Massage therapy is a therapy that uses hands and other tools to massage muscles and connective tissue to relieve stress, relieve pain and balance the body. Thanks to that, it supports the treatment and improvement of some diseases such as headaches, blood pressure, digestion, muscle pain, arthritis … to help improve the condition and recover faster.
There are many different types of massage therapy such as orthopedic massage, pregnancy massage, hot stone massage. After many years of development, this therapy is now chosen by many people as a popular career. Massage therapy is also a high demand of society, the price of each service is quite high, so it is often found in luxury hotels and resorts.
Massage therapy is considered a trend among workers in the middle class and above. They often care about mental and physical health with the desire to relax, relieve muscles and spirit, dispel fatigue and stress. At the Spa, this service often goes hand in hand with skin care, acne treatment, and beauty improvement for women.
So what are the effects of massage therapy?
Positively impacting the body through the above massage techniques helps bring many benefits to physical and mental health. Specifically as follows:
- Stress relief and relaxation
- Reduce or stop chronic pain
- Promote recovery after surgery or injury
- Improve thinking and motor skills
- Improves neurological and sensory perception
- Reduce headaches and migraines
- Better mental and emotional health
- Improve immune system
- Improve digestion
- Better blood circulation and more stable blood pressure
- Relieves pain from arthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome and sciatica
- Improve eyesight
Types of massage therapy today
Massage therapy has two main areas of massage: therapeutic and relaxation. However, both therapeutic and relaxation massage use many different techniques such as:
- Swedish Massage: This is one of the most well-known and popular types of massage. This massage uses five basic massage strokes directed towards the heart to help promote circulation and relax muscles for total relaxation.
- Deep Tissue Massage: Works on the deep muscle layers to release ligaments and tendons to restore optimal muscle movement.
- Sports Massage: A technique specifically designed for athletes to promote recovery and enhance muscle performance.
- Orthopedic Massage: A combination of sports and medical massage to help strengthen weak muscles, tendons and ligaments as well as injuries.
- Trigger point treatment: Direct pressure on small nodules and extremely tense points in tense muscle groups.
- Lymphatic Circulation: Works on the tissues surrounding the lymph nodes to relieve tension and release accumulated lymph to prevent disease.
- Pregnancy Massage: Prenatal and postnatal massage to relieve pain and stress associated with pregnancy to promote physical and emotional well-being.
- Reflexology: Applying pressure and movement to specific parts of the hands, feet, and ears that are linked to other areas of the body.
- Shiatsu: A traditional Japanese practice that uses finger pressure on specific acupressure points.
- Hot Stone Massage: Warm stones are placed on tense areas of the body and sometimes pressure is added to the stones to relieve tension.
- Percussion: Using your hands or a specialized tool, apply gentle, rhythmic pressure to particularly tense muscle areas.
- Geriatric Massage: Specialized massage for elderly patients and diseases related to aging.
- Cancer Massage: Massage is designed for cancer patients to alleviate physical and emotional problems caused by cancer and the cancer treatment process.
Massage therapy alone can also be accompanied by other therapies such as:
- Acupuncture
- Aromatherapy
- Mild electrical stimulation with TENS (Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation)
- Music Therapy
- Working energy
- Biofeedback
