Back and neck pain triggered by poor posture, stress, and injuries can severely impact daily life. Most people opt for a massage to relieve this symptom. And there are a range of traditional and technical approaches to choose from. This article will cover the benefits of massage and the 7 types of massage, as well as what modern people do to relieve pain and neck pain.
Benefits of Massage
Massage therapy offers a variety of benefits that can enhance physical fitness, promote mental health, and provide relief for specific populations with special needs. By incorporating massage into routine healthcare, individuals can maintain better overall health and improve their quality of life.
- Muscle tension and pain relief
- Improved blood circulation
- Accelerated recovery from surgery
- Reduces headaches
- Lymphatic flow to promote detoxification
- Reduces stress
- Relieves anxiety and depression
- Improves sleep quality
- Immune system enhancement
- Cardiovascular health
- Relief of autoimmune symptoms
7 Types Of Massage
Understanding how to massage neck pain using various techniques from Swedish to Shiatsu can significantly enhance physical and mental health. Each method, tailored to specific needs, offers targeted relief from neck pain while promoting overall well-being and stress reduction.
Swedish Massage
Swedish massage is characterized by its use of five main strokes: effleurage (long, flowing strokes), petrissage (kneading of muscles), tapotement (rhythmic tapping), friction, and vibration/shaking. These movements are designed to warm up the muscle tissue, releasing tension and gradually breaking up muscle "knots."
Benefits:
- Relaxation and Stress Reduction: The gentle strokes of a Swedish massage stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system, reducing cortisol levels and increasing feelings of relaxation.
- Improved Circulation: The techniques help increase blood flow, which promotes healing and reduces recovery time from muscle strain.
- Flexibility: Regular sessions can enhance flexibility by stretching the muscle tissues, tendons, and ligaments, reducing stiffness and increasing range of motion.
Deep Tissue Massage
This method involves applying sustained pressure using slow, deep strokes to target the inner layers of your muscles and connective tissues. This helps to break up scar tissue that forms following an injury and reduces tension in muscle and tissue.
Benefits:
- Chronic Pain Relief: It is effective in relieving chronic back pain by improving blood pressure and flow and reducing inflammation.
- Breaks Up Scar Tissue: Regular treatment can break up and eventually erase scar tissue in the body. This is important for ongoing pain relief and healing.
- Rehabilitates Injured Muscles: By facilitating the movement of toxins from muscles and helping stretch tight or twisted muscle mass, it helps promote healing.
Trigger Point Therapy
Also known as myofascial release, this therapy involves applying gentle to firm pressure to specific myofascial points on the body. This releases the tight areas within muscle tissue that are causing pain in other parts of the body.
Benefits:
- Pain Management: Helps manage pain and reduce spasms and cramping in muscles.
- Improved Range of Motion: Eases constricted areas, improving range of motion and muscle function.
- Holistic Pain Relief: Often results in significant pain relief that can be felt globally throughout the body, not just in localized areas.
Shiatsu Massage
Shiatsu Massage is a traditional Japanese healing method that combines assisted stretching techniques and acupressure to restore the flow of energy (Qi) throughout the body. Shiatsu involves rhythmic, gradual pressure and stretching and also manipulating soft tissues.
Benefits:
- Energy Balance: Helps balance energy flows, which can reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression and promote emotional well-being.
- Muscle Relaxation: The targeted pressure helps release muscle tension in the back, neck, and shoulders.
- Revitalizes Energy: Often described as both relaxing and invigorating, improving overall energy levels.
Thai Massage
This interactive and dynamic form of massage therapy combines yoga-like stretches with deep pressure techniques using the practitioner’s fingers, thumbs, elbows, arms, and feet.
Benefits:
- Enhances Flexibility: Mimicking yoga movements increases body flexibility and mobility.
- Improves Athletic Performance: Often used by athletes to prepare for and recover from sports events.
- Stress and Anxiety Reduction: Provides mental and physical relaxation, thereby reducing stress and improving mood.
Hot Stone Massage
This therapy involves placing warmed stones on certain areas of the body, generally along the spine, in the palms of the hand, along the legs, or between the toes. The heat from the stones penetrates deeply into the muscle and tissue, promoting relaxation.
Benefits:
- Deep Muscle Relaxation: The heat from the stones helps relax muscles, allowing the therapist to work the muscles without using deep pressure.
- Pain Relief: Great for alleviating muscle pain due to its intense nature.
- Improved Circulation: The heat helps expand blood vessels, which encourages blood flow throughout the body.
Reflexology
Reflexology involves applying pressure to specific points on the feet, hands, or ears. These points correspond to different body organs and systems, and pressing them has beneficial effects on the organs and a person's overall health.
Benefits:
- Holistic Improvements: Affects many different organs and improves systemic health.
- Nerve Function: Increases nerve activity and induces a deep state of relaxation.
- Detoxification: Enhances lymph drainage and stimulates the elimination of toxins from the body.
How to Relieve Back and Neck Pain？
A statistic from the Library of American Medical Colleges: the prevalence of NSP in the adult population has reached 86.8%. Neck and back pain have a serious impact on daily life.
I will show you two types of approaches, one is the traditional massage technique and the other is the massage method with a massager. I used to go back to the massage parlor more often for relaxation, but now I prefer to use the massager.
Traditional Massage Techniques
Here are the types of massages I've had for neck and shoulder relief, and I'll tell you about my personal experience as well.
- Swedish Massage: Utilizes gentle, warming strokes along with rhythmic tapping and circular pressure to enhance circulation and promote relaxation. Ideal for beginners, individuals with mild to moderate muscle tension, and those seeking relief from chronic stress, anxiety, or depression.
- Deep Tissue Massage: Targets deep layers of muscle and fascia to address severe tension and pain, such as chronic back pain, stiff necks, and tight muscles. Best for those in high-stress environments needing profound relaxation.
- Trigger Point Therapy: Focuses on relieving muscle tension by identifying and applying pressure to trigger points. Accompanied by stretching and myofascial release, this method is perfect for chronic pain sufferers, athletes, office workers, and post-injury recovery. Initial discomfort often leads to significant long-term relief, enhancing muscle flexibility and function.
Back & Neck Massager
The reason I started experiencing the massager was because I really wanted to get a massage but because of my work issues, I just couldn't find the time to do it. So I tried to experience the massage. Here are three pieces of information I preferred in my experience with the neck massager and back massager.
- SKG G7 Pro Neck Massager: It combines kneading, pulsing, heat, and red light therapy to deeply penetrate and relax muscles. I like its temperature and 630 nm infrared design. Because they penetrate deep into the muscle tissues and improve blood circulation, I get quick relief from my pain problems within 5-10 seconds.
- SKG H7 Shoulder & Neck Shiatsu Massager: It is ergonomically designed to relieve fatigue and tension in the neck, shoulders, back, and legs. It offers four massage modes and four heat levels. It heats up very quickly, within 3-5 seconds, and simulates the feel of human touch. It improves blood circulation to sore muscles after pressing.
- SKG W9 Pro Back Massager: It is equipped with 8 heated massage heads and 31 630 nm red light spotlight beads that penetrate deep into the muscle tissues to improve blood circulation and quickly relieve pain in seconds. It supports wireless charging and can be intelligently controlled via mobile apps to provide users with a customized and friendly massage experience. You can see more on giving back massages, by clicking here.
These are the massage techniques and massagers that I have experienced. If you have time you can experience manual massage techniques. But if you have less time and need a massage badly, a massage is a very good choice. I have experienced so many massagers and I end up trusting SKG neck massager the most.
Conclusion
Each of the messages described in this article has its unique benefits for different needs and preferences. Also described are traditional techniques and great massagers for relieving shoulder and neck pain. You can choose the massage techniques and massagers you need according to your needs.
