Body massage: indications, types, features of the procedure

Classification of massage techniques

Massage is classified according to form, methods and types of massage. There are 5 forms of massage and 4 main methods. Let's take a closer look at each of them.

Massage according to form:

• General - affects the entire surface of the body.
• Local - impact on a specific area or part of the body, for example facial massage.
• Self-massage - a person independently massages one or another part of the body without the help of a specialist.
• Paired - the procedure is carried out by two specialists at the same time. For example, one massages the legs, the second massages the lower back.
• Mutual - two people massage each other.

Massage by methods:

1. Manual massage - based on the name, you can understand that the massage is performed with the hands. The most common, traditional method.
2. Hardware - the effect is exerted using various devices: vibrating massager, massage cups, etc.
3. Combined - a combination of manual and hardware massage.
4. Foot massage - used in cases where manual massage cannot have the desired effect.

Performing a Spanish facial massage at home

Only with full knowledge of the theory or through a thorough study of the methodology, you can conduct a session at home yourself. When practicing for the first time, be extremely careful. Later, after gaining some experience, act more confidently. This way your body will receive minimal harm.

Any irritation, discomfort or redness that occurs are clear signs of improper massage. You should immediately interrupt the procedure and consult a doctor.

Maintain good hygiene before and after practice. Wash your face and hands. Select cosmetic products at your own discretion. If your skin type is unknown to you, contact a cosmetologist for advice.

But remember: achieving maximum effect from a home procedure is much more difficult than from a salon procedure.

Massotherapy

One of the methods of treating illness and rehabilitation after injuries. This type of massage has its own technique, indications and contraindications. It should only be performed by a specialist with appropriate education. It can have either a general or local effect. Specialists in therapeutic massage use 4 main techniques in their practice: stroking, rubbing, kneading and effleurage.

When the result appears

The results of the massage are noticeable the first time

Positive changes will be noticeable after the first body massage session. Improving blood supply in the treated areas helps eliminate pain, swelling, restore joint mobility, and increase muscle elasticity. To achieve a therapeutic effect, you must complete the entire course.

The effect of neurosedative massage manifests itself during the session itself. Complete muscle relaxation promotes general relaxation and achievement of emotional balance.

To obtain an anti-cellulite and modeling effect from body massage, you need to attend at least 10-15 sessions.

The anti-edematous effect of Spanish facial massage is noticeable after 1-2 procedures. To eliminate wrinkles, rejuvenate the skin and sculpt facial contours, a course of 10-20 procedures is required.

Indications

• Injuries and diseases of the musculoskeletal system;
• Diseases of the heart and blood vessels;
• Disorders and diseases of the nervous system;
• Diseases of the respiratory system;
• Gastrointestinal diseases outside the period of exacerbations;
• Skin diseases;
• Diseases of the genitourinary system;
• Eye diseases;
• Metabolic disease.

Indications and contraindications for body massage

Massage procedures are recommended for the purposes of prevention and general improvement of the body. They help to recover from physical and mental stress and are used during the rehabilitation period after injuries and illnesses.

Indications for body massage:

• stress, overwork, depression;
• recovery from injuries;
• headache, pain in the back, neck, lower back;
• insomnia;
• loss of strength, apathy;
• recovery after physical activity;
• cellulite, excess local fat deposits.

Massage is not recommended:

• with inflammatory processes in the body, accompanied by elevated body temperature;
• acute cardiovascular failure;
• poisoning;
• acute allergic reaction;
• inflammation of the lymph nodes;
• active form of tuberculosis;
• dermatological diseases;
• violation of the integrity of the skin (abrasions, wounds);
• somatic pathologies in the decompensation phase;
• hypertensive crisis;
• aneurysms;
• varicose veins, thrombosis;
• bleeding and tendency to it;
• increased excitability due to mental disorders;
• oncological diseases.

Effect on body systems

Medical massage has a beneficial effect not only on the sore spot, but on other systems of the body as a whole. First of all, it improves the condition of the skin due to the influx of nutrients to it. Massage also relaxes the nervous system: after the session you feel joyful and relaxed, tension disappears.

Massage increases muscle elasticity and improves blood supply to joints. Dissolves deposits in the body. Lymph flow improves and, as a result, the body's protective functions are enhanced. Buccal facial massage rejuvenates the skin and removes wrinkles.

Thus, massage not only treats a specific part of the body: it heals the entire body, and is also a prevention of other diseases.

Methodology

During a Spanish massage, the back and legs are mainly treated. You can also massage your shoulders and abdominal area. The procedure begins not with warming up the muscles (which is typical for the classical technique), but with complete muscle relaxation. To do this, use special stroking movements (circular, in the form of a figure eight) using the palms and forearms. Only after completing the introductory part do they move on to deeper techniques that affect muscles, joints, and affect the cardiovascular and nervous systems.

As already mentioned, a lot of techniques with neurorelaxation components are used. They involve fingers, palms, and forearms. The specific complex is selected depending on the type of massage performed.

Spanish facial and neck massage also involves the use of various techniques. Modeling massage begins with treatment of the décolleté area. Use palm and finger grips. Movements are directed from left to right and vice versa. Then strokes are carried out with the palms from the middle of the sternum to the shoulders. After this, the neck area is worked on. Here, plucking movements are also used, carried out with the thumb and forefinger. The pinches gradually move to the lower jaw and chin. The next treatment area is the upper lip and nasolabial fold, then the side surface of the nose and cheeks.

They gradually move on to stimulating the orbicularis muscle around the eyes. Movement along the lower eyelid gently works out the skin fold. The final technique is pressing with the thumb in the direction of the temple. After this, the area of ​​the brow ridge is processed. The final movement is also to smooth the skin with the pad of the thumb towards the temple.

Massage movements in the forehead area make it possible to deeply stimulate the frontal muscles in two directions. Massaging the forehead ends with stroking movements in the direction of the hairline.

Another technique of facial massage is used, based on stroking movements with the palms, edges of the palms in combination with kneading and pinching.

The Spanish facial massage technique is simple and effective, so you can also perform the procedure yourself.

How to choose a massage therapist

When carrying out manipulation, it is important to follow the correct technique. Otherwise, the procedure may be useless or even harmful. When choosing a master, you must:

• Consider only specialists with medical education.
• Make sure the massage therapist is qualified. To do this, you need to ask where he was trained, whether he has the appropriate certificates and diplomas.
• Look for reviews from other clients. A good specialist always has recommendations.

There are also online services for choosing a massage therapist. Thus, residents of Kazan can use https://barb.ru/kazan/spa/massazh and find an individual master or a suitable beauty salon that provides such a service.

Who else is suitable for the procedure?

A relaxing massage is recommended for anyone who often gets tired at work and is in a state of eternal fatigue. It is suitable for senior managers and businessmen. Sessions help them manage their emotions and make informed decisions. In cosmetology, techniques are used to give overall tone to the body and accelerate weight loss. As blood circulation increases, metabolic processes accelerate. A person loses weight and cellulite is smoothed out.

The procedure is absolutely universal. It can be performed on people of any gender and age; even small children really like it and attend the sessions with pleasure. But here it is important to find your master - he must undergo special training and prioritize not only the patient’s health problems, but his psychological mood and emotional state.

How to prepare for a session

To get the maximum healing effect from a massage, you must:

• eat no later than an hour before the session;
• take a shower (skin should be clean);
• remove jewelry from the hands and neck that may interfere with the procedure;
• relax as much as possible during the manipulation so that the doctor’s hands do not encounter muscle resistance;
• Lie quietly after the massage for 15 minutes.

If manipulations are performed on the abdominal area, the last meal should occur no later than 3 hours before the session. You should also check for open wounds or burns on the skin. They can make an initially pleasant massage extremely painful. Unpleasant sensations will not allow you to relax.

Experts do not recommend epilation of legs and other areas immediately before the procedure. Rubbing epilated skin is a dubious pleasure. In addition, inflammation may occur due to massage oil getting into micro-wounds and cuts.

Mechanism of action of neurosedative massage

The positive effects of the technique are based on a gentle effect on peripheral receptors of the skin and muscles, impulses from which pass to the central nervous system. Massage promotes the formation of a dominant with a positive emotional coloring in the cortex and subcortical structures of the brain. A new focus of excitation displaces the pathological stress dominant.

Neurosedative technology increases the threshold of nervous excitability, which provides a prolonged result - in the future the person does not react to minor unpleasant situations and everyday problems. Massage helps achieve deep relaxation even with chronic stress. Mechanical methods of influencing tissue increase the release of neurotransmitters, endorphins and enkephalins, which improve mood and fight depression.

The therapeutic effect of anti-stress massage for psychosomatic diseases has been proven. The neurosedative method normalizes the processes of autonomic nervous regulation, eliminates pathological impulses, and affects the functioning of the digestive, respiratory and cardiovascular systems. The technique acts at the macro level, helping to normalize psycho-emotional reactions, as well as at the tissue level, triggering the mechanisms of muscular and vascular adaptation.

Rules of application

Before deciding on a course of therapeutic massage, you should definitely consult with your doctor. You cannot “prescribe” such treatment for yourself. If used incorrectly, even massage can cause significant harm to the body.

The second rule concerns the duration of treatment. One massage session, even from the most highly qualified specialist, cannot bring the expected benefits. Illnesses and pain cannot disappear instantly. For this reason, real therapeutic massage is always prescribed in courses (10-15 procedures).

The number and frequency of sessions is determined by the doctor. It is imperative to follow his recommendations. In some cases, daily massage is required, in others - with breaks of 2-3 days. If the problem is severe enough, treatment may take several weeks.

Consultation with a doctor is also necessary because each patient requires an individual approach. There is no general treatment plan for everyone. When prescribing a course of therapeutic massage, the doctor takes into account the age, health status and specific disease of the patient.

Complications

Anti-stress massage has the most gentle and physiological effect on the body, so there are practically no unwanted consequences. At the end of the session, clients feel slight drowsiness and weakness, which indicates the correct implementation of neurosedative techniques. If the specialist is insufficiently qualified, complications may occur:

• Exciting effect on the central nervous system
  . Inexperienced massage therapists may use too intense mechanical stimulation of tissues or perform movements at a fast pace. As a result, instead of relaxation, activation of the nervous system is observed.
• Allergic reactions
  . It is extremely rare to experience an allergy to massage oils that improve hand gliding when performing neurosedative manual techniques. Idiosyncrasy is manifested by itching and redness of the skin, lacrimation, and serous discharge from the nose.

Contraindications

The neurosedative method of massage has the most gentle effect on the body in comparison with other manual techniques, and therefore has a small number of limitations. The technique is used in pregnant women, but only after permission from the gynecologist. There are absolute contraindications to neurosedative manual procedure:

• acute psychoses, schizophrenia, epilepsy;
• state of drug or alcohol intoxication;
• active rheumatic diseases;
• decompensated cardiac or respiratory failure;
• extensive purulent or fungal skin lesions.

Drawing conclusions

From the outside, a session of neurosedative massage looks like just light stroking movements, uncomplicated relaxation that is accessible to everyone. Many people think that it is very easy to repeat at home. But this opinion is wrong. The Spanish method requires training, sometimes very long. Before mastering the techniques of competent massaging, the master must undergo full-time training and consolidate his knowledge in distance courses, which are often conducted by Spanish massage therapists.

There are very few such specialists now, which is why prices for neurosedative massage in Moscow and St. Petersburg cannot yet be called affordable: a session costs from 3,000 rubles. But investments in procedures always pay off handsomely: good performance, positive attitude. Trust yourself in the hands of professionals, be healthy and happy.