There are numerous types of massage. These can include:
Swedish massage
Swedish Massage is one of the most gentle massages involving effleurage, kneading, friction, percussion, vibration and shaking motions that apply pressure between muscles and bones, rubbing in the same direction as the flow of blood returning to the heart. Swedish Massage can be tailored to be both relaxing and invigorating.
Deep tissue massage
Deep tissue massage utilises a wide range of techniques which are focused on stretching, mobilising and manipulating the muscles of the body along with the ligaments and tendons. These powerful techniques are designed to get to the root of your muscular pain, working into painful ‘knots’ and trigger points to give you effective pain relief.
Remedial massage
As the name suggests remedial massage is tailored to address clients’ specific needs. This can be for general aches and pains to promoting deep relaxation. Often advice on injury management and rehabilitation can also be provided if required.
Remedial massage generally involves working deeper through the muscle layers, similarly to deep tissue massage.
Sports massage
Sports massage has many similarities with remedial massage. It is an effective therapy for releasing muscle tension and restoring muscle balance, with a particular focus on treating injuries and optimising performance.
How does Osteopathy differ?
Osteopathy utilises most of the soft tissue techniques found in the various different types of massage. However, Osteopaths are primary healthcare practitioners; complementary to other medical practices and are musculoskeletal specialists.
Before any treatment is administered Osteopaths must have a working diagnosis, hence before any soft tissue treatment techniques are carried out, a thorough case history is taken, followed by any relevant medical examinations such as respiratory, cardiovascular, orthopaedic or neurological screens.
The various soft tissue techniques are tailored to promoting optimal health through their understanding of the interrelationships between the muscular skeletal system and the rest of the body. For this reason an osteopathic evaluation also involves looking at posture and other biomechanical relationships within the body. (read more)
If you would like more information on types of massage and osteopathy and what would be best for you, please feel free to call the clinic on 01392 879144.