Five Most Popular Massage Styles

Who doesn't like a good massage? Massage therapy is the manipulation of the muscles and soft body tissues. More and more people are using massage as a means to improve their overall quality of life physically and emotionally. There are many benefits of using massage therapy including:

Enhances your immune system by increasing your body's defense hormones, known as lymphs, and also increasing your white blood cell count to help fight off disease and other foreign materials that may have entered the body. It also increases blood flow throughout the body thus providing more oxygen to the body's essential organs.

Relieves lower back pain, arthritis pain and migraine headaches by providing a general relaxation of the entire body.

Aids in relieving the symptoms of depression, anxiety and tension by releasing the chemicals serotonin and endorphins in your brain and also helps to reduce the high respiratory rates that come with it. The reduction in respiratory rates and the improvement of pulmonary function also helps soothe the symptoms of asthma in children.

Facilitates digestion and intestinal function by increasing the secretion of saliva and gastric juices and also by increasing the excretion of other juices that slow down your metabolism.

Helps to alleviate the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome. It may also shorten the length of hospital stays for expectant mothers and ease the pain of labor.

There are over eighty different kinds of massage therapy. Here we will discuss the five most popular styles:

Swedish Massage Therapy: This is the most common form of massage therapy. It is best to start with this type of therapy before moving into the other forms of massage. Swedish massage therapy improves circulation in the body and can be very relaxing. It relieves pain and tension in the muscles, improves flexibility and helps reduce stiffness in muscles and joints. The therapist will use strokes that target the superficial layers of muscle. Massage lotions or oils are also used in this type of massage.

Back Massage: Some sort of muscle strain such as a sports injury, heavy lifting or a fall causes most back pain. The large muscles of the back become inflamed and sore. A popular form of back massage is ice therapy. Ice therapy can be used to treat back and neck pain and can also be used in conjunction with other treatments. Ice therapy used with back massage provides a tremendous amount of relief.

Hot Stone Massage: Hot stone massage uses stones that are smooth and heated. The stones used in this technique are usually basalt, a form of black volcanic rock that absorbs and retains heat well. Because the stones are hot a towel is placed on the back before laying them down. The stones are then placed along the spine to warm and loosen the muscles. Placing the stones along the spine also helps to balance the charkas, energy centers, in the body. As the heated stones loosen the muscles the therapist will simultaneously massage along the torso, arms and legs using an essential oil.

Deep Tissue Massage: Deep tissue massage is used for muscles that are chronically in pain, recurring strain, postural difficulty and recovery from injuries. This type of massage focuses on the deeper layers of muscle. Chronic tension around a muscle usually indicates some type of adhesion. Adhesions cause pain by blocking circulation in the connective tissues. Deep tissue massage works to break down these adhesions to ease pain and re-establish normal range of motion.

Aromatherapy Massage: Aromatherapy massage is basic massage therapy that is supplemented with essential oils. The most common essential oil used is lavender because of it calming effect. This type of therapy is normally used to relieve emotional issues or other stress-related conditions. Essential oils are absorbed through the skin and each has a various healing property. Other oils that are frequently used are chamomile and geranium for their calming effect, ylang ylang and sage for their uplifting effect, rosemary for cleansing and energizing and eucalyptus as a decongestant.

A massage will relax your muscles and other connective tissues, ease aches and pains of not only your muscles but also your joints and restore balance to your body both physically and emotionally.