Swedish Massage

The Benefits of Swedish Massage

Swedish Massage has many health benefits helping maintain your physical, mental and emotional well being, especially when it is part of your regular wellness routine.

• Massage calms the nervous system and promotes a sense of relaxation and well being.
• Massage reduces tension, stress and anxiety.
• Massage can help with the symptoms of depression.
• Massage improves blood circulation, which delivers oxygen and nutrients to the cells.
• Massage stimulates the lymphatic system, which carries away the body’s waste products and toxins.
• Massage prevents and relieves muscle cramps and spasms.
• Massage therapy can help control pain management with conditions such as arthritis, sciatica, muscle spasms etc.

History of Swedish Massage

Although massage has been around for thousands of years with a varying degree of techniques it mainly became popular throughout Europe, due to the work of Peter (Per) Henrik Ling (1776 – 1839) during the 18th and 19th century. He developed a system of massage that used the positions and movements of Swedish gymnasts. This system was based on the newly discovered knowledge of the circulation of the blood and lymph systems within the body.

In 1813 he established with the royal patronage the royal central institute of gymnastics. Ling’s system is generally known as Swedish massage. The technique spread quickly from Sweden and in 1894 - 1895 a society of trained masseuses was formed in Britain to increase the standard of training and in 1899 Sir William Bennet created a massage department at St. George’s Hospital in London. Although the practice of massage has been discredited in the past it has recently been growing in practice.

Now Swedish massage is commonly accepted throughout the medical world as an effective and true medical art. The technique is successfully used in hospitals, pain clinics, rehabilitation facilities, and drug treatment clinics for people of all ages with a variety of medical conditions. It is also a beneficial treatment to have to relieve the increasing stresses of everyday life.