Functional and Structural Massage Therapy. What are the main differences?
Functional Massage can probably be defined as "the kneading or rubbing of parts of the body to reduce pain or stiffness or help relaxation". I would call that as a functional massage. It is mainly focused on the symptoms of a problem, not on the root cause.
This is the area where most of the Massage therapist are working in. Unfortunately.
The biggest challenge in Massage though is structural work. This means you actually try to change posture pattern throughout the entire body.
My favorite structural massage therapy is Rolfing. Many of the Rolfers actually seem to bypass your initial concern and go straight to therapeutic work that changes the structure of the whole body. In 10 sessions they are able to make the needed structural changes, that in the view of Rolfing will then take care of your problem at the same time, without them specifically addressing it.
Even though Chinese Massage does not work on the gross material plane, this style can probably count as an energetic structural massage, because it actually changes disrupted energy patterns in the whole body.
You can use any kind of massage style and use it in a functional or structural way. It is your choice.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Monday, September 8, 2008
Techniques of Massage - from Superficial to Deep
Techniques of Massage - from Superficial to Deep is another very important aspect of how I have learned to approach massage.
Some great massage styles are based on the view that the body consists of layers. These styles claim that a massage can also only be successful if you deal with the layers in its order from superficial to deep.
I totally agree with this assessment.
But there is additional things that support this idea:
1. It is way less stressful on the client's body to work in layers, as you prepare each layer, and only move deeper, if a layer is ready to be passed. Too much pressure on an unprepared or insufficiently prepared tissue can lead to damage and injury - and because the first principle of healing is "to do no harm", this approach is somewhat counterproductive - to say the least.
How do you feel when a tissue is ready?
It is simple and I laid it out on my massage video blog in the video "Real Deep Tissue Massage". A layer will show you if its ready if it let's you go deeper without major restriction or resistance.
Too many people like to just jam on a muscle, which I would call muscle mashing but not massage therapy.
Techniques of massage should always use the least amount of necessary strength
2. In the above mentioned video I also put forward that working in layers is much less taxing on the massage therapist (yeah I know I'm thinking in a selfish way - but I want to do my work for a long time - so I also have to take care of my own body)
If you are working on a layer that is ready or pass a layer that is sufficiently prepared, you will need less effort on your part.
Techniques of massage will only be really effective if they are welcomed by the body. If they are not the body will brace and you will have to use more pressure than appropriate for the situation.
That's why relaxing of the client is a very important part of massage. Less overall muscle tension will give you easier access.
Check out the Real Deep Tissue Techniques of massage
Some great massage styles are based on the view that the body consists of layers. These styles claim that a massage can also only be successful if you deal with the layers in its order from superficial to deep.
I totally agree with this assessment.
But there is additional things that support this idea:
1. It is way less stressful on the client's body to work in layers, as you prepare each layer, and only move deeper, if a layer is ready to be passed. Too much pressure on an unprepared or insufficiently prepared tissue can lead to damage and injury - and because the first principle of healing is "to do no harm", this approach is somewhat counterproductive - to say the least.
How do you feel when a tissue is ready?
It is simple and I laid it out on my massage video blog in the video "Real Deep Tissue Massage". A layer will show you if its ready if it let's you go deeper without major restriction or resistance.
Too many people like to just jam on a muscle, which I would call muscle mashing but not massage therapy.
Techniques of massage should always use the least amount of necessary strength
2. In the above mentioned video I also put forward that working in layers is much less taxing on the massage therapist (yeah I know I'm thinking in a selfish way - but I want to do my work for a long time - so I also have to take care of my own body)
If you are working on a layer that is ready or pass a layer that is sufficiently prepared, you will need less effort on your part.
Techniques of massage will only be really effective if they are welcomed by the body. If they are not the body will brace and you will have to use more pressure than appropriate for the situation.
That's why relaxing of the client is a very important part of massage. Less overall muscle tension will give you easier access.
Check out the Real Deep Tissue Techniques of massage
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Techniques of Massage - General to Specific
When you talk about techniques of massage, you need to understand one important principle, that is crucial for any massage technique or massage style. This is as important as the principle that every massage should always be seen as a full body massage
Why is that?
You might think somebody comes with you with a shoulder problem and start working on it.
But you forget two important things:
2. But what is more important is that any techniques of massage should "HELP THE BODY TO HELP ITSELF" (Sorry for saying this loud but I just wanted to make sure that everybody can hear me on that one).
Our body is the best therapist and it sometimes only takes a little support to achieve significant changes.
You can find these principles in Western massages like Rolfing or in Eastern massage styles like Acupointmassage (which is very well taught in Europe)
Ok so what does this mean for your work?
Well be patient and start with a general treatment, not even so much thinking about the specific problem, but rather trying to encourage the body to help itself.
The Rolfer will start his first of ten sessions always with the soles of the feet and the Chinese massage therapist (at least in school of thought I have learned) will always start with a general transfer of Chi either from Yin to Yang or Yang to Yin (which means either a treatment of the front of the body or the back of the body)
Even in Swedish massage it is advisable to just do a normal full body massage, without putting to much attention to the problem area first and see what is happening.
The problem might be solved just with a general treatment, without even having to deal with the problem area specifically.
Why is that better?
First of all because it utilizes the incredible intelligence of the body (which is far more than you can have as a therapist), plus it deals with the whole body, plus many problems actually don't like to be touched, especially when they are acute.
There will be too much yang energy or inflammation there, so you would just turn it into a chronic thing, just jamming on it.
If your client is okay with it I would always just do a general treatment, with techniques of massage that are not very specific and then see after 2 days how it goes.
You can have the best techniques of massage, but unless you understand the basic principles of how the body works, you will not be very successful applying them.
Check out my massage video blog to watch some good techniques of massage
Always work from general to specific techniques.
Why is that?
You might think somebody comes with you with a shoulder problem and start working on it.
But you forget two important things:
1. You have to see and treat this problem as a whole body problem.
You need to check any underlying problems of the shoulder thing in any other body part and possible find areas that need to be treated first before you can successfully treat the shoulder.
Here I'm not just talking about the neck or chest area. It could be the hip, the knees, the ankles and feet - pretty much everything. So keep that in mind.
You need to check any underlying problems of the shoulder thing in any other body part and possible find areas that need to be treated first before you can successfully treat the shoulder.
Here I'm not just talking about the neck or chest area. It could be the hip, the knees, the ankles and feet - pretty much everything. So keep that in mind.
2. But what is more important is that any techniques of massage should "HELP THE BODY TO HELP ITSELF" (Sorry for saying this loud but I just wanted to make sure that everybody can hear me on that one).
Our body is the best therapist and it sometimes only takes a little support to achieve significant changes.
You can find these principles in Western massages like Rolfing or in Eastern massage styles like Acupointmassage (which is very well taught in Europe)
Ok so what does this mean for your work?
Well be patient and start with a general treatment, not even so much thinking about the specific problem, but rather trying to encourage the body to help itself.
The Rolfer will start his first of ten sessions always with the soles of the feet and the Chinese massage therapist (at least in school of thought I have learned) will always start with a general transfer of Chi either from Yin to Yang or Yang to Yin (which means either a treatment of the front of the body or the back of the body)
Even in Swedish massage it is advisable to just do a normal full body massage, without putting to much attention to the problem area first and see what is happening.
The problem might be solved just with a general treatment, without even having to deal with the problem area specifically.
Why is that better?
First of all because it utilizes the incredible intelligence of the body (which is far more than you can have as a therapist), plus it deals with the whole body, plus many problems actually don't like to be touched, especially when they are acute.
There will be too much yang energy or inflammation there, so you would just turn it into a chronic thing, just jamming on it.
If your client is okay with it I would always just do a general treatment, with techniques of massage that are not very specific and then see after 2 days how it goes.
You can have the best techniques of massage, but unless you understand the basic principles of how the body works, you will not be very successful applying them.
Check out my massage video blog to watch some good techniques of massage
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Direction of Massage Strokes
1. Is the direction of Massage Strokes important? Does it really matter?
2. How come that Swedish Massage Therapy uses strokes towards the heart on the back of the legs and Chinese Massage uses downward strokes on the back of the legs?
3. Why are some Massage therapists working towards a restriction and some away from it?
Answer 1: Yes and No.
Answer 2: Because they are based on different views (one is based on the gross material body the other the system of meridians and energy channels)
Answer 3: Yes and No
What determines which direction are you using?
1. it is dependent on which school of thought are you following
2. on your understanding on the problem and its interrelation to other body parts
3. the intention of the practitioner.
It basically means that if you are thinking Swedish massage wise, that you are interested in increasing local circulation, full body circulation and help venous blood flow and the flow of lymph fluid.
You aid the venous flow, by using massage strokes towards the heart, and the flow of lymph fluids by using massage strokes towards the closest lymph nodes (which in turn emptying this fluid ultimately into the right or the left subclavian vein, where it mixes back with blood).
But if you are looking at it from point of view of TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine), then you will direct your massage strokes according to the flow of Chi in the meridians, which is up on the front of the body and down on the back of the body. (Although some Chinese massage therapists are putting forward that Chi is also flowing up on the back of the body)
If you are looking to relieve for instance an inflamed tendon of a muscle, you might work towards this muscle insertion from all directions (according to specific techniques of Myofascial Release, Rolfing etc.)
The understanding of the problem and its connections to the rest of the body will give you clues on which path to choose. The more paths you have available the more flexible you can be in your choices.
All three paths (and many more) can be equally successful.(just like many roads lead to the same city).
The intention of the massage therapist also has a crucial influence on the massage stroke. Whatever modalities a person has available, on whatever a massage therapist bases his or her treatment choice and whatever that practitioner wants to achieve will determine the direction of the massage strokes.
Click here to see different types of massage strokes videos
2. How come that Swedish Massage Therapy uses strokes towards the heart on the back of the legs and Chinese Massage uses downward strokes on the back of the legs?
3. Why are some Massage therapists working towards a restriction and some away from it?
Answer 1: Yes and No.
Answer 2: Because they are based on different views (one is based on the gross material body the other the system of meridians and energy channels)
Answer 3: Yes and No
What determines which direction are you using?
1. it is dependent on which school of thought are you following
2. on your understanding on the problem and its interrelation to other body parts
3. the intention of the practitioner.
It basically means that if you are thinking Swedish massage wise, that you are interested in increasing local circulation, full body circulation and help venous blood flow and the flow of lymph fluid.
You aid the venous flow, by using massage strokes towards the heart, and the flow of lymph fluids by using massage strokes towards the closest lymph nodes (which in turn emptying this fluid ultimately into the right or the left subclavian vein, where it mixes back with blood).
But if you are looking at it from point of view of TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine), then you will direct your massage strokes according to the flow of Chi in the meridians, which is up on the front of the body and down on the back of the body. (Although some Chinese massage therapists are putting forward that Chi is also flowing up on the back of the body)
If you are looking to relieve for instance an inflamed tendon of a muscle, you might work towards this muscle insertion from all directions (according to specific techniques of Myofascial Release, Rolfing etc.)
The understanding of the problem and its connections to the rest of the body will give you clues on which path to choose. The more paths you have available the more flexible you can be in your choices.
All three paths (and many more) can be equally successful.(just like many roads lead to the same city).
The intention of the massage therapist also has a crucial influence on the massage stroke. Whatever modalities a person has available, on whatever a massage therapist bases his or her treatment choice and whatever that practitioner wants to achieve will determine the direction of the massage strokes.
Click here to see different types of massage strokes videos
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Full Body Massage
What is a full body massage?
Well, most of you might think that a full body massage is a massage that includes all the parts of the body.
But is that really true?
Of course it is true. But it is not the whole truth.
The Art of Massage considers all massage a full body massage for two reasons.
1. Every manipulation even of just one part of the body has an effect on the rest of the body.
Let's say you have a person with a problem in the foot and you would be able to "massage it away" - this would have great effects on the rest of the body.
If the person was not fully stepping on this foot or maybe twisting it because of pain, this would have great influence on the knee, the hip, the spine all the way up to the head.
That means if you are able to free a person from this pain and the person is able to fully use the foot again, this would also lead to positive changes in the knee, the hip, the spine all the way up to the head. In one word full body massage in essence.
2. Parts of the body can only be treated successfully, if you have the whole body in mind.
Exceptions are when you are lucky and the body helps itself without you being aware of it. But every successful massage therapist will know that all body parts are interrelated and connected.
There are many obvious connections - like the ankle joint has influence over the knee joint and vice versa, and some less obvious ones, like the sacrum is connected to the neck (common vision for chiropractors), or the toes are connected to the head (reflexology) and the left ankle is connected to the right wrist and vice versa (chinese massage).
The truth of the matter is that you can only really understand changes in the body if you always keep the whole body in mind.
And why is this so important?
Because let's go back to the example of the problem in the foot. If you are talking about a chronic condition - then you will also see chronic changes in the knee, hip, spine, neck and even head posture. These chronic changes (depending on how long they are already present) will not necessary "want to be changed". The body has (even though in a chronic changed situation) accepted this new posture as the new status quo.
That means you as the therapist have to convince the body to get out of this chronic condition and gain a healthy posture or condition again.
Maybe you are lucky and just work on the foot and the rest will work itself out. Chances are though that the chronic changes within the body will force the foot to return to it's problem, because the body thinks that this is the new healthy status quo.
And this is why a successful massage therapist will always at least keep the whole body in mind, but usually will also work in the sense of a full body massage - maybe not addressing every single part of the body ( like in a classic massage), but the most important influential parts.
So the more fluent you are with the different interconnections of the body, the more you will be able to break through patterns and changes unhealthy postures and changes in the body.
This is really what Full body massage is all about.
Click here to see a full body massage chinese style.
Well, most of you might think that a full body massage is a massage that includes all the parts of the body.
But is that really true?
Of course it is true. But it is not the whole truth.
The Art of Massage considers all massage a full body massage for two reasons.
1. Every manipulation even of just one part of the body has an effect on the rest of the body.
Let's say you have a person with a problem in the foot and you would be able to "massage it away" - this would have great effects on the rest of the body.
If the person was not fully stepping on this foot or maybe twisting it because of pain, this would have great influence on the knee, the hip, the spine all the way up to the head.
That means if you are able to free a person from this pain and the person is able to fully use the foot again, this would also lead to positive changes in the knee, the hip, the spine all the way up to the head. In one word full body massage in essence.
2. Parts of the body can only be treated successfully, if you have the whole body in mind.
Exceptions are when you are lucky and the body helps itself without you being aware of it. But every successful massage therapist will know that all body parts are interrelated and connected.
There are many obvious connections - like the ankle joint has influence over the knee joint and vice versa, and some less obvious ones, like the sacrum is connected to the neck (common vision for chiropractors), or the toes are connected to the head (reflexology) and the left ankle is connected to the right wrist and vice versa (chinese massage).
The truth of the matter is that you can only really understand changes in the body if you always keep the whole body in mind.
And why is this so important?
Because let's go back to the example of the problem in the foot. If you are talking about a chronic condition - then you will also see chronic changes in the knee, hip, spine, neck and even head posture. These chronic changes (depending on how long they are already present) will not necessary "want to be changed". The body has (even though in a chronic changed situation) accepted this new posture as the new status quo.
That means you as the therapist have to convince the body to get out of this chronic condition and gain a healthy posture or condition again.
Maybe you are lucky and just work on the foot and the rest will work itself out. Chances are though that the chronic changes within the body will force the foot to return to it's problem, because the body thinks that this is the new healthy status quo.
And this is why a successful massage therapist will always at least keep the whole body in mind, but usually will also work in the sense of a full body massage - maybe not addressing every single part of the body ( like in a classic massage), but the most important influential parts.
So the more fluent you are with the different interconnections of the body, the more you will be able to break through patterns and changes unhealthy postures and changes in the body.
This is really what Full body massage is all about.
Click here to see a full body massage chinese style.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
What is Massage?
Massage is a manual therapy that has been used in different cultures for thousands of years to combat minor aches and pains, assist in the healing of chronic health conditions, or just to support general health and well being.
Many people see massage as just rubbing and many of the massage therapists actually also never get passed the feeling that massage only has a minor impact on a person's health.
I've seen many interviews with massage therapists and I've heard a lot of promises what their work can do, but why can't most of them not deliver?
It seems that there are two types of people who are massaging with results. A person who is knowledgeable in the Art of Massage and someone who knows how to give a great rub.
Both have results for different reasons:
1. The first one knows how to manipulate the body and knows what results to expect. This can be either on a gross physical level or on an energetic level (for example working with Chi in Chinese Massage, Reflexology etc.).
2. The second one knows how to make you feel good. This person knows how to connect to a client and has a natural talent in comforting and relaxing a person.
Both types of massage therapists will get results - and both are useful. If you are a person who are representing both categories - even better.
So why are there differences?
Well, first of all because in many places in this world it is very easy to call a massage therapist. There is often not very many requirements.
But I will talk about that in a later post.
Click to watch massage
Many people see massage as just rubbing and many of the massage therapists actually also never get passed the feeling that massage only has a minor impact on a person's health.
I've seen many interviews with massage therapists and I've heard a lot of promises what their work can do, but why can't most of them not deliver?
It seems that there are two types of people who are massaging with results. A person who is knowledgeable in the Art of Massage and someone who knows how to give a great rub.
Both have results for different reasons:
1. The first one knows how to manipulate the body and knows what results to expect. This can be either on a gross physical level or on an energetic level (for example working with Chi in Chinese Massage, Reflexology etc.).
2. The second one knows how to make you feel good. This person knows how to connect to a client and has a natural talent in comforting and relaxing a person.
Both types of massage therapists will get results - and both are useful. If you are a person who are representing both categories - even better.
So why are there differences?
Well, first of all because in many places in this world it is very easy to call a massage therapist. There is often not very many requirements.
But I will talk about that in a later post.
Click to watch massage
Monday, September 1, 2008
Welcome to the Massage Review Blog
The Massage Review Blog is an extension of Free-Massage-Videos.com, but will entirely deal with the "Why?" of Massage therapy.
There are many massage techniques available on the internet, but I have found that not so many (even massage therapists) do not actually understand what can be done with massage and why they are applying a certain technique or style.
This is probably the most important issue to distinguish a good from a bad massage therapist.
I am sometimes shocked when I see how certain techniques are applied and am not surprised that our profession has such a bad reputation. If a massage only brings you a 50% chance of change, then it's better not to do anything at all, because rest also has a 50% chance of healing.
So this blog is my take on background and techniques, and the most important issue on why to do certain techniques and in which situations.
For a massage review in terms of videos you can also check out my Massage Video Blog
There are many massage techniques available on the internet, but I have found that not so many (even massage therapists) do not actually understand what can be done with massage and why they are applying a certain technique or style.
This is probably the most important issue to distinguish a good from a bad massage therapist.
I am sometimes shocked when I see how certain techniques are applied and am not surprised that our profession has such a bad reputation. If a massage only brings you a 50% chance of change, then it's better not to do anything at all, because rest also has a 50% chance of healing.
So this blog is my take on background and techniques, and the most important issue on why to do certain techniques and in which situations.
For a massage review in terms of videos you can also check out my Massage Video Blog
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