When it comes to relieving sore muscles, there are a variety of massage techniques that can be used to help reduce pain and stiffness. Swedish massage is the most common type of massage and is a great option for those looking to reduce stress and muscle cramps. This form of massage involves caressing muscles and tissues in a prolonged and fluid manner, and is usually done with the hands or forearms. It can be done with lighter or deeper pressure, but the movements are long from the shoulders to the lower back and up, for example, or from the wrist to the arm to the neck and then back down again.
This form of massage is usually very relaxing and is an ideal technique to experiment with if you've never received a massage before. Deep tissue massage is another popular technique used to help relieve muscle pain. This type of massage is usually done at a slower pace, with a lot of communication between therapist and client. The therapist should talk to you during treatment and ask, “With this pressure, would you like me to stay here or go deeper or lighter?” There may be a certain level of discomfort, which we call “a good range of pain” for deep tissue massage to be effective.
But it shouldn't be too uncomfortable. Trigger point massage is also used to help release knots in muscles. It is usually done with the thumb, knuckle or elbow to apply static pressure to those points. Hot stone massage is another technique that looks and feels too good to be therapeutic, but these stones actually serve a clinical purpose.
The shape of the stones themselves allows the therapist to use special techniques that can offer more therapeutic benefits and benefits that you will actually feel. The stones are preheated to 125 degrees the moment the session starts, allowing the therapist to work more effectively. Prenatal massage is also available for pregnant women, which includes instructions on specific modifications used to help protect the baby, relieve symptoms such as edema (swelling) and low back pain that are common during pregnancy, and make the mother more comfortable during and after the massage. Sports massage is primarily designed for work before or after a sporting event.
It is usually not as relaxing as other forms of massage, generally more fast-acting than Swedish massage; the techniques used by the therapist to apply pressure to the body move at a faster pace. Assisted stretching is also a common sports massage technique and is used to help dissipate lactic acid build-up in muscles. Most massage therapists are trained in Swedish and deep tissue massage, while some have received advanced training in other techniques.
