When most people want to enjoy a relaxing day at the spa, one of the foremost treatments they tend to prioritise is getting a massage. Granted, massages are excellent for stress relief, but this therapy can be curative and restorative too. But to ensure that the message you receive is going to offer you the health benefits that you are after, you need to familiarise yourself with the various therapies available to understand their aim and the advantages that each provides. With that in mind, if you are looking to receive a massage for specific reasons, whether due to an injury for enhanced calmness, here are the different types of massages that will be beneficial for your wellness.
A Swedish massage
As one of the most sought after massage therapies, a Swedish massage is primarily performed to aid with pain relief while simultaneously facilitating a relaxed feeling. Characterised by gentle, kneading strokes, the therapist will focus on your muscles and try to loosen up knots and tightness that could be causing you chronic pain. You could also request the therapist to pay close attention to areas that you may be experiencing the most trouble with such as your lower back, your neck and so on. The relaxing nature of a Swedish massage is also beneficial to individuals that are battling stress, anxiety, depression and more, as the therapy has an overall calming effect on the body.
A sports massage
As the name implies, this type of massage therapy is usually targeted at athletes due to the immense strain they place on their bodies. However, this does not mean that you cannot get one if you want to receive the benefits that it offers. During a sports massage, the therapist will integrate the long kneading strokes of a Swedish massage for increased blood circulation and will also apply increased pressure as well as trigger point therapy to target the tissue in the muscles, with the aim of releasing the tension they are holding. Additionally, the therapist will manipulate the joints and muscles to promote flexibility. Regular sports massages will be effective in enhancing your range of motion while also improving your soft tissue function.
A remedial massage
If you want to get a massage due to aches and pains brought about by injury, you should opt for a remedial massage. The therapist will perform manipulations with the purpose of increasing the mobility of your joints while stimulating blood flow, and this helps with circulating white blood cells necessary for the healing of damaged tissue. In addition to this, kneading during the remedial massage is done to help with balancing muscle tone and length so that tension is released from the tendons. Remedial massages are ideal for individuals that suffer from sciatic pain, muscle cramps, whiplash and so on.
Not everyone understands the benefit of undergoing massage treatments. That's why we started this blog. On this website we aim to education people about the different forms of massage treatment which are available to them, while also encouraging you to think about how undergoing massage therapy could improve your life. We hope that by removing some of the mystery from the massage process, we can encourage others to give it a go. We aren't professionals who work in this field, but we have all experienced massage treatment and have conducted our own research into this exciting and effective treatment. We hope you enjoy reading this blog.