Effleurage is a stroke that is used in almost all different modalities. Petrissage refers to kneading, rolling and twisting tissue with the massage therapist's thumbs and knuckles. Massage therapy consists of specific movements and techniques that are part of a holistic form of healing that has existed for thousands of years. Trained and licensed professionals use this traditional healing method to help heal injuries and manage pain.
Different massage techniques are used for different ailments. Massage therapy was first used in 3000 BC. C. in India as a kind of medicine.
Massage therapy was used in ancient Egypt, China, Japan, Greece and Rome to treat common ailments. Each culture added their massage and stroking techniques to the old therapy. The rise of pharmacology and medical technology in the 1700s led to a decline in massage therapy. Per Henrik Ling made massage therapy popular again with Swedish massage.
As a member, you'll also have unlimited access to more than 84,000 lessons in math, English, science, history and more. Plus, get practice tests, quizzes, and personalized training to help you succeed. Get unlimited access to more than 84,000 classes. Effleurage is one of the five basic massage movements used in Swedish massage therapy.
This type of massage movement helps the massage therapist understand the presence of knots in the client's body tissue. It also helps with the client's circulatory health. Effleurage is often used first during a massage session, as it allows the technician to become familiar with the client's body. It is considered a basic warming massage technique and is also used to apply massage oils.
Petrissage is a massage movement used in Swedish massage therapy. This basic massage stroke is based on kneading movements. Petrissage is used after efleurage and targets deeper layers of tissue. This includes the connective tissue and the underlying fascia.
The friction massage movement is a basic technique in which the technician rubs his hands hard against the client, creating a warmth that loosens the body for deeper massage movements. This is usually done with the thumb or a blunt object in a focused area. Frictional massage movements can also be useful in breaking up scar tissue. Inter-fiber friction is when the massage therapist applies the basic technique against the direction of the muscle fibers.
Can also be applied in a circular direction. The tapotement is one of five massage movements in which the masseur uses the side of the hand in a rapid tapping motion. After the body has warmed up, the licensed therapist can make the transition to the mat. When applied for longer periods, the tapotement can fatigue the muscle.
Vibration is a basic massage technique in which the palm swings back and forth against the tissue, causing that area of the body to vibrate. It can also be described as a trembling movement of the hand against body tissue. This is usually a final massage technique, which is a last method of loosening body tissues. Vibration is a useful massage stroke because it helps penetrate deeper areas of the body, targeting organs and increasing blood flow to these areas.
Effleurage uses long, gentle strokes to warm up the body, apply lotion, locate any knots and stretch the body. Petrissage is often used after the body is loosened. It uses kneading, squeezing and other tougher pressing techniques to attack deeper tissue and achieve relaxation. Vibration is a rhythmic rocking or shaking movement to further relax the body.
Inter-fiber friction is when the massage therapist applies repetitive pressure against the direction of the muscle fibers. In the efleurage, the massage therapist uses short or long movements in the direction of the heart to stimulate blood flow. The first thing every student should master is “the basics”. The four basic massage movements are effleurage (light or deep stroking), petrisage (kneading), tapotement (soft slaps) and friction.
Effleurage is designed for relaxation and stress relief. This is how each massage starts and ends to ensure that your patient has maximum relaxation. Petrisage, or kneeling, is actually a practice of separating muscle from bone, which helps relieve muscle spasms. In general, if something hurts in a massage session, this is the time, but this movement is not intended to be painful.
The therapist should communicate with the client to ensure maximum comfort. The action of tapotement is very similar to what the name sounds like. This is a gentle tap or cupping of the skin with your hand to create a percussion-like effect. This movement is preferred by healthy customers with exceptional muscle mass, but it is not recommended for patients with ailments.
Finally, friction is the concentration of pressure at a specific point. Through very small, focused circular motions, friction helps release tension at specific points. Remember when we said that Swedish massage techniques were the “hello and goodbye” movements? Well, when we said that, we were talking about efleurage. Efleurage is a gentle, fluid stroke that is usually directed toward the heart to stimulate blood flow.
The effleurage is usually done with the therapist's hands and forearms. Usually, a massage therapist uses effleurage with the intention of calming the circulatory and parasympathetic systems as they measure the tension of the body's tissues. A massage therapist can gather a lot of information about a person's connective tissue on the table with efleurage. Is the fabric flexible or rock hard? Does it move or stick to underlying structures? The depth the therapist can reach the muscles depends on the response of the tissue.
Once a massage therapist has a general idea of the state of your efleurage tissue, they will usually transfer their techniques to include petrissage. The word petrissage comes from the French word pétrir, which means “knead”. Compared to efleurage, petrissage generally has a deeper effect on soft tissue, and includes kneading, squeezing, lifting, shaking, wringing and rolling. Therefore, once the massage therapist is done with the efleurage and petrissage movements, they will usually move on to more stimulating techniques (depending on how long they are applied) that affect the tone and circulation of the soft tissues.
One of these techniques is the tapotement, which is a rhythmic tapping, drumming or suction cups of the fabric. Hacking is a type of tapotement in which the side of the hand is used in a rhythmic cutting motion in the soft tissues of the body. It is often applied to the limbs of athletes prior to sporting events to increase circulation in the area. Tapotement administered for a short period is quite stimulating, while a longer session can cause fatigue in a muscle or group of muscles and feel very relaxing.
Other therapists use the taptement for longer periods on certain clients, where it softens the tissue enough to make it more malleable and functional. Friction massage is usually done with the thumb tip or a pointed object. It is a deep pressure massage that is performed with small circular or crossed movements of fibers to penetrate deep tissues. Friction is especially effective in reshaping scar tissue and smoothing adhesions.
Vibration is a massage technique in which body tissues are pressed and released in an up and down motion. Some of the benefits of vibration include relaxation, improved nerve function, and muscle relaxation. It can affect superficial parts of the body, as well as deeper internal organs. Vibration as a massage technique is an effective way to stimulate deeper tissues and organs.
In summary, the 5 types of Swedish techniques are effleurage, petrissage, tapotement, friction and vibration, which promote circulation and softening of connective tissue. While it sounds concise, Swedish massage therapy requires purposeful movement throughout the session and has some unique differences from a regular deep tissue massage. Massage therapists use a number of techniques during Swedish massage, including efleurage, petrissage, tapotement, friction and vibration to help the client achieve relief and relaxation. Effleurage consists of long, sliding movements throughout the client's body, with decisive movements that vary in intensity and pressure.
These movements help lengthen the muscle, therefore, reduce muscle tension and provide relief from aches and pains. Petrissage involves applying deep pressure in the form of kneading and squeezing the client's skin to effectively attack the affected area. This technique is based on a massage therapist using the palms of his hands to apply the desired pressure. Tapotement is another essential component to offer an effective Swedish massage.
This is the technical term for the rhythmic and repeated stroke of the hands on the client's body and is used to relax and loosen stiff muscles, “wake up” the body and loosen the lymphatic accumulation trapped in the back. This movement is a major component of an effective Swedish massage therapy session and depends on maintaining momentum and speed. Massage, regardless of the level of difficulty of the techniques used, can be a great healing scheme. The number of massage techniques available today is enormous.
Massage is commonly applied with different techniques and with different movements. A gentle touch can be applied with the fingertips for a more concentrated deep tissue massage work. These massage methods often also vary in speed as well as touch pressure. A massage technique that focuses on the deeper layers of muscle tissue and one of the most well-known massage methods is deep tissue massage.
A deep tissue massage is usually made up of slower movements than normal for a massage. In general, the pressure in a deep tissue massage is more intense. It aims to release chronic patterns of tension within the body. The most common target of these movements and deep finger pressure are the contracted areas, either following or crossing the fiber muscles, fascia, and tendons.
For the most part, during a deep tissue massage, the massage therapist will use their thumb, fingers, and even elbows to apply strong pressure. One of the main health benefits of a Swedish massage is that one of its main objectives is to increase the flow of oxygen in the blood. Ultimately, this helps release toxins that are trapped within muscle fibers. By allowing the body to release and eliminate toxins more quickly from its system, it is often used to help with recovery time from muscle tension, both from injury and exercise.
Sports massage, in a nutshell, is a form of massage that is applied to improve and allow relief from sports activities. It is the kneading and manipulation of the soft tissues of the body to help athletes improve their performance and help prevent and treat sports injuries. It is highly appreciated in the field of sports. As participation in sports becomes more popular among people of all genders and ages, and as sports performance continues to improve among athletes, more is expected and demanded of athletes.
Because of this, athletes have begun to look for effective ways to improve their performance, and sports massage is one of the best solutions. Hot stone massage, also known as stone massage, is widely appreciated and accepted in the healthcare and bodywork industry today. A number of clinics, spas, fitness centers and other health facilities have considered it a highly effective alternative to regular massage therapy. During the hot stone massage procedure, therapists and clients themselves will notice certain changes in body temperature, including heart and respiratory rhythms.
Hot stone massage is used to indicate such changes, to determine the flow of blood and the exchange of blood and oxygen in the body, allowing for a feeling of well-being in the end. This is basically how hot stone massage works. This is actually a form of deep tissue massage that is applied to individual muscles. However, the primary goal of the massage techniques involved here is to increase blood and lymph flow, while reducing pain and releasing pressure trapped in the nerves.
Neuromuscular massage techniques are also considered to release trigger points that could help relieve headaches and shoulder pain. . .
