The Standard Swedish Massage

Today's discussion will be about the Swedish Massage. This type of massage is your basic burger and fries, nuts and bolts, standard operating procedure type massage. Why is it called "Swedish", you ask? Basically it's a compilation of techniques for massaging the body from head to toe that was put together in one neat package by a Swede named Per Henrik Ling.

This style of massage is traditionally about an hour long, uses lotion/oil for smooth and flowing techniques over the muscles, and hits every major body part (excluding breasts, genitals, and anus, plus any part of the body that is contraindicated or simply avoided at the request of the recipient of the massage).

It includes massage of the scalp and facial muscles (not usually with oil or lotion), the neck and shoulders, arms and hands, legs (front and back) and feet, hips and thighs, and the entire back. This gives the therapist a chance to really relax the client and get a feel for any areas of the body that may have pain, stress, tension or other abnormality, while giving the client a complete relaxing and therapeutic session with little pain or discomfort. It soothes muscles, calms the mind, moves lymph and improves circulation, reduces stress and tension, and can be a very rewarding part of a regular healthy regimen or lifestyle.

The typical Swedish treatment rarely addresses specific areas of serious concern enough to give the client good or long-lasting results. Frequently, a therapist will do a "hybrid" style of massage that includes some time spent doing other modalities that will address a problem but also give the client the full-body experience. For example, if a client has some neck pain but really wants a full-body massage, perhaps the therapist will perform 15-30 minutes of deep tissue or triggerpoint release on the neck and shoulders and the remainder of the time doing a relaxing Swedish routine.

Since oils and lotions are typically used, and the best therapy is acheived when the techniques are used directly on the skin, this type (and many others) of massage is not done through clothing but directly on the body. This means that the client undresses privately, and makes themselves comfortable on the table and drapes themselves under sheets, towels or blankets before the therapist enters the room. The therapist undrapes only the body part that is to be massaged at that time, and then covers again when finished. The client's privacy is never jeopardized.

After the treatment, the therapist leaves the room so the client can dress, and most people find themselves relaxed and tension free for up to several days! It's important to drink lots of water after a treatment as a lot of physiological responses to massage will require H2O and good circulation.

The Swedish Massage is the perfect "First Timers" massage, and can be enjoyed often. I do suggest that people to try this first, but also encourage them to try other modalities to make sure their needs are being met the best way available to them.

Signing off,

Kevin

What Does Massage Therapy DO?

So we have covered what massage therapy IS, but that sure doesn't exactly explain what it DOES.

For that, I'll visit a mantra of mine that sums up massage therapy and virtually all of good basic healthy practices.

"IN WITH THE GOOD, OUT WITH THE BAD."

You are ailve because your cells are alive. Your cells perform the functions needed to keep you alive. The functions needed to keep you alive:

1. require necessary materials like protiens, sugars, fatty acids, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, WATER, and probably most importantly-- OXYGEN.
2. produce bi-products and waste materials that your cells and then your body eliminate.

Most of the time, we are in control of what goes into our bodies. We can choose to drink lots of clean, pure water, eat vitamin rich vegetables, find a balance of healthy carbohydrates and fats, etc. and therefore monitor our health and increase or decrease the things our body needs at any given time.

Sometimes, however, certain parts of our bodies may not be getting the things it needs and/or may not be eliminating the things it doesn't need. The things we don't need are frequently not benign. An inability to eliminate them can cause us to be unhealthy.

WHAT THE HECK DOES THAT HAVE TO DO WITH GETTING A MASSAGE??

If the soft tissues of our body are dehydrated, tight, stiff, injured, inflamed, or otherwise incapable of circulating in necessary materials (aka "good stuff"), or circulating out stagnant, malignant waste products (aka "bad stuff") then those areas of the body become unhealthy and can be painful and prevent us from functioning normally throughout our day. In short, if our circulation isn't coming in with the good and going out with the bad, our muscles hurt and our bodies ache.

This is where massage comes in. Manual manipulation of the soft tissues causes the body to respond with bloodflow. Blood carries with it oxygen and other nutrients that your cells are craving. Let's try an experiment.

Stick out your arm palm up and rigorously rub and scratch a small part of your forearm for a few seconds. (This part of your arm tends to be lighter in color as it doesn't see as much sunlight) Now wait about 20 seconds--see how that small patch of skin is now pinkish? That's BLOODFLOW!

How or why is your body able to do this? WHO CARES?! There is a very complicated scientific explaination for this phenomenon, and perhaps one day we'll do an article on it, but for our simplification purposes all you need to know is "IF YOU RUB IT, BLOOD WILL COME" and with that blood comes oxygen and nutrition, and when the blood leaves that area it takes with it the waste products that your body is trying to eliminate.

This is the MAIN function of massage therapy and the MAIN reason it works and makes us feel good. If a muscle is tight, that tightness may be constricting blood vessels and prohibiting proper bloodflow. The tissues then begin to starve and build up harmful waste materials. A good massage will loosen the muscle, improve the bloodflow, and restore that life-giving "in-with-the-good-out-with-the-bad" cycle that keeps us alive and healthy.

Want to help keep your whole body healthy? GET REGULAR MASSAGE THERAPY!

Thanks for reading,

Kevin

Massage Therapy Basics

What Is Massage Therapy?

Massage Therapy takes many forms. In my experience, many people hear the term "Massage Therapy" and only hear the first word--"Massage". What's commonly misunderstood is that massage is very therapeutic on many levels.
Let's break it down:

Mas = sage [muh-sahzh, -sahj] noun
1. the act or art of treating the body by rubbing, kneading, patting, or the like, to stimulate circulation, increase suppleness, relieve tension, etc.

2. Slang. attentive or indulgent treatment; pampering

Wow... even the dictionary only has limited knowledge of this subject... not to mention perpetuates the notion that massage is for luxury only.


Ther = a = py [ther-uh-pee]
noun
1. the treatment of disease or disorders, as by some remedial, rehabilitating, or curative process: speech therapy.

2. a curative power or quality.

4. any act, hobby, task, program, etc., that relieves tension.

Ok now we're getting somewhere. My frustration here is that the medical community "owns" words like "cure" and "treat" so it becomes difficult to define Massage Therapy as the treatment of disease or curative process through the act or art of rubbing, kneading etc...

However, if you put these two definitions together you begin to see just how Massage Therapy really does fit into our modern definitions of health care.
One online medical dictionary defines the term Massage Therapy as:

"the scientific manipulation of the soft tissues of the body for the purpose of normalizing those tissues and consists of manual techniques that include applying fixed or movable pressure, holding, and/or causing movement of or to the body."

So when you hear words like "sceintific", "curative", "treatment" etc., do you think of a luxurious pampering experience? I sure hope not. I am NOT trying to say that a massage cannot be a luxuriously enjoyable or frivolous experience. I am simply pointing out that this is ONLY ONE type of massage experience. Massage has much higher value in the area of health and wellness than simply something you treat yourself to while on a cruise.

I have created a model of Massage Therapy that is made up of three constructs. Although there are literally thousands of modalities around the world, for simplification I have narrowed the field down to three basic types or styles of therapy.

• Relaxation
• Rehabilitative
• Spiritual

Since it is virtually impossible to have any one of these types of massage without experiencing the benefits of the other two, it becomes a sort of "holy trinity". You can choose whichever style of massage you would like to receive, but you cannot avoid getting at least some of the benefits of the other two--at least on some level.

Relaxation massage is the kind most people think of when you think of massage. (Google the word "massage" and look at the images.) Very soothing, usually gentle, incorporating techniques designed to relax mental and physical stress and tension. Typically incorporates oils or lotions and utilizes long gliding strokes over the skin. Examples are: Swedish, Hot Stone, spa style wraps and body treatments.

Rehabilitative style is geared toward acheiving some sort of goal related to a specific problem, ailment, injury, pathology or other abnormality regarding a person's health. "Deep Tissue" is one of the most common modalities and in itself has many identities. It can be relaxing but can also be uncomfortable if the manipulation is to have the desired long-term goal-related effect on the soft tissues of the body. (note: SHOULD NOT BE PAINFUL) Some styles are: Myofascial Release (MFR), Neuromuscular Therapy (NMT), and Sports Massage.

Spiritual therapies vary greatly in philosophy, practice, and treatment--even so much so that there are many that don't even involve touching the person receiving the massage. Many practices involve a sort of leap of faith involving phenomena that may not be easily explained by standard western medical definitions. Things like qi (chi) energy, chakras, accu-pressure meridians etc. are practiced in different cultures and have found there way all over the world. Hawaiian Lomi Lomi, Reiki, Seimei, and Tuina are just a few examples.

Hopefully this answered some basic questions for you... but I hope even more that it made you curious enough to have LOTS MORE QUESTIONS (like What Does Massage Therapy Do? ) so you'll keep reading and keep learning about MASSAGE!

Mahalo,

Kevin

Introduction

Welcome to Massage Therapy Now!!

The purpose of this blog is to educate and inform readers about Massage Therapy. Each article will attempt to explain and expose one of many facets of this growing field; including such topics as common ailments and injuries, Sports Medicine, Therapeutic Massage, lesser known modalities, health benefits, ethics and professionalism, relaxation, stress management, anatomy and physiology, and many more. Hopefully, it will answer many questions people might have, dispell myths, releive fears, and instill confidence in readers that massage therapy is not just a luxury, but a necessary part of a healthy lifestyle and a pivotal element in modern medicine.

Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Kevin Kehler and I have been practicing massage therapy for over seven years in myriad capacities. I am Licensed in Hawaii and New Jersey*, am nationally certified, am a member in good standing with the International Massage Association, I hold a bachelors degree from The College of New Jersey, and am currently working toward a Masters Degree. Since graduating from one of the top massage schools in the country, I have had the opportunity to work with NCAA Sports (including “Big 10” teams), chiropractic and alternative medicine centers, gyms and fitness facilities, world class spas, as well as private homes and estates. With each opportunity I have strived to provide my clients and employers the highest quality therapy and service.

It is my sincere hope that you not only leave here informed and with some of your questions answered, but that you enjoy reading and feel comfortable leaving feedback, comments, or further questions that I may answer for you either personally or with a follow-up article. I look forward to hearing from you!

Yours in Health,

Kevin Kehler

*New Jersey Laws are currently changing and evolving to licensure. Many therapists (myself included) will be "grandfathered in" to full licensure based on several criteria.