Posts Tagged ‘massage techniques’

The History And Uses Of Manual Lymph Drainage

Wednesday, October 6th, 2010

Manual Lymph Drainage, also known as MLD, is a technique created by the Austrian Doctor Emil Vodder in the 1930’s for the treatment of immune disorders. In 1932 Vodder turned his attention to the lymph system and he finally introduced the new technique in Paris in 1936. He and his wife Estrid spent the rest of their lives teaching their technique and it is still taught in the same way today.

It involves massage techniques to encourage the movement of lymph around the body - the lymphatic system being the system involved in detoxification and disposal of metabolic waste to improve the immune system and energy levels. Lymph itself is a clear liquid that is involved in the removal or transfer of hormones, bacteria, waste products and vitamins from the tissues back to the blood vessels and from the blood vessels back to the tissues.

Problems in the body occur when the lymph system gets congested so can’t work properly any more. Pain and swelling can be experienced.

Manual Lymph Drainage works by mechanically encouraging the movement of lymph around the body and by encouraging the lymphatic vessels to contract in a more organised way. The physiotherapy movements are slow and gentle to mimic the bodys normal actions. A physiotherapist will use tiny, repetitive circular motions. Lymph nodes are also stimulated and the whole immune system is encouraged to improve.

Many conditions respond well to this technique such as sinus problems, tension headaches, ME, arthritis, stiff neck, supraspinatus tendonitis, lymphoedema and sprains. MLD can also be beneficial after operations to help reduce swelling. Because the nervous system is improved with MLD it can also be beneficial in treating stress and related problems.

Using MLD means that the backlog of fluid is reduced and pain felt by the patient is lessened. The body is restored to better function.

MLD is very calming and allows a patient to totally relax during treatment. It should not cause any unwanted side effects.

It is important to find a qualified practitioner and several sessions may be needed.

MLD can be effectively used alongside connective tissue manipulation.

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Massage - Russian-style

Friday, August 21st, 2009

Russian massage is based on techniques that have been used extensively in Russia for over 100 years, and is based on the philosophy that through massage the body can learn to heal, relax and repair itself. Russian massage uses many unusual techniques, but they do use similar terms to Swedish massage.

So for example they use the terms friction and tapotement, but the techniques they use are very different to those used in other styles of massage. The Russian massage style of tapotement is less intrusive than the Swedish style, covers a larger surface area and is used to increase blood flow to the muscles. Russian massage also uses a few friction techniques, both that are very deep tissue styles of massage.

The “sawing” technique is an intense style of massage that adds much heat to the muscles and is helpful for chronic muscular problems. The cresting technique is also unique to this style of massage and again is a friction technique. Often used in sports massage, this technique again provides lots of heat to the muscles. Raking is also a common technique and is used along the erector spinae muscles and also the intercostals muscles, allowing for deep tissue manipulation of these muscles. However there are also some more gentle, relaxation styles of massage in the Russian style including the rocking of the body.

During this style of massage, the client’s body is often moved and rocked with the therapist using the client’s body to massage. So for instance, when massaging the muscles in the calf, the therapist will pick up the leg and rock it back and forth, using the weight of the muscle to massage the attachment points. This allows for a less intrusive style of massage and allows the massage therapist to work with the body, not against it.

All of the techniques including friction and cresting use the weight of the therapists body to provide the massage, rather than stressing the therapists thumbs and hands.

Russian massage is also known as being very easy on the therapist’s body and therefore helps extend the therapists working life. It does not use thumbs at all and a big part of the massage is protection of the therapist’s body.

Russian therapists believe that sometimes giving 50% energy to a client will have a better effect than giving 100%. This style of massage has developed in Russia over the last century and is used extensively in hospitals, with patients often being prescribed a series of massages during their stay.

Similarly, health professionals in Russia use massage therapy in their treatment of patients. Russian massage has only been used in the West rarely and is not commonly available.

Ripple Massage’s website has much information on day spa Byron and is the one mobile massage therapy business in Australia that offers Russian massage to its clients. Operating in Queensland, NSW and Victoria, clients are able to access this unique and very rare style of massage that not only allows for deep relaxation but is deeply therapeutic. For more details visit the website.

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Healing through Russian massage

Thursday, August 20th, 2009

Russian massage is based on techniques that have been used in Russia for over 100 years, and is based on the philosophy that through massage the body can learn to heal, relax and repair itself. Russian massage uses many unusual techniques, but interestingly they use similar terms to Swedish massage.

So for example they use the terms friction and tapotement, but the techniques they use are very different to those used in other styles of massage. The Russian massage style of tapotement is less intrusive than the Swedish style, covers a larger surface area and is used to increase blood flow to the muscles. Russian massage also uses some friction techniques, both that are very deep tissue styles of massage.

The “sawing” technique is an intense style of massage that adds a lot of heat to the muscles and is helpful for chronic muscular problems. The cresting technique is also unique to this style of massage and again is a friction technique. Often used in sports massage, this technique again provides lots of heat to the muscles. Raking is also a common technique and is used along the erector spinae muscles and also the intercostals muscles, allowing for deep tissue manipulation of these muscles. However there are also some very gentle, relaxation styles of massage in the Russian style including the rocking of the body.

During this style of massage, the client’s body is often moved and rocked with the therapist using the client’s body to massage. So for instance, when massaging the muscles in the calf, the therapist will pick up the leg and rock it back and forth, using the weight of the muscle to massage the attachment points. This allows for a less intrusive style of massage and allows the massage therapist to work with the body, not against it.

All of the techniques including friction and cresting use the weight of the therapists body to provide the massage, rather than stressing the therapists thumbs and hands.

Russian massage is also known as being very easy on the therapist’s body and therefore helps extend the therapists working life. It does not use thumbs at all - and a large part of the massage is protection of the therapist’s body.

Russian therapists believe that sometimes giving 50% energy to a client will have a better effect than giving 100%. This style of massage has developed in Russia over the last 100 years and is used extensively in hospitals, with patients often being prescribed a series of massages during their stay.

Similarly, health professionals in Russia use massage therapy in their treatment of patients. Russian massage has been rarely seen in the West and is not commonly available.

Ripple Massage’s website has much information on mobile massage therapist and is the one mobile massage therapy business in Australia that offers Russian massage to its clients. Operating in Queensland, NSW and Victoria, clients are able to access this unique and rare style of massage that not only allows for deep relaxation but is deeply therapeutic. For more details visit the website.

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Healthy Massage Techniques

Friday, August 7th, 2009

Massage Techniques

Massage for Health

There are a number of people that love to get massages because they feel great but they also benefit your health and most people may not know this.  Massage therapy and techniques when they are done the right way can decrease your stress levels but also relax your muscles and they can improve your immune system as well.  Therapeutic Massages can also help to relive pain in the body and cure headaches.  Healing injuries and retaining muscle and joint mobility are also accredited to massages.Talk to your health care provider about the alternative therapy options like massage, If you are having any type of problems with these areas and traditional medical procedures are not working for you.

Massage Styles

There are various kinds of massage therapies and a massage professional will usually practice one or two of these.  You need to visit someone who can help you with your needs. There are Swedish massage therapies that are focused on relaxation or deep tissue massage and they are focused on loosening muscle tissues up.

Some of the different massages can target certain parts of the body. A Cranio-Sacral massage will focus on your neck, head, and spine to get it working properly in the right alignment again.  This will also loosen up the tight muscles in the body.  Chi Nei Tsang is one type of massage that will focus on your abdominal organs and help you with your digestive pain or disease.  If your joints are giving you the problem, you need to use The Trager Approach.This is a technique for massage that will improve your life when it is done the proper way.   You can also use them in connection with the Swedish massage or other types to target the problem and relax the whole body.

100+ Spa Massage Techniques

The other types of massages are going to relax or relieve stress like the Rosen Method.  All of the massages should make you feel physically and emotionally better.There are a few types of massage like the deep tissue massage therapy that can be a slightly painful and should only be used if the doctor recommends it for you.  Rolfing is one of these techniques that work to align your tissues the right way and straighten the spine up.You should feel better and not worse, even after this massage.  If your condition gets worse, you need to speak to your doctor and take different measures right away.

The other kinds of massage that may work for you will include the Alexander technique, acupressure, feldenfrais, reflexology, Reiki, and Shiatsu methods.You need to research them a lot before you make an appointment, because there are different ways to use these massage techniques.  You can find out information on how to perform the simple massage techniques on yourself to improve your comfort level or you can buy a massage chair for the home or office.  Your doctor or massage therapist can help you figure out what is going to be best for you and what your body needs the most.

There are so many massage therapy tools  and massage technique programs online and good luck with your massage therapies and massage techniques.

 

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