Massage therapy is a popular form of relaxation and healing that involves the use of different movements to manipulate the body's muscles and tissues. Effleurage is a stroke that is used in almost every modality, while petrissage refers to kneading, rolling, and twisting tissues with the massage therapist's thumbs and knuckles. This technique is often used in abundance during deep tissue massages, as it helps to release muscle knots and increase blood flow and lymphatic drainage in the area of the body being worked on. Swedish massage techniques include long movements, kneading, rubbing, tapping, percussion, vibration, effleuration, and shaking.
Kneading is perhaps the easiest technique for amateurs to do, as it involves using the thumbs or palms of the hands to apply pressure to various parts of the body. This helps to separate muscle from bone and reduce muscle spasms. The technical name for kneading is petrissage, which is mainly used in textbooks on massage therapy. Swedish massage therapy is the most common type of massage.
It involves gentle and long kneading movements, as well as light, rhythmic tapping movements in the upper layers of the muscles. This is combined with joint movement to relieve muscle tension and provide both relaxation and energy. Deep tissue massage is best for targeting certain painful and stiff problem points on the body. The massage therapist uses slow, deliberate movements that focus pressure on the layers of muscles, tendons, or other tissues under the skin.
This type of massage can be therapeutic as it relieves chronic tension patterns and helps with muscle injuries.
