Swedish Massage vs Deep Tissue Massage

Todd Herbst • March 17, 2020

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Which Massage is Right for You?

Mom and kids at sunset



Mary is an active mom of grade-school kids. She spends the morning getting them ready for school and the evening getting them ready for bed. She takes them all over town to soccer and dance classes and somehow gets the grocery shopping done in between. While doing all this she works a full-time job and manages a department at the company she works at. She is married but her husband travels most days during the week. He does most of the weekend chores but Mary is still exhausted every Thursday. Her stress level up all she has to do is get to Friday afternoon and some relief.


Does this sound like someone you know? Maybe someone very familiar? 


While the situations are different, the outcome is the same: Stress, Pain, Exhaustion.


Now Mary’s husband is a great guy and decides to buy her a 90-minute massage but can’t decide what type to get her. Have you been in this position before?


All these different types of massages and all look so inviting. But what is the right one for your stressed, tired, and aching body? 


Let’s examine the 2 most popular massages. They are the Swedish Massage and the Deep Tissue Massage. Hopefully, this short post will help you see which one you need and help Mary’s husband out too.




Swedish Massage


A Swedish Massage is probably the one you are most familiar with and most well-known of all the massages. Invented in the 1830’s by a Swedish fencing instructor, Per Henrik Ling, this form of massage therapy was used to replace or minimize drug therapy. 


The main medical benefit is that it is a relatively safe physical treatment without the side effects of drugs.


Some of the main physical benefits people find are:

 Calming nervous system

 Stimulates blood flow

 Loosens tight muscles

 Helps with connective tissue issues

 Relieves muscle cramps and spasms

Also, Swedish Massage has been useful to relieve the following ailments:

 

  •  Arthritis
  •  Asthma
  •  Carpel Tunnel Syndrome
  •  Headaches
  •  TMJ
  •  Chronic pain and some injuries
  •  Myofascial pain

 


In addition, many people find the mental benefits just as important. By reducing stress and anxiety many people find an easing of depression, a better well-being, and improved concentration.


The technique is usually one where aromatic oil is used to help the therapist to guide the muscles toward the heart. This is known as an Effleurage stroke and the most common one used to warm up and loosen the muscles. 


Other strokes used are:

 

  •  Petrissage – like kneading dough 
  •  Friction - for deeper muscle work 
  •   Vibration – using hand or fingers to vibrate muscles leading to released tension
  •   Tapotement - which is tapping or a percussion movement for a fast stimulating effect. Hand cupping is sometimes used to loosen tight muscles. 

 


Many physicians approve of a Swedish massage to help their patients in replace of or addition to drug therapy. The success of this type of massage to treat stress, myofascial pain, muscle pain and spasms, anxiety, and much more has led to its incredible popularity in the medical field.


So now our hero-husband knows about a Swedish Massage for Mary but he still wants to check out a Deep Tissue Massage for her since she is so active during the week. Is this the right one for her?





Deep Tissue Massage 


Therese Phimmer is Canadian doctor who wrote about her use of the technique to overcome a leg paralysis. The popularity and use of deep tissue massage helped her open her first clinic in 1949. 


Deep tissue massage is exactly what you would think. It involves working a deeper layer of muscles and tissue than what you might find in a normal Swedish massage. The therapist uses long, firm strokes to release muscle tension and knots. They may use their hands, fists, or even elbows to get to and release the problem areas in the body. While that may sound hash or painful, when done correctly it actually feels great with little to no pain or long-term discomfort.


Some of the more popular reasons of going with a deep tissue massage are:

 

  •  Hard to reach tension knots
  •  Physical injury recovery
  •  Joint pain in elbows, shoulders, back, neck, hips, knees, and ankles
  •  Easing of some autoimmune symptoms like fibromyalgia (*not a cure*)
  •  Upper back and neck pain relief
  •  Lower back pain relief

 

Many people find this technique to be helpful in athletic recovery and injury recovery.


So, which should Mary’s husband chose? 


What do you think? Which one is right for you?


Some people find a combination is helpful. A trained massage therapist like Billy Kelley will guide you to which one is the best or maybe a mix of both. After working with clients for many years and with so many Google 5-star reviews and Facebook 5-star reviews, he will be able to help you find just the right technique to ease your pain for the best mental and physical relief. 


Now all Mary’s husband has to do is set an appointment with Billy Kelley and he will do the rest, ensuring Mary is let in a state of blissfulness and comfort, ready to take on a new week. One she is better prepared for now that she has had time to relax! 


How about you? Are you ready to completely relax?


If so, set an appointment today!


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