What Is A Professional Therapeutic Massage?
A professional therapeutic massage is the manual manipulation of the soft tissues of the body to effect an improvement in the health and well being of the client. The term "soft tissues" includes muscles, tendons, ligaments, general fascia, and potentially even the internal organs of the body. A massage therapist is a trained and licensed professional with knowledge of human anatomy, particularly in relation to the bones and skeletal muscles. A therapeutic massage session is adapted to the particular needs of the client. The client is asked for pertinent medical history as well as their goals for the session. During the session, the client is covered with sheets and when a particular area is worked it is undraped, while keeping the rest of the client covered. At no time is the client's groin or chest (female clients) uncovered during the session.
The Benefits Of Massage
Massage therapy can have a wide range of benefits depending on the skill and knowledge of the therapist as well as the interests and dedication of the client. The most commonly sought benefits are relaxation and the decrease of muscle tension and pain. As a whole massage therapy helps to increase the circulation and lymphatic flow in the areas worked. This helps the tissues of the body to clean out waste products and receive the oxygen and nutrients needed for healing and better health. This is one of the main focuses of Swedish massage.
More advanced forms of massage therapy, such as Deep Tissue therapy and especially forms of structural integration like Rolfing, can have a deep impact on the efficiency and ease of movement of the body. These modalities are more focused on discerning structural imbalances and tension patterns that are causing restriction and pain. The goal is then to treat the problematic tension patterns in order to decrease their resultant imbalances. This helps the body to move more correctly and with greater comfort.
One of the greatest benefits of massage therapy is its ability to increase your awareness and knowledge of your body. Most people stay very busy and spend little time focusing on their health. This often leads to tension patterns developing that we are not even aware of until they cause great pain or health problems. During a massage session, pay attention to how the areas of your body feel when being worked. Most clients are surprised about which areas of their body are the tightest. Ask the therapist questions about those areas and try to learn ways to decrease the stresses that you are putting on them. The more you pay attention to your body, the more easily you will be able to take care of your health.