What is Swedish Massage?

Swedish massage uses five styles of long, flowing strokes to massage. The five basic strokes are effleurage (sliding or gliding), petrissage (kneading), tapotement (rhythmic tapping), friction (cross fiber) and vibration (shaking of the hands or fingers).

Swedish massage has shown to be helpful in reducing pain, joint stiffness, and improving function in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee over a period of eight weeks. It has also been shown to be helpful in individuals with poor circulation.

The development of Swedish massage is credited to Per Henrik Ling, though it was the Dutch practitioner Johan Georg Mezger who adopted the French names to denote the basic strokes. The term "Swedish" massage is not really used in the country of Sweden, where it is called "classic massage".

I Know the Muscles

To give optimal or professional massages, one must know the skeletal and muscular system of the body along with their attachments and how they move. Being able to locate certain muscles, tendons or ligaments, and knowing what they do and how they respond to massage, is essential. I went through <some number of> hours of training to be able to do this.

When you are massaging someone's back, which muscles need to be massaged? In what direction do those muscles move? Certain areas may have as many as five or more muscles involved in a specific movement! Some of these must be manipulated in a very short space. Others are located under or over other muscles. Location is a key ingredient to massaging the area needing relief or movement.

I start out with a light pressure, to establish how deep a massage you need or want. This can help locate any specific complaints., and enables me to identify some of the muscles in the area I need to work on.

Massage can affect a person's whole life for the better, with a little caring and a gentle, knowledgeable, touch. What a difference it makes to have the right strokes! Each stroke in massage counts, so call me to arrange your massage today!