Swedish massage has become the standard in the massage industry, especially businesses that market themselves as places of relaxation, also known as spas. What can you expect during a Swedish massage? What is the difference between Swedish massage and other types of massage? A Swedish massage involves long, flowing strokes, as well as kneading, tapping, and other rhythmic techniques with the goal of relieving muscle tension.
Ling is considered the Father of Swedish massage because he created a system of physical rehabilitation by combining his knowledge of gymnastics and physiology from Chinese, Egyptian, Greek, and Roman cultures. According to massagetoday. From there, it transformed into what we call it today: Swedish massage.
All well-trained massage therapists in the United States learn basic Swedish massage strokes to apply during their massage sessions. Swedish techniques are extremely valuable when a massage therapist is gauging tissue mobility and tenderness.
You might be surprised how powerful a Swedish massage can be! Well, when we said that, we were really talking about effleurage. Effleurage is a smooth, flowing stroke that is usually going toward the direction of the heart to stimulate blood flow. Is the tissue pliable or rock hard? Does it move or is it stuck to underlying structures? The depth the therapist can go into your muscles depends on the response of the tissue. Compared to effleurage, petrissage generally has a deeper effect on soft tissue, and includes kneading, squeezing, lifting, shaking, wringing and rolling.
One of these techniques is tapotement, which is a rhythmic tapping, drumming or cupping of the tissue. It is frequently applied to athletes limbs before sporting events to increase circulation to the area. Tapotement administered for a short duration is rather stimulating, while a longer session can actually produce fatigue in a muscle or group of muscles and feel very relaxing.
