3 Massage Types That You May Need!

Let’s talk about individual massage modalities, what they are and what they offer.

By Sarrica Physical Therapy’s Licensed Massage Therapist, Anthony Giannone

Before we get into these modalities of massage individually, I’d like to first talk about massage as a whole. A main goal of massage therapy is to reduce stress and increase relaxation. In addition massage is aimed to reduce pain, muscle soreness and tension. Blood flow is directly affected by massage, improving circulation, energy and alertness. Massage will also lower heart rate and blood pressure as well! Let’s talk about individual modalities and what they offer:

Swedish Massage:

Swedish massage is one of the most common modalities you will find. It is a full body blood flow focused massage designed to energize the body and improve overall health. During this session a slow rhythmic style massage that involves actions like effleurage, percussion, kneading and rolling type strokes. The setting is usually a dimly lit room with soothing music that’s adds to the experience. A person that would benefit from a Swedish massage would be a person who is stressed and would need an emotional rebalancing. If a person is experiencing muscle discomfort exclusively then maybe a more focused session would help. We will discuss those modalities next. 

Sports Massage:

When explaining sports massage it’s important to note there are 2 types; Pre-event and post-event Sports Massage. Pre-event is a preparation for a sport event or activity. This involves a faster paced massage where the idea is to wake up or prepare certain muscle groups to perform through certain techniques. The therapist will passively move arms and legs through their respective ranges of motion in order to lubricate joints to their max potential. On the other hand Post event will take place after the sporting event is complete (within a 48 hour window preferably), long deep compression to the muscle with help decrease tension. Deep strokes that usually involve a forearm or elbow will strip muscle fibers and help flush out lactic acid build up. The therapist will stretch the client in order to help muscle memory and increase flexibility to be able to perform again. This will also help shorten muscle soreness and speed up recovery. This modality will really fit with a HS or Collegiate athlete or weekend warrior.

Medical/Therapeutic Massage:

Medical Massage is a very focused regional massage (this means it’s NOT a full body session) The therapist will prioritize an issue the client is having weather acute or chronic and treat it accordingly with specific medical massage techniques. Please make sure your therapist is trained / certified in medical massage due to the nature of the techniques can be somewhat invasive or intense depending on the region of the body. What makes Medical massage so effective is that the therapist can focus on one issue and region of the body for the duration of the session (usually 60 or 90 minutes). For example, if a client has chronic low back pain with pain going down the leg, the session will focus on lower back, gluteus muscles, abdominals and anterior hip flexor work. Only focusing on the areas related to the pain will allow the therapist to take his or her time to release muscle and treat trigger points without being pressured to massage the whole body in a 60min window. This will also decrease the amount of massage work needed since more can be accomplished in an average session as opposed to a full body session. So a person dealing with a physical ailment, pathology or has just had surgery can benefit from a medical massage treatment. This session is the closest thing to a physical therapy treatment you can get in the massage realm. 

Any questions related to any of these 3 types of massage modalities, please call Sarrica Physical Therapy & Wellness and ask to speak to one of our Licensed Massage Therapists and they will explain in greater detail than what was provided today!