We’ve all heard of it, and probably think we know what it is; it’s more than simple relaxation massage, but really, what is Swedish Massage?
In the mid 1800s, a Swedish man named Pehr Henrik Ling, was influenced by French therapeutic gymnastics and developed what he called “The Swedish Movement Cure.” His system of manual therapy came to be known as Swedish Massage.
A classic Swedish Massage consists of five strokes:
- effleurage – long flowing strokes performed with open hands. Effleurage is means to help induce relaxation, improve circulation, and slow the breathing. Typically performed toward the heart.
- petrissage – kneading, lifting, squeezing stroked using various hand grips. The purpose of petrissage is to loosen tight muscle and reduce pain. It also is meant to increase local circulation.
- friction – small circles or back-and-forth strokes performed with fingertips or knuckles, or even elbows. Breaks up adhesions and reduced pain.
- vibration – usually performed with open hands and locked elbows, vibration is seldom used as it is hard on the practitioners hands.
- tapotement – percussive stroked performed with the sides of open hands, cupped hands, soft fists, prayer hands, etc. The rhythmic strokes of tapotement is deeply relaxing, or highly energizing, depending on how and where it is performed.
A good Swedish massage practitioner gets into a rhythmic flow, and can induce a deeply relaxing state and feeling of well-being into the client. And more than just feeling good and relaxing, Swedish Massage can help clients recover from injury, chronic pain conditions, and more. Notice that none of the five strokes include the elbows, or even the forearms. That’s because Swedish Massage can be done from light pressure all the way to “hurts-so-good” pressure.
Most massage therapists use Swedish Massage for relaxation massage, and other techniques for deeper work, but here at Paul Brown Massage Therapy, I use Swedish Massage for many purposes, and blend its classic strokes in with other powerful massage techniques to achieve the results the client needs, whether that is pain relief, relaxation, improved sports performance, or relief from the aches of pregnancy and childbirth.
A Swedish Massage doesn’t only have to be for relaxation!