From Shiatsu to LPG: What is the difference between different types of massage and which one to choose?
Text: Karina Sembe
Massage is a delicate matter. On the one hand, its benefits are indisputable: the procedure perfectly relaxes the muscles, improves the lymph flow, improves blood circulation, thereby triggering the processes of regeneration of the body. Properly prescribed massage course can help relieve stress, bring the body into a tonus and recover from injury.
On the other hand, finding a good masseur is not easy, and if you succeed, hold on to the master with both hands. Trust your body is only a professional who knows how it works: for a massage therapist necessarily secondary medical education, and the services of hairdressers or manicurists who have completed three-month massage courses should be avoided. Beauty salons and massage studios can be trusted only if they have a license for medical massage. Even if the massage was performed professionally, it can aggravate the course of certain diseases or provoke their aggravation, because physicians recommend that you go to a doctor before self-appointment and apply for massage to learn about the state of the body and learn about possible contraindications.
Massage includes a huge number of different practices and approaches, some ritual and alternative therapy are often side by side with science. Eastern and western massage systems are divided, and within these schools there is a whole gradient of techniques - from ancient traditional to modern technological, from light to deep and intensive. We chose several popular types of massage and in a few words told how good they are.
Classical
One of the most common types of massage is also called Swedish. The name “sports massage” stuck to it, since this technique is used for strong physical exertion on muscles and joints. When performing a classic massage, the therapist can work with varying degrees of intensity, but always tries to penetrate deep into the tissue in order to grind compaction, stretch the neurovascular bundles and muscles. The impact occurs through stroking, patting, intensive kneading and a slight "shake" of the muscles. As a rule, massage oils or special lotions are used. A classic "sports" massage not only improves blood circulation and relaxes muscles - it lowers blood pressure in patients with hypertension, reduces back pain and even helps reduce cortisol levels - the so-called stress hormone.
Thai
The founding father of Thai massage is Dr. Jivak, a personal doctor of one of the Indian kings who ruled more than two thousand years ago. Thai massage has always been used for therapeutic purposes in conjunction with Thai traditional medicine.
The main principle of this direction of massage is a point effect on the body in accordance with the breathing of the patient and the massage therapist. It is necessary to provide soft transitions from one acupressure point to another. Thai massage is very intense and deep, which is often taken aback by careless clients of spas who did not bother to understand the specifics of the service. Classic Thai massage is done on top of pajamas, but they also practice the technique with the use of oils. Elements of yoga and oriental physiotherapy are used, when the masseur makes the patient a soft stretch. The beneficial effect of Thai massage is in deep warming of muscles and joints, removing puffiness, improving peristalsis, stimulating and normalizing the activity of the nervous system.
Shiatsu
Comprehensive Japanese Shiatsu therapy is based on the theory of qi energy circulation, its various styles besides massage include traditional Japanese therapeutic practices, elements of Chinese medicine, achievements of Western anatomy and physiology. The shiatsu technique is to press the muscles with your fingers and palms. Like most Eastern school technicians, shiatsu massage is done on the floor: the patient is lying on a thin mat and the therapist works on his knees. Shiatsu is regulated as licensed medical therapy by the Ministry of Health and Welfare of Japan. Scientific facts do not confirm the practical benefits of shiatsu, but, according to research in the field of holistic medicine, traditional Japanese massage can relieve pain and reduce anxiety in patients over time. In any case, the shiatsu session will come off for a good experiment in the case of a trip to Japan, although the technique is no less popular in European spas.
Ayurvedic
Abhyang massage is one of the main components of Ayurveda, the system of traditional Indian alternative medicine. Ayurvedic massage is aimed at removing toxins and normalizing the work of the lymphatic system, it is believed that it stimulates the production of lymphocytes, which play a key role in maintaining immunity. There is no mysticism in this - this is just an ancient manual method of lymphatic drainage, which in our days sometimes trust in lymphatic drainage apparatus procedures. Traditional Indian massage is good primarily for relaxation: the touch of a massage therapist is not intense and rather soft (fingers, palms and forearms are involved in an easy warm-up and pressure). Abhyang massage is done with the use of natural oils, the composition of which is selected individually, so that in addition to aromatherapy you will be provided with skin nutrition and a deep uniform warming of muscles and joints.
Endermological
With traditional practices figured out, let's move on to advanced technologies. Endermological massage (or LPG-massage) is a patented technology, which consists in treating the muscle layer and subcutaneous fat by vacuum action, by deep and intensive kneading with special roller maniples. LPG massage is used in medicine to treat varicose veins, radiculitis, to recover from injuries and burns, and in sports to strengthen muscles and ligaments, to recover from injuries, and to prepare athletes for competitions. LPG acquired a real boom in hardware cosmetology, where it is used to eliminate visible signs of cellulite, reduce body fat and improve skin elasticity - and, judging by research results, is relatively effective. Even if cellulite does not diminish (its visible signs have significantly decreased only in 15% of the women participating in the study), after a course of endermologic massage, the skin is sure to become toned, soft and elastic.
Pressure therapy
In medicine, pressure therapy, or rather impulse barotherapy, is used in the complex treatment of persistent muscle tension and the prevention of varicose veins, helps fight post-traumatic and postoperative edema. Pressotherapy (or lymphatic drainage) consists of consistent pressure on parts of the body (mainly arms and legs) with the help of special cuffs, into which compressed air is alternately supplied. Due to this air pressure, the skin is cleaned and fed with lymph, blood circulation in the capillaries of the skin and soft tissues is improved. Due to the effect on subcutaneous fatty tissue after a course of pressure therapy, the skin becomes more elastic and softer, many patients notice a decrease in the visible manifestations of cellulite. The main bonus of pressure therapy, of course, is that the whole process is reminiscent of cosmonaut training.
Hydromassage
In the post-collective collective unconscious, such a gestalt as the Charcot's douche has long been entrenched, but a jet of water moving under furious pressure is not the only type of hydromassage. Much more common method in modern sanatoriums and spa - hydromassage pool. The water from the pool is taken by the pump, and then through the pumping system it returns to the bowl, being fed under pressure through the hydromassage nozzles and mixing in them with air. These water-air jets are designed to create the effect of massage, the intensity of which is regulated in accordance with the appointment of the doctor and the patient's sensations. Hydromassage is often combined with aromatherapy: special hydrophilic solutions based on oils and herbs with different effects, from tonic to soothing, flow into the pool.
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