Massage is a general term for pressing, rubbing and manipulating your skin, muscles, tendons and ligaments. Massage may range from light stroking to deep pressure. There are many different types of massage, including these common types:
- Swedish massage – a gentle form of massage that uses long strokes, kneading, deep circular movements, vibration and tapping to relax and energize you.
- Deep massage – slower, more-forceful strokes to target the deeper layers of muscle and connective tissue, commonly to help with muscle damage from injuries.
- Sports massage – geared toward people involved in sport activities to help prevent or treat injuries.
- Trigger point massage – focuses on areas of tight muscle fibers that can form in your muscles after injuries or overuse.
Our Remedial Massage Therapists use a variety of these techniques.
Benefits of massage
Massage is generally considered part of complementary and integrative medicine. It’s increasingly being offered along with standard treatment for a wide range of medical conditions and situations.
While more research is needed to confirm the benefits of massage, some studies have found massage may also be helpful for:
- Anxiety
- Digestive disorders
- Fibromyalgia
- Headaches
- Insomnia related to stress
- Myofascial pain syndrome
- Soft tissue strains or injuries
- Sports injuries
- Temporomandibular joint pain