatments.

Since its inception in the early part of the 19th century, the Swedish massage has become one of the most widely used massage techniques in the Western world. It is the basis for many other Western massage therapies that include the sports massage (article #), the deep tissue massage (article #) and the aromatherapy.

The final tip

All of these Swedish massage techniques are accomplished under the professional hands of certified therapists. Although anyone may try some of these methods at home, they should be done with care and never over areas that are injured, bruised, infected or have an open wound.