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Swedish Massage

 

Swedish massage is also known as the Western or classic style of massage. It is a scientific system of manipulations on the muscles and connective tissues of the body for the purpose of relaxation, rehabilitation and health maintenance. Swedish massage therapy is comprised of five basic strokes and their variations: effleurage, petrissage, friction, tapotement (or percussion) and vibration.
 
• TECHNIQUE: Superficial to deep gliding strokes with lotion or oil.
 
• BENEFIT: Increase circulation of the blood and lymphatic fluid throughout the body as well as increase joint range of motion. The goal is to flush toxins out of the system while increasing the nourishment received by muscle cells.
Swedish massage is characterized by four basic strokes:
 
Effleurage-  is an elongated, slow stroke that slides across the surface of the clients skin with minimal drag. It benefits the skin by warming it with friction and increasing the circulation of blood and lymph. It is used to apply and spread lotion and/or oil, assess the clients soft tissues, create heat, decrease muscle tension, relieve pain, and encourage relaxation and for connecting strokes.
 

 

Petrissage-  is directly translated from French as the act of kneading. It is delivered as a rhythmic series of intermittent compressions combined with a grasping and lifting action that pulls the tissues away from the bones. Petrissage is effective at improving muscle tone, increasing the elasticity of muscle tissue, and increasing muscle contractility.
 
Tapotement (or percussion)-  a fast rhythmic stroke that uses both hands, like rapid drumming to create stimulus and alert the system. Massage therapists will use this technique to stimulate the clients nervous system to help bring them out of deep relaxation, at the end of a massage. This technique can also be used over the lungs to help break up lung congestion.
 
Friction-  a multidirectional stroke that can be applied superficially or deep with completely different methods and effects. Superficial friction is a brisk variation of light effleurage intended to increase circulation in the superficial tissues and dissipate body heat. Deep fiber-friction resembles the variation of compression called rolling. It is a deep, localized application of pressure, without any lotion or oil on the skin, primarily used to break up fascial adhesions and separate the muscle fibers.
 
Vibration-  a stroke that involves high-frequency shaky hand movements and is capable of deep relaxation effects. Vibrations can travel through our bodies, affecting everything from the surface of the skin to the deepest organs. A common misconception in massage is that deep-tissue work requires a lot of pressure and manipulation, but vibration demonstrates how incorrect that is. Vibration used for 10 seconds or more can stimulate very deep relaxation responses within the body. Vibration can be used to stimulate nerves, muscles, and organs, to increase circulation and temperature of local tissues, and as a form of anesthesia.


Strokes start out superficially giving the tissue a chance to warm up. Once the tissue is warm the therapist starts doing deeper more intense work.

 


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Works Cited
Braun, Mary Beth., and Stephanie J. Simonson. Introduction to Massage Therapy. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2005. Print.
Stillerman, Elaine. The Encyclopedia of Bodywork from Acupressure to Zone Therapy. Facts on File. 1996.

 

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