It is suitable for the same conditions as is Thai massage.Įvolved in Japan, shiatsu literally means 'finger pressure'. Usually, you will be clothed techniques include pushing and grasping (tuina) and pressing and rubbing (anmo). Thai massage is particularly good for musculo-skeletal problems, neck and shoulder pain, lower back pain, sciatica and RSI.Īlong with acupuncture and herbal medicine, massage forms an integral part of traditional Chinese medicine. You remain fully dressed throughout the massage and the masseur will use hands, feet and elbows to apply pressure to key points along the energy channels along your body. Sometimes known as Thai yoga massage, because, during a treatment, the masseur will stretch you into positions that resemble yoga postures. Stroke patients, migraine suffers, and those with ME, impotence, prostate and circulation problems respond well to it. Part of the Indian Ayurvedic system of medicine, marma focuses on 107 points on the body which relate to internal organs and body systems, and uses a mixture of slow, gentle strokes, brisk invigorating movements and warming techniques, such as rubbing and squeezing.Īs well as bringing the life force - prana - into harmony, marma improves the circulation in a specific area of the neuro-muscular system and tones up the surrounding muscles. Many sports players rely on it to tackle their sporting and muscular injuries and postural problems. Therapists can identify and treat specific areas of tension and minor injury. Uses deep friction and pressure to work thoroughly through muscles and associated soft tissues. It is also useful for stress-related illnesses and conditions where deep relaxation is essential for improvement, and has been used in hospitals to great effect in improving the quality of life for cancer and Aids sufferers. This type is particularly suitable for controlling chronic conditions such as arthritis, where it helps maintain mobility. Carried out on naked skin with oils (aromatherapy is often an added extra), you can opt for a gentle massage, which is used to encourage relaxation, or a firm technique to stimulate circulation and release muscular tension. And just as with any other therapy, different techniques are suited to different conditions.Īll western techniques are derived from Swedish massage. Massage therapist and teacher, Clare Maxwell-Hudson, who travelled the world researching different styles of massage and their benefits for her latest book, says: 'Wherever I went, I learned that all over the world the instinct to touch, to rub a sore spot to make it better, had been developed into a system, a body of knowledge and an art.' This art stretches from long, slow Swedish sweeps on naked skin to clothed pressure point techniques from Japan. Because of increased interest in complementary therapies, there is now a rich, even confusing, range of massage techniques to tone up the system, deal with specific aches and pains and treat problems of stress. In ancient Greece, Herodicus, teacher of Hippocrates, made massage and exercise a cornerstone of the medicine of the time, and every civilisation since has enjoyed its own form of therapeutic touch. This kind of validation is gratifying, if tardy - the benefits of massage have been praised for thousands of years. Research has shown that, by increasing the circulation to a sprained limb, massage helps healing while another study showed that people who were massaged between bouts of vigorous exercise recovered more quickly and performed better than those who had only rested. Medical professionals now acknowledge that massage can help manage pain and comfort those in emotional or psychological distress by releasing endorphins - the body's natural painkillers - into the bloodstream.
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