Types of Massage
Who is Massage Therapy good for? We provide many different types of therapeutic massage. Our experienced, licensed Massage
Therapists carefully customize the right massage treatment to best fit your needs. Great care and special attention are given to everyone, particularly those with injuries, ailments, the
elderly and pregnant women, to see to it that they are comfortable and cared for properly and safely.
Here are some types of massage that we provide at IWS.
* Deep Tissue Massage is similar to Swedish massage but is used to target knots and release chronic muscle
tension. Other benefits include reducing inflammation and helping to eliminate scar tissue. The focus is on the deepest layers of muscle tissue, tendons, and fascia (the protective
layer surrounding muscles, bones and joints).
Deep tissue massage uses strokes across the grain of the muscles, not with the grain as in Swedish
massage. The more intense movements and techniques such as deep finger pressure may be slightly uncomfortable and cause soreness that lasts a couple of days before resulting in the desired
relaxation and pain relief.
* Swedish massage is the
style that comes to mind when most people think about massage. It was developed in Stockholm a couple of centuries ago and is the most common and best-known type form of bodywork performed
today.
The goal is relaxing the entire body and this is accomplished by rubbing the muscles with long gliding strokes in the direction of
blood returning to the heart. Additional techniques include circular pressure applied by the hands and palms, firm kneading, percussion-like tapping, bending and stretching. Lotion
is often used to reduce friction and stimulate the skin.
Swedish massage is exceptional for increasing the level of oxygen in
the blood, decreasing muscle toxins, improving circulation and flexibility while easing tension.
Sports Massage is geared toward athletes of every kind, from world-class professionals to
weekend joggers. The particulars of the massage are specific to the athlete’s sport of choice and are often focused on a particular troublesome area like a knee or
shoulder.
Aspects of massage are gaining popularity as useful components in a balanced training regimen. Sports massage can be used as a means to
enhance pre-event preparation and reduce recovery time for maximum performance during training or after an event. Athletes havediscovered that specially designed massage promotes flexibility, removes fatigue, improves endurance, helps prevent injuries, and prepares them to compete at
their absolute best.
*Medical Massage
According to the American Medical Massage Association (AMMA), medical massage is:
“A system of manually applied techniques designed to reduce pain, establish normal tissue tension, and create a positive tissue environment and to normalize the movement of the musculoskeletal system. Medical massage is a scientifically based method of manual therapy that seeks a clear understanding of the scientific principles of physiology that affect connective and soft tissue healing and treatment.”
·MedicalMassage is not a general treatment. Rather, Medical Massage Therapy is applied as a specific manual therapy to the areas relating to the diagnoses provided by the primary care physician.
· Medical Massage therapy is delivered to an anatomical region of the patient’s body based upon soft tissue and joint exam findings and various other assessment procedures.
· Medical Massage treatment plans involve several progressive steps or stages of manual therapy treatment whose goal is to correct abnormal conditions affecting the muscle-skeletal system while reducing or eliminating pain.
· Medical Massage adopts the medical terminology, medical techniques and medical protocols used by the traditional allopathic, medical systems of health care.
A typical medical massage session should last a minimum of 30 minutes and could be as long as 90 minutes.