| Massage therapy is the scientific manipulation of | | | | including private offices, hospitals, nursing homes, |
| the soft tissues of the body, for the purpose of | | | | studios, and sport and fitness facilities. |
| normalizing those tissues. It is one of the oldest | | | | In Fact, Massage has been advocated in Western |
| health care practices known to history. It consists | | | | health care practices at least, since the time of |
| of a group of manual techniques that include | | | | Hippocrates, the "Father of Medicine" In the fourth |
| applying fixed or movable pressure, holding, and | | | | century B C. And it is a fast-growing career field |
| or causing movement of or to the body. | | | | that's an important part of overall good health in |
| We use massage for a variety of health-related | | | | today's stressful world. |
| purposes, to relieve pain, rehabilitate sports | | | | The techniques used may seem a little |
| injuries, reduce stress, increase relaxation, address | | | | mysterious to many. As people lack the proper |
| anxiety and depression, and aid general wellness. | | | | information on what exactly constitutes a good |
| Massage therapy works on several fronts to help | | | | massage? And many used it as a substitute for |
| eases activity-induced aches, shortens recovery | | | | regular medical care? |
| time. It work wonders for people with back pain | | | | One should always be careful that massage should |
| and is rapidly becoming one of the fastest | | | | not be done in any area of the body with blood |
| growing professions in the world. Most light | | | | clots, fractures, open or healing wounds, skin |
| massage addresses the whole body at one | | | | infections, or weakened bones such as from |
| session, by applying touch with some degree of | | | | osteoporosis or cancer, or where there has been |
| pressure and movement; touch with sensitivity | | | | a recent surgery. And Deep tissue massage is |
| allows the massage therapist to receive useful | | | | usually used to release chronic patterns of |
| information via his or her hands about the client's | | | | muscular tension by using slow strokes, direct |
| body, such as locating areas of muscle tension | | | | pressure, or friction directed across the grain of |
| and other soft tissue problems. The Practice of | | | | the muscles. |
| Massage therapists work in a variety of settings, | | | | |