Swedish Massage

In Basic Massage School, you will be taught the theories and practice of Swedish Massage Therapy (aka Therapeutic Massage) which is a more soothing yet effective type of massage.  It can be used in many ways for relaxation, wellness and also applied to various health conditions for medical care.

History: Pehr Henrick Ling is often said to be the Father of Swedish Massage but there is a little more to the story.

“In Sweden, Per-Henrik Ling (1776 – 1839), a former fencing master, found acceptance forhis construction of a specific gymnastics system. Inspired by Rousseau and GutsMuths,Ling wanted to provide a system based on philanthropic ideas, where the intellect could bedeveloped through the senses and through action.” .  ~From Ling Gymnastics to Sport Science: The Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences, GIH, from 1813 to 2013

Robert Calvert, author of the History of Massage says he was not the Father of Swedish Massage and that there is not any Swedish Massage in Sweden.  They have something that they refer to as Classical Massage. Massage Magazine 

In this biographical sketch of Ling written in 1854 says that Ling used manual therapy techniques but did not refer to them as Swedish Massage nor name the hand movements Effleurage, Pettrisage etc:

The Swedish massage techniques effleurage (long, gliding strokes), petrissage (lifting and kneading the muscles), friction (firm, deep, circular rubbing movements), tapotement (brisk tapping or percussive movements), and vibration (rapidly shaking or vibrating specific muscles) are largely credited to Johann Georg Mezger (1838–1909)

What is Swedish Massage?

Swedish Massage is a type of massage that includes specific movements with the hands and arms in very specific strokes and these French words are used to describe them:

• Effleurage – Long, gliding strokes;The word Effleurage originates from the French verb meaning “to skim” and “to touch lightly on.” It can be applied in many variations of pressure, speed, direction, rhythm and the amount of drag on the skin.
• Petrissage – Kneading of the muscles
  The word Pettrisage comes from the French verb petrir, meaning “to knead.” In kneading, the soft tissue is lifted, rolled, twisted, and squeezed like kneading bread. The amount of pressure, lifiting, rolling, twisting and squezing can be varied depending on the condition of the tissue and the goal of the sessions.
• Friction – Firm, circular rubbing motions that can be applied in many ways for many conditions.
• Tapotement – From the French word tapoter meaning to rap, smack, drum or pat, tapotement also has various forms of percussive methods such as hacking, cupping (with hands),  slapping, and tapping.
• Vibration – Using Shaking particular muscles
• Swedish Gymnastics

Uses of Swedish Massage

The therapist will use these various techinques to apply the massage oil/lotion, assess the condition of the muscles and to address many health conditions such as stress, pain, anxiety, depression and more.  It can be used in applications such as sports massage (preevent, post-event, training), infant massage, pregnancy massage and more.  It can help with many conditions such as stress, pain, anxiety, depression, injuries, and more.  it can be used in a wellness environment or a medical environment.

How does Swedish Massage work?

Skilled therapists using the methods of Swedich Massage can be applied to most any medical condition and be used to help support relaxation.