by Laurie Boris

Created on: March 13, 2009

Are you tied up in knots? Stressed out, counting undone "to-do" items instead of getting a good night's sleep? Or is that hamstring you tweaked in your last spinning class still bugging you, weeks later? Why not schedule a session with a massage therapist? Medical studies have shown that a good massage can reduce stress, promote relaxation, speed healing of injuries and help insomnia. But the key lies not just in choosing the right massage therapist, but also in choosing the right kind of therapy.

So how do you find a massage therapist who is right for you?

First, consider your needs. This means weighing the status of your health and your sensitivity to pain against the types of massage available.

1. If you want basic stress relief and relaxation, a Swedish massage could be just your ticket. This is one of the mildest forms of massage, and uses gentle strokes to relax your muscles and enhance circulation. It is also very good for people with fibromyalgia, arthritis or other conditions where deep pressure cannot be tolerated. Most massage therapists do Swedish massage.

2. A sports or medical massage can help you recover from an injury by working specific muscle groups and surrounding soft tissue. One of the body's brilliant defense mechanisms to protect an injured area while healing is to immobilize surrounding muscles. As you heal, sometimes these "splinting" muscles become rigid, and a targeted massage can help them regain their mobility and improve circulation. Sports/medical massages are more vigorous than Swedish massage, and are also good if you work out a lot or are sore from overuse, like the marathon you ran last weekend.

3. You might have seen something called myofascial release on a massage therapist's brochure, web site or yellow page ad. There is a thin membrane called the myofascia surrounding all of your muscles (think of the translucent, silvery skin you sometimes see over raw "skinless" chicken breasts). Sometimes, especially following injury, the stress of childbirth, or long periods of bad posture, the myofascia gets "stuck" to the muscles or other soft tissue and therefore will not allow your muscles to stretch to their full length, which can exacerbate injuries, inhibit circulation and cause lots of other problems. There are also some conditions, including chronic myofascial pain syndrome, where the myofascia gets stuck very easily - even staying in one position too long can make you feel stiff or "sticky." Myofascial release can be a rather

• 1
• 2
• 3
• Next Page >>