Thai massage, as a healing art, traditional. Includes influences from both Ayurvedic and traditional Chinese medicine.
Unlike typical Western-type massages, it doesn’t involve lying on a massage bed while a massage therapist applies oil to your body and kneads your muscles and pressure points.
Instead, you lie fully clothed on a mat on the ground while a practitioner uses stretching, pulling, and rocking techniques to relieve tension, promote relaxation, and improve flexibility and circulation.
Sometimes referred to as assisted yoga, is focused on improving the flow of energy throughout your body.
it can benefit your health in numerous ways, many of which are supported by scientific studies.
Below, we explore six key benefits that are supported by research.
If you have migraine or experience tension headaches, traditional Thai massage may help ease your symptoms.
In several small studies involving patients with chronic headaches, researchers found that Thai massage reduced the intensity of both migraine
If you’re interested in trying nonpharmaceutical remedies for headache relief, it’s worth noting that researchers concluded that the benefits of Thai massage could last anywhere from several days to around 15 weeks.
Thai massage may be an effective, nonpharmaceutical means of reducing back pain.
Thai massage and the rest with other conservative management techniques that included joint mobilization (a technique that involves applying pressure), hot packs, and manual stretching to painful areas.
Both groups were treated twice a week for 4 weeks, and both groups had significant pain relief.
Thai massage may improve your joint function if you experience pain and stiffness when you move.
Thai massage combined with wand exercises to study the effects on people with knee arthritis. The researchers found that the study participants felt less pain and walked with greater ease after the 8-week program.
If your range of motion and flexibility are affecting your athletic performance or making it hard to get around, Thai massage may help you move more easily.
One of the most appealing aspects of massage therapy is the sense of calm and relaxation it can bring.
Although this type of massage is more energetic than other forms of massage therapy, it has been shown to lower anxiety and increase a systemic feeling of calm. Lower on measures of psychological stress following treatment.
Incorporates whole body movements, many of which are yoga-like. For that reason, many people report that they leave Thai massage sessions feeling not only relaxed but also rejuvenated.
Practitioners use their hands, thumbs, elbows, forearms, and sometimes even their feet to reduce tension in your muscles.
Is based on the idea that energy moves through your body along predictable lines or pathways known as sens.
To increase the flow of energy along the sens, the practitioner will move your body into yoga-like positions in addition to pulling and rocking your body in various ways.
The combination of stretching, movement, and pressure is what distinguishes Thai massage from other types of massage.
Thai massage may be a good option for you if you want a more active type of massage, where you move and participate instead of lying down throughout your massage.
You can wear your own loose-fitting clothes, or the practitioner may have you change into scrub-like garments — a loose cotton top and drawstring pants. You keep your clothes on throughout the massage.
Typically, you’ll lie on a mat or massage mattress on the floor, not on a massage table. Once on the mat, your practitioner will slowly move your body through multiple stretches, using the weight and pressure of their body to assist you.
Unlike a Swedish massage, oil isn’t used and your muscles typically aren’t kneaded. Instead, the practitioner will use their hands, thumbs, elbows, and knees to stretch, pull, and rock different parts of your body. They may even sit on you to stretch you into certain positions.
Some types of stretches may involve going through yoga-like movements with the practitioner holding or pulling you to maintain a pose.
If your muscles are sore or tense, you may feel some discomfort. If you do, let your practitioner know so the pressure and stretching can be reduced.
If you have an injury, or some part of your body is particularly sensitive to pain, be sure to let the practitioner know before they start the massage session.
Because Thai massage has profound effects on your circulatory system, make sure you check with your doctor before you schedule a massage, especially if you have:
- heart disease or coronary artery disease
- high blood pressure
- conditions that affect your spine, including osteoporosis and neurological diseases
- diabetes
- recent surgery
- open wounds
- cancer
Many people believe that the health benefits of Thai massage include lowering stress, boosting energy, and improving athletic performance.
Unlike Swedish or shiatsu massage techniques, in which a person passively lies on a bed, the client lies on the floor and participates more actively in the massage.
Health benefits of Thai massage
Thai massage has many health benefits, from lowering stress to relieving muscular tension. It can even increase energy. Below, we discuss five health benefits of Thai massage.
Asian Massage
What does Asian massage include?
Shiatsu
The word means “finger pressure” in Japanese, but the massage actually uses a wide variety of techniques such as soothing, pressing, kneading, tapping, and even stretching in order to induce relaxation of the mind and body.
What is a Chinese full body massage?
Tui Na, also known as Chinese massage, is an ancient practice that aims to release the flow of energy around the body. Lots of skilfull techniques are used to bounce you back to good health, including kneading, rolling and deep pressure that’s applied to precise points on your body.
What is a Korean massage called?
A Korean spa, also known as a jjimjilbang, is a go-at-your own pace spa where guests can enjoy several types of dry and wet saunas, relaxing pools, Korean food and the usual amenities, like massages and skin treatments.
What is the happy ending?
A happy ending is an ending of the plot of a work of fiction in which almost everything turns out for the best for the protagonists, their sidekicks, and almost everyone except the villains. … Satisfactory happy endings are happy for the reader as well, in that the characters he or she sympathizes with are rewarded.
1. Lowers stress
Stress is not necessarily bad. Often, stress can act as a positive motivator that might help push people to perform better and accomplish more in their personal and professional lives.
However, too much stress can negatively affect mental and physical health. Chronic, or long-lasting, stress can lead to serious illnesses, including depression and cardiovascular disease.
Thai massage uses gentle pressure and stretching techniques to relax the body. Thai massage significantly reduces levels of a certain stress marker present in the saliva.
The researchers concluded that Thai massage is more effective at reducing stress in healthy people than simply resting.
2. Boosts energy
Research has shown that Thai massage can increase people’s physical energy levels. One randomized trial examined the effects of Thai and Swedish massages in people who were experiencing fatigue. The results revealed that Thai massage increased energy and mental stimulation, while Swedish massage was more likely to improve relaxation and sleep.
The Thai massage technique is based on the notion of energy lines, or Sen. Most practitioners believe that there are various Sen, or channels, of energy within the body.
Sen correspond to different parts of the body, such as the bones, muscles, blood, and nerves. Some Sen also affect the mind and consciousness. These are called subtle channels.
The theory suggests that tight muscles cause blockages within different Sen. These blockages reduce the flow of life energy, which results in stiffness, pain, and illness. Thai massage uses different techniques that either open or constrict different Sen to correct the flow of life energy.
3. Relieves headaches
Court-type is a specific form of Thai massage that involves applying pressure to specific energy channels.
One 2015 study found court-type Thai massage is an effective treatment for people who have chronic tension headaches. They also had lower measures of tissue hardness, which the scientists measured using a handheld device.
4. Stimulates circulation
Thai massage can promote the circulation of both blood and lymph through the use of gentle stretches. These yoga-like stretches increase blood circulation, which fills the body’s tissues with oxygen. This helps promote cell growth and heart health.
One study examined the benefits of Thai foot massage in people with peripheral neuropathy, a common complication of diabetes. The researchers found that this massage helped improve people’s balance.
They believe that this is because it improved blood circulation, which, in turn, stimulates the somatosensory system. This is a system that plays a major role in balance.
5. Improves range of motion
Thai massage incorporates yoga-like stretches to reduce stress and improve circulation. The gradual, gentle stretching will enhance the person’s flexibility over time, allowing a greater range of motion.
Thai massage may also improve the circulation of the fluid in the joints, or synovial fluid, which reduces friction between the joints. This can improve joint mobility and range of motion.
Athletes are prone to fatigue, muscle and joint pain, and injury during their training. That is why many athletes work with specialized sports massage therapists.
Sports massage combines assisted stretches and various massage techniques to treat sports injuries and improve an athlete’s range of motion. Practitioners will often use assisted stretching to target a specific area of the body or a particular muscle group.
Thai massage, on the other hand, gradually stretches the whole body, allowing the person to relax. The dynamic stretches that Thai massage practitioners use may offer deeper, more restorative stretches than some assisted stretching techniques of sports massage.
Relaxation combined with the energizing and invigorating effects of Thai massage help people feel mentally and physically restored.
Thai massage also improves circulation, which brings more oxygen to muscles and other tissues. This may prevent injuries and improve the athlete’s ability to recover after intense training.
For a Thai massage, the client usually lies on the floor. A licensed massage therapist will slowly work the client’s body through various stretches. The therapist may use their hands, knees, legs, or feet to help manipulate the person’s body into different positions.
This should not cause pain or discomfort, but a person should alert their massage therapist if they do experience either of these things.
People do not need to prepare for a Thai massage in advance, but they should consider the following advice:
- Try to arrive about 10 minutes early to fill out any paperwork before the appointment.
- Inform the practitioner about any significant medical history, because Thai massage is not safe for some people with certain health conditions.
- Come to the appointment wearing loose-fitting or athletic clothing. Try to avoid tight clothing because it can cause discomfort and limit the range of motion during the massage.
Thai massage also uses energy work, which involves applying pressure to specific points on the body to open channels that will improve the flow of energy throughout the body.
