What Type Of Massage Do I Want?
May 13th, 2019 by Stephanie Farrer
This is the most common question I get in my office. Usually, when I am talking with a patient for the first time, I ask them a general question like “What is our goal for the massage today?” That’s when it inevitably happens. The eyes kind of glaze over, the nose scrunches—the lips purse. And the silence. I get uncomfortable and kind of laugh to break the tension. (Note: Now that I am sitting here writing this, maybe I shouldn’t be asking this question!) What IS the goal of the massage? Hopefully this information will help if you ever have to answer this question.
What is it that brings people into my office? As a Licensed Massage Therapist that specializes in massage for pain reduction, most people hear about me from someone who is already my patient. Referrals and personal references are by far the biggest source of new patients coming into my practice. People are usually hurting when they find me, but what is surprising is that when I ask someone what the goal is for their massage—9 times out of 10 they say that they are there to “relax”. I find this incredibly interesting! When I was in pain—the last thing I wanted to do was relax when I went for massage therapy. I realize now that “I want to relax” is almost a knee-jerk reactionary answer to this question. Most of the time, patients really have no idea what type of massage they want (and need).
As a general rule, when you tell a massage therapist that the goal of your massage is to relax—we think RELAXATION MASSAGE. Relaxation massage is light and flowy, utilizing long and soft strokes, sort of like what you would expect to get at a spa. The key word here is LIGHT. The most popular stroke used for Relaxation Massage is Effleurage (light and circular strokes), but therapists also commonly do long line strokes that cover the whole arm/leg/etc. Relaxation massage is also commonly called SWEDISH MASSAGE. Swedish/Relaxation massage is an art, and a talented massage therapist can send you to a whole other place with this type of massage. It is great for people who struggle with anxiety, depression, or insomnia. It is also an excellent choice for your first massage.
But what if Relaxation is not really the goal? Most of my patients are coming in because they are trying to find relief from some sort of tension or pain experience. Within this realm, I usually recommend one of two types of massage. Let’s start with the type that most people are familiar with: DEEP TISSUE MASSAGE.
DEEP TISSUE MASSAGE is a lot slower than Relaxation Massage, with the massage therapist applying much heavier and slower pressure. Strokes can vary from Deep Muscle Effleurage (circular stokes applied heavily to reach deeper muscle tissue), Petrissage (kneading), Friction, Pin and Stretch (pinning down a muscle or group of muscles while stretching), Myofascial Release (holding or rolling skin to release upper layers of fascia), Neuromuscular Therapy (also known as Trigger Point Therapy) and even Cupping (using plastic or rubber cups to loosen fascia and/or milk toxins from muscle tissue). The key word is DEEP. This type of massage is very effective for relieving muscular pain when utilized by a skilled massage therapist. This type of massage is not tolerated by everyone, though, and every massage therapist has a different approach to this modality—so I highly recommend that patients have an in-depth conversation with their massage therapist before receiving this type of massage for the first time. It is also just as important to inform your massage therapist of any discomfort during this type of massage.
By and large, most of my patients are coming in to receive THERAPEUTIC MASSAGE—which is really a blend of Relaxation and Deep Tissue Massage. Therapeutic Massage tends to be medium pressure, somewhere in between Relaxation and Deep Tissue depth and speed. Techniques from both modalities are used in Therapeutic Massage, combining Effleurage and Petrissage—along with all the other modalities in the therapist’s ‘tool belt’—to relax muscles and provide relief from muscular pain. Some of these tools include: Hot Stones, Heated Bamboo, Silicone Cups (used to massage with instead of stationary to avoid bruising), Electrical or Vibrational Stimulation, Myofascial Release, and Trigger Point Therapy. This type of massage can be considered the happy medium, providing the results of Deep Tissue Massage while giving the benefit of Relaxation. I often recommend this type of massage for patients seeing me for the first time, even if they come in asking for Deep Tissue Massage. This provides me with the opportunity to get to know the patient’s body and musculature while still providing much-needed relief.
I hope that this has helped you determine which kind of massage therapy is right for you. If you have any questions, please send me an email at SebringMassage@gmail.com or call me at (863) 385-7105. I look forward to having the opportunity to work with you!
What Type Of Massage Do I Want?
May 13th, 2019 by Stephanie Farrer
This is the most common question I get in my office. Usually, when I am talking with a patient for the first time, I ask them a general question like “What is our goal for the massage today?” That’s when it inevitably happens. The eyes kind of glaze over, the nose scrunches—the lips purse. And the silence. I get uncomfortable and kind of laugh to break the tension. (Note: Now that I am sitting here writing this, maybe I shouldn’t be asking this question!) What IS the goal of the massage? Hopefully this information will help if you ever have to answer this question.
What is it that brings people into my office? As a Licensed Massage Therapist that specializes in massage for pain reduction, most people hear about me from someone who is already my patient. Referrals and personal references are by far the biggest source of new patients coming into my practice. People are usually hurting when they find me, but what is surprising is that when I ask someone what the goal is for their massage—9 times out of 10 they say that they are there to “relax”. I find this incredibly interesting! When I was in pain—the last thing I wanted to do was relax when I went for massage therapy. I realize now that “I want to relax” is almost a knee-jerk reactionary answer to this question. Most of the time, patients really have no idea what type of massage they want (and need).
As a general rule, when you tell a massage therapist that the goal of your massage is to relax—we think RELAXATION MASSAGE. Relaxation massage is light and flowy, utilizing long and soft strokes, sort of like what you would expect to get at a spa. The key word here is LIGHT. The most popular stroke used for Relaxation Massage is Effleurage (light and circular strokes), but therapists also commonly do long line strokes that cover the whole arm/leg/etc. Relaxation massage is also commonly called SWEDISH MASSAGE. Swedish/Relaxation massage is an art, and a talented massage therapist can send you to a whole other place with this type of massage. It is great for people who struggle with anxiety, depression, or insomnia. It is also an excellent choice for your first massage.
But what if Relaxation is not really the goal? Most of my patients are coming in because they are trying to find relief from some sort of tension or pain experience. Within this realm, I usually recommend one of two types of massage. Let’s start with the type that most people are familiar with: DEEP TISSUE MASSAGE.
DEEP TISSUE MASSAGE is a lot slower than Relaxation Massage, with the massage therapist applying much heavier and slower pressure. Strokes can vary from Deep Muscle Effleurage (circular stokes applied heavily to reach deeper muscle tissue), Petrissage (kneading), Friction, Pin and Stretch (pinning down a muscle or group of muscles while stretching), Myofascial Release (holding or rolling skin to release upper layers of fascia), Neuromuscular Therapy (also known as Trigger Point Therapy) and even Cupping (using plastic or rubber cups to loosen fascia and/or milk toxins from muscle tissue). The key word is DEEP. This type of massage is very effective for relieving muscular pain when utilized by a skilled massage therapist. This type of massage is not tolerated by everyone, though, and every massage therapist has a different approach to this modality—so I highly recommend that patients have an in-depth conversation with their massage therapist before receiving this type of massage for the first time. It is also just as important to inform your massage therapist of any discomfort during this type of massage.
By and large, most of my patients are coming in to receive THERAPEUTIC MASSAGE—which is really a blend of Relaxation and Deep Tissue Massage. Therapeutic Massage tends to be medium pressure, somewhere in between Relaxation and Deep Tissue depth and speed. Techniques from both modalities are used in Therapeutic Massage, combining Effleurage and Petrissage—along with all the other modalities in the therapist’s ‘tool belt’—to relax muscles and provide relief from muscular pain. Some of these tools include: Hot Stones, Heated Bamboo, Silicone Cups (used to massage with instead of stationary to avoid bruising), Electrical or Vibrational Stimulation, Myofascial Release, and Trigger Point Therapy. This type of massage can be considered the happy medium, providing the results of Deep Tissue Massage while giving the benefit of Relaxation. I often recommend this type of massage for patients seeing me for the first time, even if they come in asking for Deep Tissue Massage. This provides me with the opportunity to get to know the patient’s body and musculature while still providing much-needed relief.
I hope that this has helped you determine which kind of massage therapy is right for you. If you have any questions, please send me an email at SebringMassage@gmail.com or call me at (863) 385-7105. I look forward to having the opportunity to work with you!
