Already during my studies at Wingate institude, I noticed that at least once a week a friend or girlfriend would ask me what can be done with tense shoulder blades, back and lower back. Obviously, one of the first questions I always asked was: “How long are you near the computer during the workday?”
As you might have guessed, most of the answers I received (and still receive) point to long periods of sitting and working in front of a computer for many hours, almost every day. So, in addition to the fact that in such situations it is highly recommended to maintain proper posture (even while sitting in front of a computer), it is also important to give the body the necessary dose of free time.
When I give my patient a Swedish or medical massage, I strive first and foremost to ensure optimal blood flow to the tissues, but more than that, it is very important to me that patients leave the clinic with a feeling of relaxation – what many of us would call ” a sense of pampering.”
What should a massage be like?
If at some point in your life you visited a massage therapist and after the procedure you felt very painful, it is important to know that such a feeling should not be, and even more important to know that the person who treats with Swedish or medical massage should be, a specialist in his field, including deep anatomical knowledge.
The Wingate Institute’s Massage Therapy Course provides a detailed curriculum that meets international standards. I mention this because if you decide to undergo a treatment such as medical massage, it is important to have as much information as possible about the skill level of the person who is going to massage you.
I’m sure you want to read a little more about what I do and the differences between treatments, so let’s start:
I am often asked: “Vasil, what is the difference between medical massage and Swedish massage or other massage that is done for pleasure, such as Thai massage?”
So when you ask me about the difference between different types of massage, it is important for me to make one thing clear: I practice medical and Swedish massage, two very popular and favorite types of massage.
Medical massage:
Unlike Swedish massage, which is mainly done for general pleasure and a feeling of relaxation, as well as to relieve physical and mental stress, medical massage is a real tool for treating sports injuries or for treating specific points of our body that may hurt, and the main purpose which consists in allowing the pain to go away and disappear over time, and using procedures based on medical massage.
While it is true that one of the desired results of medical massage is a feeling of release and stress relief, at the same time, as far as medical massage is concerned, this is not the goal or the very essence of the treatment.
What organs of the body will medical massage have a positive effect on?
In general, medical massage can greatly help in releasing a tight neck, back, or virtually any other area of the body that is experiencing difficulty resulting in pain. Although medical massage is primarily intended for the treatment of sports injuries, it is also prescribed to many people who experience wandering pain in their muscles or joints.
A professional medical massage therapist will always and definitely be someone who has studied at a leading college and received the appropriate certificate in this area. The need for a certificate is quite obvious, since none of us would like an unqualified worker to “play with our body.”
As far as I can testify from my personal experience, I know that the prices themselves – since we are talking about medical massage, will be slightly higher than the average cost of a Swedish massage, and this is due, in fact, to the specific knowledge and certificate that a person needs to have if he wants to do medical massage.
What can I tell you about my experience in Swedish massage?
So, as I started telling you at the beginning of this article, Swedish massage is already a certain type of massage that is done more for a feeling of relaxation, this type of massage uses the elbows and forearms more and creates a feeling of relaxation as well as stress relief.
It is known that massage treatments have long signified our ability to switch off – even for an hour – from our daily worries – and simply lie down on a professional medical bed, knowing that this is the best way to relax the body, which also combines relaxation, improved blood flow and , above all, the pleasure of the process – from which, as mentioned above, you will feel much better.
I remember when I realized during my studies that Swedish massage could really improve concentration, control of negative feelings and overall feeling of energy and how happy and peaceful I felt after it.
About Swedish massage and its history.
In the early 18th century, Swedish massage was developed by Pehr Henrik Ling. Years after Ling actually developed this method of massage (which, as already mentioned, is based on kneading and massaging tissues, as well as moving various joints of the body), Americans borrowed his technique and primarily used it in the field of medicine.
Since then, many have realized that in those moments when modern medicine cannot find traditional solutions to a particular problem based on pain, there are alternative solutions in the form of Swedish massage (and some would say Thai massage – based on pressure on various body parts such as tendons and muscles is also a good method for pain relief).
People suffering from scoliosis, back pain, neck pain, etc., first of all, need to know a lot of information about “what is correct posture?”; It starts by sitting correctly in front of the computer, goes through our consciousness to waiting for the green light like a pedestrian at a crosswalk, and ends with how we perform physical activity or physical work.
If you know how to unequivocally say how the position of the bones should look and feel while maintaining the correct posture, and you are still suffering from occasional pains in the neck, shoulders and back, it is important that you know this: professional Swedish massage, performed by a professional massage therapist is a great way to get rid of private headaches and feelings of pressure. In general, it must be said that when observing the holy trinity, which I will tell you more about – the quality of life – at least at the level of health, it is just when you constantly rise up and climb a few steps higher.
So what does Swedish massage have to do with my holy trinity?
Without going too far in explaining and justifying my holy trinity, I will simply say that it goes like this:
1. Proper, balanced and healthy nutrition.
2. Awareness of the importance of correct posture
3. Arrival for a professional massage depending on the degree of pain/need.
A balanced diet is a regular meal plan that includes a combination of a variety of vegetables, proteins, complex carbohydrates, (rather than simple ones such as rice or white bread), fresh fish, grains and unrefried legumes.
Once you realize that one of the above issues is important to you, perhaps the next thing to do is sign up for a yoga class (for beginners, if you’ve never tried it). The core theory of yoga is correct, balanced and healthy posture, and performing breathing exercises greatly helps patients achieve maximum relaxation, when I perform Swedish massage (as well as medical massage). It just works, and it’s easier to relax tense muscles when the patient takes a long breath directly into the area I’m massaging, kneading, or moving.
In any case, thank you very much for being with me this far. This post is my way of saying hello, and that I’m always here for you.
