ISIS

2. SWEDISH THERAPEUTIC MASSAGE

"The art of massage is probably as old as man himself, because to hold or rub an injured part is an instinctive reaction to the pain and discomfort involved".

Swedish massage may be defined as the manipulation of soft tissue for therapeutic purposes. It is traditionally performed on a purpose built couch with either talcum powder applied to the hands of the therapist (not shaken over the patient!) or with oil (applied directly to the skin of the patient). The aim of using talc or oil is to enable the hands of the therapist to glide over the patient without causing discomfort or "pulling" of the skin.

Massage has both a physiological and psychological effect. The various movements massage exerts, either individually or in combination, affect the skin, muscles, blood vessels, lymphatics, nerves and some of the internal organs, depending on the position and pressure of the movements involved. In general, the petrissage (pressure) movements result in a speeding up (stimulating and invigorating) of the body's physiology, whilst slow, effleurage (stroking) movement has a soothing effect calming the nerves and enabling the patient to relax.

Many ailments can be helped greatly with regular massage, these include sciatica, back pain, restricted muscle movement, sinusitis, headache and of course sports injuries.

The benefits of massage from a sports persons point of view, apart from the obvious relaxation qualities are: muscles becoming more resilient, flexibility being increased, oxygen distribution to muscles (cells) becomes more efficient thus aiding recovery and helping to avoid injury occurring in the first instance. Treatment of existing injuries at an early stage can eliminate the need to be "out of play" for prolonged periods of time as well as hasten the rehabilitation process. Incorporation of Trigger Point Therapy (similar to acupressure) into the massage sequence can help release areas of biomechanical stress.

Applied Techniques
Effleurage: this is a movement mainly consisting of "stroking" with the flat of the hand, fingers close together and as far as is practicable, the tips of the fingers turning upwards to avoid protuberances. effleurage precedes all other movements because of its relaxing effect, this enables the patient to get used to the therapists hands, whilst warming up the tissues to be worked on with deeper movements later in the session as well as increasing blood and lymph flow in and out of the area. Effleurage movements are usually made towards the heart, because in addition to the effect of Effleurage on the skin and underlying structures - it helps to speed up the venous and lymph flow. In areas that may need stimulating, fast Effleurage is permissible

Petrissage: normally applied with the ends of the fingers and the thumb. It is applied to soft tissue that has bone immediately underneath it, in this way the digits are able to squeeze the soft tissue against the bone and so help eliminate accumulated waste products.

Kneading: (sometimes referred to as "rolling") - a very important movement because of its deep reaching effect. Kneading can be applied to soft tissue with no bone immediately underneath it and its action is very similar to that of kneading bread! The effects of kneading are numerous, particularly helping with the elimination of waste products from deep tissues, especially muscular tissues. It assists in the breaking down of adipose tissue (fat!), improves body metabolism, muscle contractability and helps the interchange of tissue fluids. It is also decongestive in action.