Swedish Massage - therapy for stress relief or neck & shoulder pain?

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Monday, 06 March 2017

What is Swedish Massage?

Swedish massage is the name of the type of massage that was developed in Sweden in the mid 19th century by Per Henrik Ling. It has become the most commonly offered and best-known type of massage available in the UK. The idea behind Swedish Massage is to create greater blood flow to the muscles and soft tissues by using a combination of long strokes, kneading motions, friction, stretching and tapping. It is usually offered as a full body treatment.

Is Swedish Massage Light or Deep Pressure?

There can be quite a bit of confusion as to what to expect when you ask for a Swedish Massage. It is more commonly considered as a gentle, more flowing type of treatment that feels relaxing. However, there are some clients who request Swedish massage expecting a deep pressure treatment. Many of these people may have had a previous massage therapist who delivered a deep tissue massage but called it Swedish massage. In order to have your expectations best met it is important to discuss your desired treatment outcome and pressure at the time of booking an appointment. This way your expectations can be met by matching you up with a massage therapist who can deliver the treatment the way you want it.

How does Swedish Massage Fulham help?

Swedish massage helps by using long gliding strokes to relax the entire body. Your massage therapist will apply pressure to your skin and soft tissues in the direction of your heart – flushing the blood towards your heart. This increased blood flow can feel like a relaxing tingling sensation. One of the benefits of increased circulation is that many naturally occurring toxins can be removed from the muscles, tendons and soft tissues. Toxins can make you feel heavy, irritated or acidic so having them flushed away can feel quite relieving in itself. The fresh incoming blood also carries oxygen and nutrients that repair, freshen up and replenish the cells of the soft tissues.

Stress Relief Massage

Life can sometimes present you with challenges, deadlines and people’s behaviours who can wind you up. During such times we have a tendency to brace our muscles tight and hold our breath. After a stressful moment, we obviously begin breathing normally but there is often a deposit of tension in our muscles that remains. Stress experienced over long durations can result in your muscles becoming hypertonic – losing their ability to switch off by themselves. Massage can break this cycle neurologically as touching the unresponsive tissues re-establishes the connection with the brain and the muscle can be switched off again. It takes less energy for the body to maintain a relaxed muscle state bringing a greater sense of ease and relief.

Pain Relief Massage

Pain is the body’s way of telling us that something is wrong or in a state of dysfunction. Muscular pain is often caused by acidity – lactic or carbonic acid will sit in soft tissues that are too tight to allow the blood to be flushed through them and cleansed. Acid can irritate the tissue sending pain signals to the brain. The nerve endings themselves can also experience burn damage from being bathed in acid over a prolonged period of time. Swedish massage can gently release muscle tension enabling blood to naturally cleanse, relieve and repair damaged tissues. Sometimes relief can be experienced immediately whilst other times the tissues recover in the days following a massage.

When to Schedule a Swedish Massage?

There is a saying that prevention is better than cure. Massage can be one of the most enjoyable experiences to receive – it can also be very painful! When we book a massage in reaction to pain, it will more than likely be a less enjoyable experience. Being proactive, however, can result in receiving a massage at the optimum time period when it feels utterly relaxing and restorative. There are also other considerations such as the time of the day that is best for you. Some people feel refreshed after massage and love to book their massage for early morning to give them a great start to the day. Other people can feel sleepy and find that a late evening appointment time helps them to have a great night’s sleep. Irregular massage users can feel sleepy or drunk from their toxic release while regular users may experience no negative feelings. It is important however to schedule your massage after exercise as opposed to beforehand as the benefits of relaxed muscles can be quickly eroded during your gym workout.