Hygienic massage

Hygienic massage is performed to increase or support vitality, strengthen health, prevent diseases.

This is one of the most widespread types of massage, an active method of body care that helps not only to strengthen the organism but also to remove excess nervous tension and make oneself more vivacious.

Transfer of hygienic massage skills is very important for its wide use in everyday life as hygienic, preventive and tonic method.

Hygienic massage produces good results in the system of rehabilitation methods as a final stage of working ability restoration of the patients that survived injuries and diseases. It is used in the form of general, local, and steam massage.

Hygienic massage effect is based on the action of several physical irritants that humans are naturally accustomed to. It is based on effect of warmth, touches, pressure, squeezing, stretching, etc. Duration of massage session depends on body weight, age of massage subject, peculiarities of his activity and other factors. In each case methods of massage will be different. In some cases most attention will be given to neuromuscular apparatus (most of time will be allocated to kneading and pressing), in other cases to ligamentous and articular apparatus, etc.

Both general and local hygienic massage can be performed at any time of the day. General massage takes about 30-40 minutes that are distributed as follows: back and neck (8-12 minutes), arms (6-8 minutes), pelvis area (3 minutes), legs (9-12 minutes), breast and abdomen (4-5 minutes).

The time for various movements is distributed as follows: pressing – 20 %, kneading – 62 %, friction – 15 %, stroking and tapping – 3 % (time for the movements is stated approximately). If more attention is to be given to articulations or spine, more time is allotted to friction, kneading, etc. Most popular kneading movements are ordinary, double circular, double petrissage, with knuckles; pressing movements are transversal and with palm edges; friction is done with finger cushions (straight, zigzag, circular), thumb cushions, palm base, and fist combs.

The sequence of body parts in hygienic massage is the same as in sport or therapeutic massage.

Classification of types of hygienic massage

Hygienic massage is classified into several types that have their own specific methods. Their characteristics depend on the purposes of the massage session. In theory and practice hygienic massage is classified into preventive, restorative, and massage for various emotional states.

1. Hygienic preventive massage

Life of a modern man is characterized by many highly intensive psychophysical loads. Without timely preventive measures one’s health can significantly deteriorate because of overstrain and overfatigue that often can cause diseases and even injuries. Preventive hygienic massage helps to avoid unpleasant events, prevent tiredness, keep high ability to work, improve psychic and physical condition, and raise the spirits. It increases functional possibilities of the organism, improves regular activity of the central nervous system and internals. Its goal is to activate and improve functional condition of the organism by intensification of the metabolic processes and mobilization of human mental condition.

Preventive hygienic massage has its own internal classification and is classified into narrower types: 1) restorative; 2) disease preventive.

2. Restorative hygienic massage

This massage is used to support and improve psychophysical condition of a healthy person. Its goal is to support general physical and mental condition, create good vitality, active ability to work, etc.

Restorative hygienic massage has its own peculiarities and is classified into the following types: 1) massage that supports and increases vitality; 2) massage that prevents tiredness.

3. Massage that supports and increases vitality.

This type of restorative massage can be applied at any time of the day that is convenient for the patient, daily, every other day, or twice a week. Other variants of indications are also possible. Duration of general restorative massage session is 30-40 minutes. It depends on patient’s weight, height, age, profession, etc.

The course of massage procedures should consist of 10-15 sessions. The course can be repeated after 4-5 months. If the course of restorative and vitality increasing massage is performed by the patient’s own desire, its methods can be determined on an individual basis depending on the amount of the patient’s spare time, financial possibilities, etc. The time allotted for specific massage movements on body parts should be constantly corrected taking into account the health of the massage subject. It depends on the massage goal, patient’s area of activity, etc. In preventive massage the most time is allotted for massage of back, neck, and pelvis area. This is not accidental. Practice and analysis of many years of research and observations have shown that these body parts are the most involved in any kind of physical activity. They are most frequently affected with various disease and influence general condition of the human organism.

A specialist should ask the patient about characteristics of his activity and define methods of restorative and vitality increasing massage based on that.

4. Hygienic massage that prevents tiredness

This type is a short massage or self-massage session aimed at preparation of the organism or its specific parts for the upcoming loads. The goal of this type of massage (self-massage) is to maximally mobilize functional capacity of the organism prior to the upcoming activity: to warm up muscles and articulations, increase general organism tone, fight against premature tiredness, increase the ability to work in a shortest time with smallest power expense.

It is not necessary to use all kinds of a certain movement in the session of massage to prevent tiredness. It is enough to use 2-3 kneading movements, 1-2 pressing or friction movements on a certain body part to achieve necessary results. The choice of movements depends on the patient’s kind of activity: swimming, running, sitting, standing, etc. This massage is mostly used in the form of self-massage.

5. Hygienic massage that prevents diseases

This type of preventive hygienic massage is classified into two independent types: 1) massage that prevents professional diseases; 2) massage that prevents exacerbations after them.

These two types of preventive massage are to be used taking into account the specific character of the patient’s labor activity that can reduce the organism’s resistive capacity and cause disturbances of some systems therefore causing a disease or an exacerbation. In most cases a local massage session 5-20 minutes long is performed. Its technique and methods depend on the goal of the procedure. In both cases the course duration should not exceed 15 sessions.

The massage that prevents diseases or injuries should be applied to those body parts that get injured most often in representatives of a certain profession.

Methods of hygienic massage for various emotional states

Hygienic tonic massage

It is performed to eliminate depression state. In such cases deep and rough tonic massage produces good effect.

General tonic massage session duration is 20-30 minutes. The following movements are used: kneading (15-20 minutes), pressing (4-5 minutes), and percussive movements (1-2 minutes). All movements are to be made with energy but not roughly.

Tonic massage session begins from the back. After longitudinal alternating stroking (2-3 times) longitudinal pressing with weighing down (3-4 times on both sides) and friction with fist combs (3-4 times) are used. Long muscles of back are kneaded with palm bases of both hands (3-4 times), double circular kneading of the broadest muscles of back (4-5 times) and combined friction of intercostal spaces (3-4 times) are done with finger cushions of both hands. After percussive movements over the whole back (8-12 seconds) palm base friction (3-4 times) and longitudinal stroking is done. The complex of movements is repeated 2-3 times after which the masseur switches to the pelvis area.

After longitudinal pressing on gluteus (3-4 times) double circular kneading and double petrissage (3-4 times for each movement) are used.

Then alternating stroking (1-2 times), pressing with palm edge (3-4 times), double circular kneading, double petrissage, and kneading with fists (3-4 times) are done on the thigh posterior surface. The same method is used for gastrocnemius muscle.

After that the patient lies down on his back. The massage begins from the longitudinal pressing of greater pectoral muscles with weighing down (3-4 times) and double circular kneading (4-6 times). In women the massage is performed below mammary glands and on the upper third of the pectoral muscle. The complex is repeated 3-4 times. After that intercostal spaces are massaged with finger cushions (3-4 times) and the massage goes to thighs. Massage subject puts Achilles’ tendon of his leg on the masseur’s thigh. In this position longitudinal pressing with weighing down (2-3 times), fist pressing (2-3 times), double ordinary (3-5 times), wallow (2-3 times). Then the patient sits with his hands propping him from behind. Palm edge pressing (3-4 times), double circular (3-4 times), joggling (2-3 times), double petrissage (2-3 times), percussive movements (5-7 seconds) and stroking (1-2 times) are used.

Then crural and gastrocnemius muscles are massaged. Patient’s extremities are bended in knee and hip joints. The following movements are used: transversal kneading (3-4 times), ordinary pressing with knuckles of bended fingers (2-4 times for each movement), stroking.

After that the patient lies down on his stomach and the massage of back is repeated (the above mentioned complex of movements is repeated 1-2 times). Hard massage of collar zone and head produces good effect.

Hygienic sedative massage

Hygienic sedative massage produces good results on excessive emotional excitement. It reduces excessive excitement regardless of the circumstances that have caused it.

If the level of excitement exceeds an appropriate limit (which is individual for everybody), results of productive (physical or mental) activity decrease dramatically. This is also true for household relations. High emotional excitement is a state that is accompanied by significant changes in the functional condition of the organism: irritability, excitement, muscular or whole body exertion, high temperature, chill, headache, insomnia, etc. Excessive excitement can cause worsening of work and family relations. Hygienic sedative massage that reduces emotional and physiological excitement of the organism produces good effect in such cases.

Certain adverse disease complexes are often accumulated which is accompanied with headache, pressure in the heart region, pain in skeletal muscles, especially in neck, shoulders, and back.

There are several ways to relax and cope with overstrain: rest in silence, warm shower, bath, etc. Massage and especially self-massage are the most effective means of relaxation and elimination of general strain. Self-massage not only efficiently removes strain of skeletal muscles but is also a great tool to learn how to manage exertion of muscular groups.

By learning to feel muscular strains and concentrate on them it is easy to relax and exert muscles at will. High sensitivity of high muscular tonus is a precondition of its prevention.

When performing hygienic sedative massage it is necessary to take into account time and circumstances of worried condition origin.