Body Massage Literature Review

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CHAPTER TWO 2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 BODY MASSAGE Body massaging is an art that might be as old as mankind, because the holding or rubbing of an injured body part is an instinctive reaction when we are in pain. Massage is a general term for pressing, rubbing and manipulating your skin, muscles tendons, and ligaments. Massage involves working and acting on the body with pressure, structured, unstructured, stationary or moving, tension, motion or vibration done manually or with mechanical aids. Target tissue may include muscles, tendons, ligaments, fascia, skin, joints or other connective tissue, as well as lymphatic vessels or organs of the gastrointestinal system. A massage therapist is someone who has been professionally trained to perform …show more content…

It is especially helpful for chronic aches and pains and contracted areas such as stiff neck and upper back, low back pain, leg muscle tightness, and sore shoulders. Some of the same strokes are used as classic massage therapy, but the movement is slower and the pressure is deeper and concentrated on areas of tension and pain in order to reach the sub-layer of muscles and the fascia (the connective tissue surrounding muscles). When there is chronic muscle tension or injury, there are usually adhesions (bands of painful, rigid tissue) in muscles, tendons, and ligaments. Adhesions can block circulation and cause pain, limited movement, and inflammation. Deep tissue massage works by physically breaking down these adhesions to relieve pain and restore normal movement. To do this, the massage therapist uses massage oil and often uses direct deep pressure. Muscles must be relaxed in order for the therapist to reach the deeper musculature. At certain points during the massage, most people find there is usually some discomfort and pain. It is important to tell the massage therapist when things hurt and if any soreness or pain you experience is outside your comfort range .There is usually some stiffness or pain after a deep tissue massage, but it should subside within a day or so. The massage therapist may recommend applying ice to the area after the

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