Massage therapy

Generality

Massage therapy is the therapeutic massage of muscles and connective tissues, practiced with the hands and mainly aimed at preventing diseases of the musculoskeletal system or rehabilitating those affected by them.

The main conditions for which massage therapy is used are: muscle pain, contracted muscles, tendon contractures and hardening, water retention, mental stress and cellulite.
Massage therapy does not require any particular preparation and is to be considered a practice with a low risk of complications; however, it has some contraindications, which are: pregnancy, bleeding disorders, fractures, skin lesions, skin infections and tumors.
Massage therapy is a therapeutic practice whose effectiveness has been the subject of scientific investigations for several years. The latest research on the subject has shown that its beneficial power is limited in time and is greater for certain conditions (eg chronic back pain).

What is massage therapy?

Massage therapy is the therapeutic massage of muscles and connective tissues, generally performed with the hands (manual massage).
Massage therapy includes various massage techniques, with the aim of promoting the health and well-being of various systems of the human body, including mainly the musculoskeletal system.
Very often, massage therapy experts define the latter as a rehabilitation and preventive practice against many diseases that have as their object the muscles, blood vessels, lymphatic vessels and nerve endings of the motor type.

WHO DOES MASSOTHERAPY?

Those who practice massage therapy take the name of massage therapist. The massage therapist is a professional figure with a specific "qualification in massage therapy.
The massage therapist has knowledge in the fields of human anatomy, physiology, human biology, chemistry, endocrinology, immunology, pharmacology, pathology and histology.

ORIGIN OF THE NAME

The term "massage therapy" derives from the "union of two Greek words, which are:"boulder” (μάσσω) And "therapeia” (θεραπεία ). The word "boulder”Means“ kneading ”or“ modeling with your hands ”, while the word therapeia it means "cure" or "healing". Hence, the literal meaning of massage therapy is "hand modeling cure".

HISTORY

According to some historical testimonies, the first forms of massage therapy were born 2,000-3,000 years before the birth of Christ, in Ancient Egypt and in those geographical areas where China and India currently reside.
In the Western World, the spread of massage therapy and manual massage as a form of therapy complete with rules, indications, contraindications and deontological norms is due to a Swedish doctor, gymnast and physiotherapist, named Pehr Henrik Ling, who lived between 1776 and 1839.
Ling is known for being the father of the so-called "Swedish massage", a manual massage technique on which the main principles of modern massage therapy are based.

Operation

According to massage therapy experts, manual massage would bring benefits to muscles, connective tissues and the human body in general, because:

It determines an improvement in blood circulation even in the smallest vessels (capillaries). This leads to a better supply of oxygen and nutrients to the cells of the affected tissues; a better supply of oxygen and nutrients to the cells makes them work better and heal faster from any damage or non-fatal injuries;
Promotes lymphatic drainage. This improves the elimination of waste substances from the fabrics;
It stimulates the secretion of endorphins. Endorphins are chemicals produced by the brain and endowed with a powerful analgesic and exciting activity.
It blocks the nerve signals that make the human being feel pain and muscle-tendon tension.

Indications

Those who practice massage therapy believe that the latter is useful in case of:

Contracted musculature;
Sore musculature;
Contractures or hardening of the tendons
Psychophysical stress (eg: anxiety, anxiety disorders, minor depression, etc.);
Water retention;
Cellulite.

Massage therapy, therefore, is indicated against muscle pain, for the relaxation of muscles and tendons, for an improvement of lymphatic drainage and for psychic relaxation (nervous relaxation).

MASSOTHERAPY AND SPORT

Massage therapists highly recommend massage to sports practitioners and professional athletes, to reduce post-workout fatigue, to accelerate recovery and to promote muscle relaxation after use.

Preparation

Massage therapy does not require any special preparation. Therefore, the patient does not have to comply with any particular preparatory rules before undergoing a massage therapy session.

How is it done?

Massage therapy is a treatment that is generally divided into a cycle of at least 5-10 sessions.
The first session is different from all the others, because it includes a preliminary phase in which the massage therapist investigates the patient's state of health and performs a sort of medical anamnesis.
This preliminary phase has a "fundamental importance, as it allows the therapist to establish on which points of the human body it is good to act, to be of benefit to the patient.
Once the problems to be treated are known, there are all the conditions for starting the manual massage: for the occasion, the patient must take off the main clothes and lie down on a special bed, present in all the massage therapists' offices.
For manual massage, those who practice massage therapy often use oils or ointments, as the latter guarantee greater smoothness and a better modeling action of the hands on the patient's body.

MASSOTHERAPY TECHNIQUES

The massage techniques, which are part of massage therapy, include:

The touch. It is the technique with which each massage therapist begins and ends each session. It consists in sliding the hand over the skin, without applying any pressure.
At the beginning of the session, it is used to prepare the human body for subsequent massage techniques.
The rubbing. It involves a greater pressure on the skin, compared to what happens with touching. It is an essential technique, because it precedes and follows every other massage technique.
The friction. It is a rubbing in which the therapist's hands continuously remain in contact with the patient's skin. The friction allows you to act both on the superficial and deep layers of the human body.
Kneading is a technique applicable only where there is muscle mass. It consists in pinching, lifting and transversely moving the muscles, exerting a pressure of the thumb against the other fingers of the opposite hand.
There are two forms of kneading: surface kneading and deep kneading.
The pressure. It consists of a compression perpendicular to the patient's skin. It aims to facilitate the reabsorption of edema and improve blood circulation, where there are impediments.
The percussion. It consists of a series of quick and short tapping of varying intensity, performed by means of the fingers, the edge of the hands or the cupped hands.
The choice of tapping mode depends on the patient's problems.
In general, the purposes of percussion are: to improve muscle contractility and metabolism, promote muscle vascularization and stimulate the nervous system.
The vibration. In performing it, the therapist places his hand on the skin area to be treated and performs small and rapid lateral movements, similar to tremors.

Risks and complications

When practiced by a qualified therapist, massage therapy is a substantially safe and low-risk technique. In fact, only in rare circumstances does it give rise to side effects.
The possible side effects of massage therapy include:

Temporary pain
Swelling;
Formation of hematomas;
Adverse / allergic reactions to the oil or ointment used during the session

Contraindications

Massage therapy is contraindicated in case of:

Pregnant women. It is not clear whether manual massage is dangerous for the fetus or not. However, as a precaution, it is best to avoid any kind of manipulation of the body.
People with bleeding defects (e.g. haemophilia), fractures, skin wounds, skin infections or osteoporosis. In such situations, manual massage could worsen the ongoing pathological conditions. For example, in the case of haemophilia, it could induce bleeding or cause bruising.
Those who have undergone surgery in recent times. This is a temporary contraindication.
People with tumors. The contraindication is limited to the anatomical area in which the tumor resides. In the rest of the body, therefore, manual massage is practicable.

Results and criticisms

The real therapeutic power of massage therapy has been the subject of studies and debates in the medical-scientific community for several decades now.
Investigations have shown that manual massage is indeed beneficial to the human body, but not as much as it is in the statements of massage therapists.
In fact, according to the most reliable scientific researches, massage therapy has a soothing action against pain, limited in time (therefore short term) and a moderate beneficial action against mood disorders (eg: anxiety, minor depression, etc. ). Furthermore, it was found that, to appreciate the results, patients should resort to manual massage on a continuous basis.
In light of these evidences, doctors strongly advise against preferring massage therapy to all those medical treatments of certain efficacy, especially when the present morbid condition is of a certain clinical significance.
All this, however, does not exclude the association of massage therapy with traditional forms of therapy.

Table. Results of scientific studies aimed at demonstrating the effectiveness of massage therapy.