How Does Massage Therapy Reduce Stress?
About Massage Massage therapy as a treatment for aching and ailing muscles has been around for as long as civilized people have been walking the earth. Asian cultures touted its benefits long before the Euros even made it out of the caves, and while it went through a bit of an identity crisis in today’s society (“massage” is not massage therapy), legitimate massage can now be found not only in posh day spas and resorts but in doctor’s and chiropractor’s offices the world over. The Basics So how exactly does massage “work”? The actual “therapy” is derived from the use of any one, or combination, of the several modalities available to the practitioner. The most commonly used for stress relief is Swedish massage, developed by Dr. Per H. Ling. This type of massage employs broad, rhythmic superficial strokes with the hands, fists or forearms (effleurage) to cover large areas such as the back to produce a soothing effect to the client, as well as kneading the muscle (petrissage), as you woul
