Jason Sills
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Techniques/Treatments

SWEDISH MASSAGE TECHNIQUES

Swedish Massage Techniques are the basis of Registered Massage Therapy in Ontario. A massage therapist will combine different Swedish techniques in a massage treatment to best address a presentation a client reports. The following list outlines a few common techniques used by a massage therapist:

  • Effleurage- long gentle strokes in the region being treated. It allows the client to get used to the therapist touch as well as improving lymph flow and circulation.
  • Petrissage- deeper more localized strokes to engage specific muscle tissue to encourage tension relief.
  • Rhythmic Mobilization- gentle rocking and shaking in the area of the body being treated. This technique encourages a mild relaxation of the muscles as well as encourages improved circulation. It is another method to introduce a client to the therapist’s touch.
  • Joint Mobilization- involves gently distracting (separating) joint surfaces and then applying subtle oscillating movements to encourage the movement of synovial fluid in the joint (promoting joint health) and gently relaxing the muscles which cross the joint being treated.
  • Tapotement- a gentle rhythmic percussive tapping of the area being treated, usually with the side of the hand or cupped hands. This is a stimulating treatment and is often used on the back to help reduce chest congestion.

RELAXATION MASSAGE

This is a general term used when people book an appointment to help them de-stress. Generally speaking Swedish Massage Techniques are used in this type of massage with a light to moderate pressure focusing on a soothing rhythm to gently encourage and over all relaxation within the body. This physical relaxation usually leads to more a mental/emotional relaxation as well.

Relaxation massage do provide more then they imply though. They encourage improved circulation as well as helping to balance our autonomic nervous system (the unconscious aspect of our nervous system that is responsible for regulating our internal body’s function, i.e. digesting, heart rate, respiration etc).

THERAPEUTIC MASSAGE

Often clients will come in asking for a “Deep Tissue Massage” with the idea that the deeper the touch the more effective the massage. In my practice I shy away from this term and use “Therapeutic Massage” in it’s place.

The reason for this is to help provide clarity for my clients in understanding how I approach a treatment plan. As any of my clients will attest, I can have a very firm touch when the results of the treatment are in keeping with the client’s goals.

That being said, clients will often come to see me in order to help them resolve specific areas of pain or tension. Often the area they are experiencing the discomfort is not really the issue but is a result of tension being created in another part of the body. This means if the client wants to resolve a presentation instead of getting temporary relief, it is necessary to deal with root cause of the discomfort. In order to resolve a presentation, I will often focus the deeper massage techniques in the area that creates the discomfort vs the area the discomfort is felt.

This approach to therapy requires a more holistic approach in helping the client resolve a given presentation and tends to lead to better results in the longer term treatment plan.

SPORTS MASSAGE

Sports Massage is similar to Therapeutic Massage but generally the goal is help an athlete work through injuries or areas of discomfort to allow them to continue to compete in their sport of choice at an optimal level.

Specific sports will demand the body be used specific ways, often leading to repetitive stress injuries and muscle imbalances within the body. These presentation can limit an athletes over all performance. Through massage we can work through or at least limit these presentations allowing for better over all performance for the athlete.

Generally sports massage is a more aggressive approach to treatment and it’s likely the therapist will often use a much firmer touch in order to create more of an opening in the affected tissue.

PRE & POST NATAL MASSAGE

Prenatal Massage is a very safe and effective way to help a person’s body adapt to the changes experienced during the course of pregnancy. In the early stages of pregnancy, prenatal massage differs very little from a standard massage treatment. But as the baby develops taking up more space in the abdomen, it becomes necessary to modify the treatment to make it safe and effective for both parent and baby. This usually means providing treatment in a side-laying position as it is more comfortable.

Prenatal Massage is a very effective treatment to help avoid such conditions as gestational sciatica and gestational carpal tunnel syndrome. By helping a pregnant person’s body more comfortably adapt to pregnancy, prenatal massage can help to reduce the discomfort of childbirth.

Postnatal Massage is often the most overlooked treatment sought post-partum. This is completely understandable as the demands of a new baby can be overwhelming.

It is partly for this reason that Postnatal massage is so important. Just as Prenatal Massage can help reduce the discomfort caused by changes wrought by pregnancy, Postnatal Massage can speed up the process of recovery after birth by helping to return a person’s body back to a neutral alignment. The faster the body returns to a neutral alignment the quicker those nagging pains associated with childbirth can resolve.

Not only does Postnatal Massage have wonderful effects on the body, it also can help new parents relax and take a moment for themselves. Taking care of your needs can have profound benefits for the newborn as when you are relaxed so to is baby relaxed.

MYOFASCIAL RELEASE

To understand Myofascial Release one first has to know what myofascia/fascia is. Myofascia is a very dense tough connective tissue that surrounds all muscle, bone and organs in the body.

When the fascia is healthy it is very supple and stretches quite easily, allowing muscles to flow against each other and other structures of the body smoothly and without restriction.

There are many things that can cause the fascia to become tight and restricted however. A few are:

  • Inflammation
  • Traumas, such as a fall or car accident
  • Work injuries
  • Poor posture
  • Repetitive motions, such as factory work or keyboarding
  • Dehydration

When the facial becomes tight it can lead to presentations such as:

  • Tension Headaches
  • Muscle pain and spasms
  • Chronic back and neck pain
  • Recurring/Chronic injuries (carpal tunnel syndrome, IT Band Syndrome etc)
  • Sciatica
  • Breathing difficulties
  • Poor posture and reduced flexibility

When the fascia becomes restricted Myofascial Release can be a very effective technique reducing or removing these restrictions to return fascia to a more supple and flexible state allowing for great and more comfortable range of motion for the muscles affected. Using various techniques the therapist will engage the fascial layers of the affected structures to encourage restrictions between the different fascial layers in the affected tissue.

Myofascial Release can be a relatively deep/aggressive treatment but it should never involve going beyond a client’s pain tolerance. It can feel like a subtle burning sensation in the tissue being treated to a gentle deep stretching in the effected area.

TRIGGER POINT RELEASE

In a very simple way trigger points are knots in muscle tissue (very localized areas of tightened/short muscle fibres within a muscle) which have a neuropathic component causing pain or sensations to be referred/sent to other regions in the body.

One of the most common presentations experienced by people would be “tension headaches.” Although the pain one feels would be somewhere in the head, the cause of tension headaches are trigger points (tightness) in the muscles of the neck and upper shoulders (specifically the upper trapezius, levator scapulae and the suboccipital muscles).

In order to encourage the trigger points to release, the therapist will engage the muscle fibres in the effecting tissue directly causing the muscle fibres to lengthen/release to their optimal length thus resolving the neuropathic referral pattern (i.e. release the knot).

Cupping

“Cupping” has been used as a therapeutic treatment since ancient times. It was first mentioned in early Egypt but in North America is most closely associated with Traditional Chinese Medicine. 

There are many types of cups which can be used depending on the goal of the client & therapist. They range from being hard cups made of glass, ceramics or hard plastics to softer silicone cups.

Cupping can be used in a stationary fashion, attaching the cup to the surface of the body and leaving it in place for up to 10 minutes. Stationary cupping is effective for relieving trigger points, increasing circulation to a muscle and helping to reduce inflammation in specific areas of the body. 

Cupping can also be used dynamically, the cup is attached to the surface of the body and moved in different lines of pull. Dynamic cupping is great for decreasing inflammation, reducing tension in a muscle as well as reducing fascial restrictions within a muscle belly or between different structures of the body.

Cupping has been shown to help reduce the perception of pain, increase range of motion in a muscle or around a joint, relieve general muscle tension as well as reducing fascial restrictions in a tissue.