Which massage styles are best?

You may have noticed that different massage styles are popular at different times. And you may have wondered whether each was just part of a passing fad or the latest, greatest massage technique? Even more important is how can you tell whether the latest style will actually help you?

Styles used in massage therapy range from long, smooth strokes to short, percussive strokes. Some massage therapists use oils and lotions; others do not. Most massage therapists ask clients to undress for a massage, but some do not. A massage can last anywhere from five minutes to two hours.

Before you can decide which massage style is best for you, you need to ask yourself a question. Do you simply want a massage for relaxation and stress control? Or do you need symptom relief or help with a certain health condition? Before booking a massage, let the therapist know what you're looking for and ask which style the therapist uses. Many use more than one style. Or the therapist may customise your massage, depending on your age, condition, or any special needs or goals you have.

What follows is a list of some of the more popular massage therapy styles. The first four are especially popular.

Massage therapy styles: Swedish

The most common type of massage is Swedish massage therapy. It involves soft, long, kneading strokes, as well as light, rhythmic, tapping strokes, on topmost layers of muscles. This is also combined with movement of the joints. By relieving muscle tension, Swedish therapy can be both relaxing and energising. And it may even help after an injury.

The four common strokes of Swedish massage are:

• Effleurage: a smooth, gliding stroke used to relax soft tissue
• Petrissage: the squeezing, rolling, or kneading that follows effleurage
• Friction: deep, circular movements that cause layers of tissue to rub against each other, helping to increase blood flow and break down scar tissue
• Tapotement: a short, alternating tap done with cupped hands, fingers, or the edge of the hand

Massage therapy styles: deep tissue

Deep tissue massage is best for giving attention to certain painful, stiff "trouble spots" in your body. The massage therapist uses slow, deliberate strokes that focus pressure on layers of muscles, tendons, or other tissues deep under your skin. Though less rhythmic than other types of massage, deep tissue massage can be quite therapeutic -- relieving chronic patterns of tension and helping with muscle injuries, such as back sprain.

Massage therapy styles: sports

Developed to help with muscle systems used for a particular sport, sports massage uses a variety of approaches to help athletes in training -- before, during, or after sports events. You might use it to promote flexibility and help prevent injuries. Or, it may help muscle strains, aiding healing after a sports injury.

Massage therapy styles: chair

Ever gone to a fair, music festival, or conference and envied other people getting chair massages? Or, maybe you're lucky enough to work at a company that offers 15 to 20 minute massages as a regular benefit. On-site chair massages are done while you're seated fully clothed in a portable, specially designed chair. They usually involve a massage of your neck, shoulders, back, arms, and hands.

Massage therapy styles: shiatsu massage

In Japanese, shiatsu means "finger pressure." For shiatsu massage the therapist uses varied, rhythmic pressure on certain precise points of the body. These points are called acupressure points, and they are believed to be important for the flow of the body's vital energy, called chi. Proponents say shiatsu massage can help relieve blockages at these acupressure points.

Massage therapy styles: Thai massage

During a Thai massage, the therapist uses his or her body to move the client into a variety of positions. This type of massage includes compression of muscles, mobilisation of joints, and acupressure.

Massage therapy styles: hot stones

For this kind of massage, the therapist places warmed stones on certain areas of the body, such as acupressure points. The stones may be used as massage tools or be temporarily left in place. Used along with other massage techniques, hot stones can be quite soothing and relaxing as they transmit heat deep into the body.

Massage therapy styles: reflexology

Reflexology uses hand, thumb, and finger techniques to stimulate certain areas of the feet. These areas are believed to correspond to different parts of the body. The massage, then, is expected to promote health and well-being.

Massage therapy styles: pregnancy massage

During pregnancy, your body goes through major changes. Pregnancy massage can help with these changes by reducing stress, decreasing arm and leg swelling, and relieving muscle and joint pain. Massage may be particularly helpful during a time when medication and other medical options may be more limited. Using specially designed massage pillows, the massage therapist will help get you into a comfortable position for this type of massage.

Are there health benefits associated with massage?

Many types of massage offer benefits beyond simple relaxation. Here are just a few of the health problems that may benefit from massage. However, it’s important to speak to your doctor before using massage for any health condition.

• Back pain. More than one study has shown the effectiveness of massage therapy for back pain. In fact, one 2003 study showed it worked better than acupuncture or spinal modification for persistent low back pain --reducing the need for painkillers by 36%.
• Headache. Another type of pain -- headache -- also responds to massage therapy, as shown by more than one study. Massage therapy can reduce the number of migraines a person has and also improve sleep.
• Osteoarthritis. In the first clinical trial looking at the effectiveness of Swedish massage for knee osteoarthritis, participants who received a one-hour massage either one or two times a week had improvements in pain, stiffness, and function. The control group had no such change.
• Cancer. Used as a complement to traditional, Western medicine, massage can promote relaxation and reduce cancer symptoms or side effects of treatment. It may help reduce pain, swelling, fatigue, nausea, or depression, for example, or improve the function of your immune system.
• Anxiety. A review of more than 12 studies shows that massage helps relieve depression and anxiety. It lowered levels of cortisol by up to 50%. And massage increased levels of neurotransmitters that help reduce depression.

Massage helps back pain

What do we know already?

Each year around 5 million people go to their GP with back pain. Several treatments seem to help, including exercises, painkillers, and spinal manipulation. People often try several treatments before they find something that works for them.

A new study has looked at whether massage can help people with long-term back pain.

What does the new study say?

Two kinds of massage helped with long-term back pain. Some people had relaxation massage, which uses a fairly light touch to help people feel relaxed. Others had structural massage, which aims to correct abnormalities in muscles and other soft tissue. Added to the treatment people were already getting, both types helped people get on with their lives and be less bothered by back pain.

At the start of the study, the average rating people gave to their level of disability was 11, on a scale from 0 to 23, with higher scores meaning more disability. After having an hour of massage every week for 10 weeks, the average disability score among people having relaxation massage fell to 6. Disability fell to 6.5 among people having structural massage.

People who didn't have massage, but carried on getting the usual care from their doctor, rated their disability at 9 points after 10 weeks. Usual care could mean any treatment recommended by a doctor, including painkillers, anti-inflammatory drugs, muscle relaxants, or physiotherapy.

Although there was an immediate benefit to massage, after 26 weeks there was no obvious difference between massage and usual care. After a year, everyone rated their disability at around 6 or 7 points, whether they'd had massage or not. This suggests that massage helps in the short term, but over longer periods people tend to recover from back pain without it.

The study looked at 400 people aged between 20 and 65.

How reliable is the research?

A slight problem with the study is that, compared with the people who continued seeing their usual doctor, the people having massage were getting more treatment and spending more time with health professionals. This could have given them extra reassurance and led them to expect an improvement in their back pain. This would have biased the study in favour of massage.

As well as massage, people were given exercises to do at home. These could also have contributed to the improvements people saw.

Everyone in the study had had back pain for more than three months, and people with some more serious types of back pain, such as sciatica, were excluded. So, the results don't apply to all kinds of back pain.

What does this mean for me?

The study suggests that massage may be worth trying if you have back pain that has lasted longer than three months.

Other treatments for back pain include exercises, painkillers, therapy to help you cope with pain, and spinal manipulation. Stronger painkillers and drugs to relax your muscles may help, but can cause side effects.

Doctors usually advise people with a bad back to keep active. Resting can mean you get stiff and your muscles get weaker.