Swedish Massage

Contraindications of Effleurage

Effleurage can be used on most people in most conditions. There are a few circumstances that effleurage would be contra indicated. -Hyperesthesia (sensitive skin, ticklish) -Pitted Edema -Gross swelling or edema caused by heart or kidney dysfunction. -Extremely hairy skin -Over incompletely formed scar tissue

Effleurage

Effleurage is a gliding stroke that can be applied superficial or deep, depending on the desired effects. Effleurage can be applied with full hands, arms, or various parts of the hand/ arm.

Uses of Effleurage

Effleurage is typically used to initiate contact with clients and to warm superficial tissues before accessing deeper tissue.

Contraindications of Fine Vibration

Fine vibration if only contraindicated when massage is fully contraindicated.

Friction Application

Friction can be applied using the hand, fingers, knuckles, forearm, or elbow. This stroke can be done on localized regions to create a specific effect or on broader regions to create a more general effect on tissues.

Friction

Friction is a stroke that compresses soft tissue to facilitate a changed muscle proprioception. Friction can also be used to produce localized, penetrating heat to an area of soft tissue. Friction can be performed on muscle bellies, tendons, fascia, or any type of connective tissue, including the digestive organs.

Uses of Shaking

Loosen ligaments and joint structures

Mechanical Effects of Tapotement

Loosens mucus from the airways when applied to the thorax.

Contraindications of Pretrissage

-Any condition that is contraindicated for effleurage -On atrophied muscles that do not have full circulation or innervation -On flaccid paralysis

Mechanical Effects of Effleurage

-Compresses and stretches the fascia and tissue -Warms superficial tissue due to the friction of hands on clients' body -Assists with desquamation (sloughing off dead skin cells)

Reflexive Effects of Linear Friction

-Creates hyperemia -Increases circulation by stretching and broadening blood vessels -Can relax muscles through a nervous system response, or when performed on a tendon by inducing a golgi tendon apparatus response.

Variations of Effleurage

-Deep effleurage -Light effleurage

Mechanical Effects of Circular and Linear Friction

-Helps loosen or break up scar tissue -Helps broaden and stretch tissue/ muscle fibers -Creates temporary ischemia -Improves overall muscle function by helping to increase flexibility

Effleurage Stroke Variations

-Long gliding strokes -Hand over hand -Fanning -Tree branching

Mechanical Effects of Vibration

-Loosens ligaments and stimulate synovial fluid activity when performed over joints -Increases circulation

Petrissage Stroke Variations

-Open C/ Closed C: This stroke is performed with full hand contact and with alternating hands. -Alternating Thumbs: This stroke is performed without full hand contact. This is a compressing and lifting stroke using your thumbs. This stroke is typically used on smaller body parts. -One Hand Kneading: This stroke is similar to open c/ closed c but only performed with one hand, usually this stroke is only used if the body part to be worked is too small for open c/ closed c. -Muscle Lifting/ Squeezing: This stroke can be performed with one or two hands and involves lift or squeezing a muscle or muscle group. -Skin Rolling: the stroke is performed by rolling the skin between your finger tips. This stroke can be painful on sensitive people or people with chronic pain disorders. -Fulling: This stroke is performed with both hands. Both hands lift a muscle or muscle group away from underlying structures or other soft tissue structures.

Reflexive Effects of Petrissage

-Reflexive nervous system response that will relax the muscle tissue being worked on. -Increases glandular activity of the skin -Affects Proprioception -When preformed on the abdomen, can increase peristalsis in the digestive tract, and increase blood pressure due to the aortic reflex

Mechanical and Reflexive Effects of Cross Fiber Friction

-Same as circular and linear friction -Helps break up scar tissue

Contraindications of Tapotement

-Spastic muscles or spastic paralysis -Atrophied muscles or flaccid paralysis -Insomnia -Painful conditions such as; neuritis or neuralgia -Boney areas -Over low back during pregnancy -Heavy and medium tapotement over kidneys

Contraindications of Course Vibration

-Spastic paralysis or applied directly on a spastic muscle -Atrophied muscles or flaccid paralysis with no innervations -Insomnia -Neuritis or neuralgia -Over the kidneys -Over low back during pregnancy

Reflexive Effects of Vibration

-Stimulates nerves and muscles -Sedates the nervous system when performed finely -Relaxes muscles and reduces muscle guarding when performed finely -Can stimulate internal organs when performed over the abdomen or lumbar region -Can reduce pain; via the gait theory

Reflexive Effects of Tapotement

-Stimulating effect to nerves, muscles, vessels, and skin -Increased muscle tone due to contact relax response -Increased blood flow -Can stimulate internal organs when performed over the abdomen or lumber region -Increases cellular metabolism -Creates hyperemia

Uses of Circular and Linear Friction

-Stretch and broaden muscle tissue -Reduces or relieves muscle spasms -Reduces pain -General relaxation

Mechanical Effects of Petrissage

-Stretches veins and lymphatic vessels, resulting in improved circulation -Can help increase the elimination of metabolic waste -Helps free and prevent adhesions -Stretched and broadens muscles

Variations of Tapotement

-Tapping: is performed with fingertips to smaller or more sensitive regions of the body such as the face, neck, or scalp. -Pincement: is performed by lightly and briskly pinching an area between thumb and fingertips. -Slapping: is performed with fingertips of an open hand, the stroke is brisk but gentle. -Hacking: performed using the ulnar side of the hand with straight but loose (relaxed) fingers. -Cupping: is performed using the palmar surface of cupped hands. This variation is very useful in the thorax to loosen mucus from the airways. -Beating: is performed with the ulnar surface of a closed fist. This variation is usually performed on larger muscle groups, due to the fact that is can be very powerful and jarring.

Uses of Vibration

-To help increase peristalsis and relieve constipation and digestive disorders -To relieve symptoms associated with respiratory congestion -To relieve flatulence when applied to the colon

Uses of Jostling

-To help relax or stimulate muscles -To create hyperemia in muscle bellies

Contraindications of Friction

-When a massage is contraindicated -On acute injuries or inflammation -Neuritis -Rheumatoid arthritis (durring flair ups) -Recent Injury (acute inflammation) Note: Crossfiber friction can damage healthy tissue is performed for a prolonged period of time. This stroke should be performed for approximately 10-15 seconds in one region.

Uses for Cross Fiber Friction

-Working on Tenosynovitis, Fibrosis, or Myofibrositis, and other forms of scar tissue -Working on tendons to help recovery tendonitis -Durring injury recovery it is used to align scar tissue along lines of stress to help create a strong, mobile scar

Physiological Effects

A change in the body that is caused or created by a massage stroke.

Mechanical Effects

A response based on a structural change.

Reflexive Effects

A response based on nervous system change.

Chemical Effects

A response produced by the release of chemicals into the body (i.e.: hormones, enzymes, etc.)

Nerve Strokes

Applied with the whole hand across the nerve pathways. This stroke is intended to be soothing; if applied in random or against nerve impulses the stroke can be irritating or stimulating.

Reflexive Effects of Effleurage

Initially there is a reflexive parasympathetic nervous system response. - Slows heart rate -Decreases blood pressure -Increases and slows respiration -Induces vasodilation (including capillary dilation) -Muscle relaxation due to nervous system response -Decreases pain, affects the nervous systems pain receptors, lessening pain (Gate Theory) -May aid in the release of endorphins (chemicals produced by the brain in respite to stress or pleasure)

Petrissage Variations

Petrissage can be done by lifting, stretching, rolling, compressing, kneading, or squeezing the soft tissue. It can be applied with full hands, thumbs, or fingers.

Petrissage

Petrissage is a stroke that includes a grasping and releasing movement that attempts to lift soft tissue away from underlying structures. Petrissage is most effective when it is performed on relaxed muscles. Therefore, it generally follows effleurage.

Effects of Nerve Strokes

Reflexive, and they are calming/ soothing.

Effects of Tapotement

Tapotement is a stimulating stroke, therefore, its uses in relaxation massage may be limited. This stroke is more suited for sports massage, event massage, or with specific clients who need some sort of nervous system stimulation.

Tapotement

Tapotement is percussive movement of open or closed hands. This technique. us performed with relaxed hands and loose wrists. Tapotement can be performed with either open or closed hands, depending on the body part applied to or the effects desired. One may use an open palmar surface, the front of a closed fist, the ulnar surface of the hand, finger tips, or a cupped hand, as their striking surface.

Friction Variations

There are many different variations of friction. Each of these different variations can create a different effect on the body depending upon the location of application. -Direct Pressure: direct pressure is applied by compressing the tissue directly into the underlying structures, using knuckles, forearm, elbow, or fingertips. -Circular and Linear Friction: This stroke is performed by compressing the tissue and moving in either small or large circles along the fibers of the tissue fibers. One of the most important aspects of this stroke is to maintain the same depth throughout the whole stroke. -Cross Fiber Friction: This stroke is performed by compressing the tissue and gliding across the width of the structure. This stroke can be performed on tendons, ligaments, and muscle bellies.

Contraindications of Nerve Strokes

There are no contraindications to nerve strokes except when massage is totally contraindicated.

Vibration

Vibration is a class of strokes that include; vibration, jostling, and shaking. -Vibration is a rhythmic trembling of the hands -Jostling is a "fluffing" of muscle belly -Shaking involves an actual shaking or rocking of a limb or torso These strokes can be performed with one or two hands as well as with movement or a gliding stroke. Traction can also be applied to various shaking or jostling strokes. Speeds for these strokes (coarse/ fine/ fast/ slow) will vary depending upon desired physiological effects.

Effects of Effleurage

When performed slowly, effleurage is relaxing. When performed faster, effleurage can be stimulating to the nervous system.