Swedish massage vs deep tissue arouse the interest of Americans and European citizens for decades. Once in a while, everybody needs to give their body a treat day to a spa for a massage session, to relieve our body of whatever pressure we have been putting on it.
Be you an athlete, an injured person, an office worker, housewife, whatever it is you do, your body deserves a massage sometimes. Massages can be therapeutic especially for stress, as they can be relieving and relaxing.
There are different methods of massage. In this article “Swedish massage vs deep Tissue” we shall be examining the differences and similarities between at Swedish massage and deep tissue . Just read on to find out.
WHAT IS SWEDISH MASSAGE?
This type of massage method is the classic massage you picture when the word ‘massage’ comes to mind. The typical lying face-down with someone over you, pressing on your skin. That is the Swedish massage.
It is called a Swedish massage because it was developed in Sweden, many centuries ago.
A Swedish massage involves the use of long-to-firm, slow-moving rhythmic strokes on the superficial tissues, to improve blood circulation, relieve tension, promote relaxation and sometimes improve sleep.
TECHNIQUE OF SWEDISH MASSAGE
Swedish massage involves long-term gliding strokes, with kneading and friction to relieve surface tension.
There are 5 basic strokes used during a Swedish massage.
– Effleurage: They are long gliding strokes that help the therapist identify where the tension is occurring in your body.
– Petrissage: It is the kneading of the muscles to release tension.
– Friction: The therapist uses this stroke to create heat and promote circulation by rubbing the area of interest in a circular motion.
– Tapolement: it is a series of fast tapping that helps to relax a tense muscle.
– Vibration: vibration involves rapidly shaking your superficial muscles by the rapid movement of the therapist’s fingertips or palms.
BENEFITS OF SWEDISH MASSAGE
In this section of the article “Swedish massage vs deep tissue” , we are going to discuss on the benefits of swedish massage. The goal of a Swedish massage is to relax your entire body, by doing that you have improved blood and oxygen circulation, decreased muscle toxins, decreased muscle tension, reduced blood pressure, especially in hypertensive clients and reduced symptoms of a generalized anxiety disorder (GAD).
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DEEP TISSUE MASSAGE
Deep tissue massage is a massage method that targets specific deeper structures of your connective tissues.
The therapist uses his fingers, thumbs, fists, elbows, and forearms to penetrate your skin layer-by-layer, releasing tension in your connective tissue.
He goes deepest into the access layer to create a change in posture and make room for movements after releasing the tension.
The Swedish massage is the basis of the deep tissue massage, however, deep tissue massage requires the use of more pressure strokes, as compared to that the Swedish massage.
TECHNIQUE OF DEEP TISSUE MASSAGE
Like the Swedish technique, all the five basic strokes are also used in deep tissue massage, except that , the therapist applies them in a slow forceful motions. This helps to release knots and strains deeper in your muscles and connective tissues.
Working on releasing muscle knots can be slightly uncomfortable, however, the therapist has to be careful, because sometimes much pressure applied on a knot may lead to other complications.
Overall, a deep tissue massage should not cause you pain, although you should expect to feel sore 2-3 days after your deep tissue massage.
BENEFITS OF DEEP TISSUE MASSAGE
Deep tissue massage is designed to target your deepest accessible tissue, by so doing it;- relaxes tense areas of your muscle and tissues.- improve blood circulation- reduce inflammation
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DIFFERENCES BETWEEN SWEDISH MASSAGE VS DEEP TISSUE
Given that we have looked at the two massage methods individually, we admit that they are more similar than they are different. However, let’s spot some of their differences.
The major difference between Swedish massage and deep tissue massage is the type of pressure used during the massage session. While Swedish massage involves long-firm slow-moving rhythmic strokes, deep tissue massages involve slow forceful motion. Deep tissue massage requires more pressure than Swedish massage.
The Swedish massage majorly provided relaxation and it is a full body massage method, whereas, deep tissue massage is more specific and helps in relieving muscle knots and spasms. It is not a full-body massage. Deep tissue massage leaves you feeling sore 2 days after the massage session, while there is no feeling of soreness after a Swedish massage session.
SWEDISH MASSAGE VS DEEP TISSUE MASSAGE
Swedish massage is the best form of massage if you are just seeking relaxation. But if you are recovering from muscle injuries due to sports or an accident, then deep tissue massage is recommended.
To know which massage method will be more beneficial to you, you must choose the technique that can best meet your needs. You shouldn’t ask for a Swedish massage when you are having chronic muscle tension or lower back pain, nor should you ask for a deep tissue massage when you only want to relieve stress.
You should speak to the massage therapist about how you feel, so he can be able to discern what type of massage method will best suit your needs
Conclusion
In this article, we have examined and discuss extensively on the differences and similarities between Swedish massage vs deep tissue.