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Poor physical conditioning or excessive exercise can cause varying degrees of muscle ache or pain. There are many solutions to relieve muscle pain but the most common is getting a massage. Massage therapies work quickly to soothe aching muscles right where it hurts.
Do you know how good it feels when you’re relieved from stress and aching muscles after a massage?
It turns out that a massage is not just a good pain reliever and stress buster but can also work on your mood and emotional health.
While Escape Massage provides two of the most popular types of massage – Swedish and Deep Tissue Massage – it is still vital to understand the variation and advantages of each type.
Just knowing the difference between the two can help you decide which one will work best for your needs.
Swedish or Deep Tissue Massage?
With many different types of massages available, customers like you are puzzled what each massage can really do. Learning the differences can help you choose which one can work best for you.
While there are a number of massages that you can choose from, the two basic types of massage to promote relaxation and therapy are Swedish and Deep Tissue Massage.
Swedish massage consists of well-defined strokes with a combination of stretching, pressure on the muscles, and joint movements.
Because of its sliding movements, Swedish Massage uses various essential oils to ease the movements and eliminate friction. These oils also promote relaxation, blood circulation, and emphasizing the benefits of aromatherapy.
There are a number of benefits of Swedish Massage including:
- Cell growth or regeneration
- Improving the functions of the body’s organs
- Lower blood pressure
- Boosting energy
- Enhancing the immune system
The different strokes used in Swedish Massage are:
- Friction – With this stroke, your therapist provides fast, shorter movements. The goal is to create heat via friction. When heat is applied, blood circulation is enhanced.
- Vibration – This stroke creates movement throughout the body and promotes relaxation.
- Effleurage – This refers to longer gliding strokes that distributes the oil all throughout the body. This allows your therapist to touch tensed muscles.
- Petrissage – This refers to rubbing and molding strokes that help eliminate metabolic waste and toxins in those areas.
- Tapotement – Have you ever heard of the rhythmic movement during a massage? Those movements are classified as Tapotement. With light blows to the body resembling karate chops, this Swedish Massage stroke promotes muscle relaxation.
Deep Tissue Massage uses almost the same techniques of the Swedish Massage, the focus is more targeted and defined. Generally using firm pressure, Deep Tissue Massage works on the muscle tissues with deeper strokes and pressure.
This type of massage is primarily focused on enhancing the body’s fascia or connective tissue. Your therapist will focus on specific areas of the muscle, releasing tension and spasms.
For minor muscle pains and injuries, you can choose Deep Tissue Massage.
The different techniques used in Deep Tissue massage are:
- Warm Up – This technique uses light pressure to prepare the muscles for a deeper massage.
- Stripping – With this technique, your therapists will work on your muscles through gliding movements.Pressure is applied to the fibers using thumb, forearm, knuckles, or elbow.
- Friction – This technique provides pressure on the grains of a muscle and restores muscle fibers.
With these techniques, Deep Tissue Massage is used when recovering from an injury and for those looking to enhance mobility especially those with limited movements.
While both types of massage promote relaxation and reduce muscle pain, Deep Tissue Massage is more defined in terms of movements and target areas.
So, before booking an appointment, assess your needs first. If you need a lighter, more relaxed tone of movements, get a Swedish Massage.
If you want to eliminate extreme pain and improve mobility and other muscle problems, book a Deep Tissue Massage.
Whether it’s Swedish or Deep Tissue Massage, at Escape Massage, we ensure you get the relaxation you deserve. Our licensed massage therapists are certified and trained to provide the best massage therapy in Charlotte.
Book an appointment today and stop the pain that stops you.