Swedish massage techniques have been around since the late 18th century, but it wasn’t until the 19th century that our modern form of Swedish massage was born (think around the 1850’s)! This type of massage is so popular that it is the baseline for most massage treatments here in North America today. Chances are that you already know basic forms of it without any formal training too!

 

 

Have you ever stubbed your toe or hit your arm on something (usually dense) causing you to rub the area immediately afterwards? This is programmed into our bodies as a reflex. This reflexive act naturally soothes the area by stimulating fresh / oxygenated blood to come there more quickly. Oxygen helps ease pain (this is a simplified reason as to why deep / diaphragmatic breathing helps with pain management, but that is going off topic a bit).

 

What This Form of Bodywork Can Help With:

— stress

— depression

— mental focus

— blood pressure issues

— abnormal circulation

— resting muscle tension

— postural concerns

— acute & chronic conditions related to soft tissue dysfunction

— adhesions / scarring

— range of motion concerns

— pain management

— swelling

— auto-immune function

— impaired breathing

— poor sleep patterns / habits

 

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Principles:

Each stroke with Swedish massage has a specific purpose. The vast majority of these techniques are best performed leading towards the heart. This follows the natural flow of your circulation and helps with the return of deoxygenated blood to your lungs (easing the strain on your veins).

Overall you can place each stroke into one of three categories: broad, intermediate, and specific.

— Broad strokes cover a large area and are performed at a superficial depth; they help to soothe the nervous system and let the tissues know that more in depth work is approaching.

— Intermediate strokes are more focused into a smaller area than the broad strokes and are executed below the superficial layers of tissue; this will help to break up loose adhesions and flush the tissues out.

— Strokes that are specific are performed at a reasonably deep tissue layer and are focused in a small area of the body; it is these strokes that get to the root of muscle dysfunction and nudging the body into allowing that area to release its underlying tension, as well as promote self healing.

For the purposes of not misleading you, dear reader, there is technically one other type of stroke: opening techniques. I did not include them above because I personally would still say that these are in fact broad strokes, but it is all in who you talk to I suppose.

Opening strokes / techniques are more to let the client know that you will be starting the treatment now or can also signal the start of work in a new area of the body. In practice this can mean something as simple as the therapist laying their hands on that area (ie. the back – to outright signal the start of the treatment), or a light jostling / shaking of an area (ie. a leg – after finishing the starting work on the back).

We would be remiss to point out that these same techniques can also be used to close an area / end the treatment.

 

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Process:

For best results with a treatment, each segment of the body has a pretty standard approach: start with opening techniques -> perform broad strokes -> move to intermediate techniques -> spend a bit of time on and around the points of dysfunction using the strokes that are specific -> gradually go back in reverse (intermediate -> broad). This sequence guarantees a safe and effective treatment for the client, with lasting results.

No one would die if this sequence wasn’t followed properly; but I will give you brief idea of what could happen: without the broad strokes areas that are being worked on could potentially not be “open” enough. This means that when doing the more specific work, those techniques would be considerably less effective. Without doing the closing version of the intermediate strokes you may not be getting the vascular flush that tissues require. You could actually cause the tissues to tighten up again sooner than they should.

 

A typical treatment will follow the stroke order above, but also incorporates the ‘rule of polarity’. This means that if one arm was worked on, then the other arm should be the next area massaged. This approach helps someone to feel balanced after their treatment has ended.

Region wise, a typical treatment could look like: back -> back of legs -> front of legs / feet -> torso -> arms -> neck / face / head. This order is nice for relaxation. Working on a large area first like the back will facilitate relaxation early on in the treatment. Working close to the spine seems to compound this effect, which is one (simplified) reason that many massages start this way. Working on the head last can help to keep a client from being “up there” instead of focused on the area of the body that you are currently working at.

Another option is to do: neck / face / head -> back -> back of legs -> torso -> arms / hands -> legs / feet. This way starts with the client face up, but requires that they turn over twice. This could be a good order for someone with neck tension, where it is addressed first so that they can be assured that it won’t be left out or until the end where you could potentially run out of time to do enough work to make a noticeable impact on that tension.

If someone is very talkative you could simply begin on the face and neck. This encourages them to be quite and present in the moment. You would continue with the rest of the treatment afterwards.

Someone who is extremely nervous may benefit from work starting on the hands / feet. This gets them used to the treatment and is quite soothing, which allows them to settle in to the idea of massage as a whole before moving on to areas with a lot of restriction.

 

As a final note: no one should work on someones feet and then afterwards another area (particularly around their head / face / neck). If someone tries to do this – don’t let them! They should be washing their hands first. Or have them simply finish a treatment with work on the feet and then this isn’t an issue.

 

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What Next?

To gain some or all the benefits initially outlined at the top of this post, it may take up to three days post-treatment. However, immediately after a Swedish Massage treatment you may feel one or all of the following. These are normal effects, but if you notice excessive versions of any, you should consult with your therapist as soon as possible.

— light headed

— mild headache

— thirsty

— fatigued

— muscle soreness