Glossary of Massage Terms
Posted: September 16, 2008 at 10:02 pm | Tags: Massage, Wellness
Acupressure (also called Shiatsu) – Traditional Chinese technique of applying finger pressure to special points that lie along acupuncture meridians.
Chair Massage – Type of massage administered while the client is clothed and seated in a specially-designed chair. It allows the massage therapist to massage the muscles the back, neck, shoulders, arms and hands.
Cranio-Sacral – A gentle touch method of evaluating and enhancing the functioning of the central nervous system.
Deep Tissue – Technique releasing chronic patterns of tension in the body through slow strokes and deep finger/elbow pressure on contracted areas, either following or going accross the fibers of muscles, tendons and fascia.
Effleurage – Smooth, gliding stroke, generally used in Swedish massage, using both hands to relax soft tissue.
Friction – The deepest of Swedish massage strokes, it encompasses deep, circular movements applied to soft tissue causing the underlying layers of tissue to rub against each other. This causes an increase in blood flow to the massaged area and can breakdown scar tissue.
Hot Stone – Massage technique, used in conjunction with other modalities, in which warmed stones are placed on placed points, and sometimes used as massage tools.
Massage Modality or Technique – A kind of massage, such as Swedish, Deep Tissue, Pregnancy, Shiatsu or many others.
Meridians – Invisible channels of energy flow in the body according to Asian medical systems.
Myofascial Release – A form of bodywork using long stretching strokes that seeks to rebalance the body by releasing tension in the fascia/connective tissue.
Petrissage (also called Kneading) – the squeezing, rolling and kneading of the muscles that usually follows effleurage during Swedish massage.
Pregnancy – Created especially to relieve the common discomforts of pregnancy in a safe, nurturing way.
Shiatsu (also called Acupressure) – Japanese form of physical therapy (non-oil massage, the client is not required to remove clothing) traditionally performed on the floor, based on the acupuncture system using fingers, hands, elbows, forearms and feet.
Sports Massage – A kind of massage therapy that focuses on muscle systems relevant to a particular sport. It involves different massage approaches while an athlete is in training, during sports activity and after a sport event.
Swedish Massage – A system of long strokes, kneading and friction techniques on the more superficial layers of the muscles, combined with active and passive movements of the joints. The four strokes of Swedish massage are effleurage, petrissage, friction and tapotement.
Thai Herbal Ball – Method of hot treatment employed in traditional Thai Medicine to provide the same type of stimulation as acupressure along energy channels, increasing blood flow and lymphatic drainage. It is used in combination with traditional Thai or Swedish massage, or as a tool to work on specific parts of the body that need special attention for muscular tightness or pain.
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