Self-massage: Introduction

A massage session is an opportunity to relax muscles, restore strength and get psycho-emotional relief after a hard day. Some people need it for medical reasons – for example, people who suffer from osteochondrosis or scoliosis. But not everyone can visit a massage therapist, mainly due to lack of time. If you cannot go to a professional, you can do self-massage. We will tell you about it below.

Basics of self-massage
In fact, self-massage is a direction in therapy, which is dedicated to many scientific works and teaching aids. Let’s analyze its basics, which you must know in order to successfully independently apply massage techniques in the future.

What is self-massage
According to researchers, massage itself is a dosed mechanical effect on the tissues of the human body using special techniques that differ from each other in the depth of impact, the direction of movements and the effect they cause in the human body. And self-massage is a type of massage in which a person independently produces such an effect on individual areas of his body.

To put it simply, self-massage is a massage that is performed on oneself. This is the definition given in the work of researcher O. P. Kanishcheva.

What are the benefits of self-massage
The main advantage of self-massage is the ability to perform a massage session yourself without the help of a professional massage therapist at home. Firstly, it saves time, since you don’t have to go anywhere after work. Secondly, it saves money, since you will have to pay for the massage service unless it is prescribed by a doctor for medical reasons.

Another advantage of self-massage is its result – that is, the health benefits. We will discuss below how exactly such a massage is useful.

Another advantage is efficiency. Most of the goals that are assigned to massage are successfully achieved. With the right approach, it does not matter who influences the body: a professional massage therapist or the person himself during self-massage.

Types of self-massage
Depending on the area of ​​the body that is massaged, self-massage is divided into the following types:

  • tendon massage;
  • muscle massage;
  • facial massage;
  • head massage;
  • foot massage.

Depending on the massage techniques used, self-massage can be performed in the form of rubbing, kneading, stroking, shaking, squeezing. Each of the listed techniques can be performed with low, medium or high intensity, which is selected depending on the state of the body and the objectives of the massage session.

Touching is a separate technique. As a rule, it is used when the most gentle effect on the skin is needed – for example, to relieve psycho-emotional tension during manifestations of stress.

Depending on the purpose of the massage, it is divided into three types:

  • Preliminary. Precedes physical activity. Most often performed before training, sports. The main task is to prepare the muscles for stress, which prevents injury and discomfort.
  • Restorative. As the name suggests, this type of self-massage is designed to restore the body after intense physical activity or injury.
  • Therapeutic. This type of massage is used for therapeutic purposes – for example, self-massage to improve blood circulation or prevent blood stagnation in certain areas of the body. There is also cosmetology self-massage. Its main task is to improve appearance. Most often, it is used by women to improve the tone of the skin of the face and other areas of the body.

General self-massage technique

We will talk about specific self-massage techniques a little later, but for now we will give several important general recommendations that will make the massage session truly effective and safe. Before you start giving yourself a massage, you should consider the following points.

Correct body position
The correct body position plays a huge role in massage. The fact is that mechanical action is beneficial for muscles only if they are relaxed. And a sufficient degree of relaxation can only be achieved with the correct position.

Without knowledge in the field of medicine, it is difficult to choose a position. The recommendation here is this – take a position in which you are most comfortable and do not feel tension or discomfort.

Frequency of massage
Here you should focus on the golden mean. Insufficient frequency of sessions will not allow you to achieve the desired result. Their excess can lead to adverse effects.

The optimal frequency of massage, which will give results and not harm, is 1-2 times a week. If necessary, you can have an extra session (for example, to relax muscles after intense physical activity).

Session duration
The duration of the session should be selected so that, on the one hand, the set goals are achieved during it, and on the other, there is no harm. It is not easy to do this without a massage therapist, so at first you should devote a minimum of time to the massage. If this does not give results, the duration of the session is increased. This should not be done abruptly – it is fraught with adverse consequences.

The effectiveness of self-massage and its benefits
Many are afraid to do self-massage, citing the fact that they will not be able to achieve the desired result without being a specialist in the relevant field. Some believe that they can harm the body.

Both opinions are misconceptions. With the right approach, self-massage will give the desired result:

  • strengthen health and physical fitness;
  • help to recover from intense physical activity or injury;
  • relieve psycho-emotional stress.

However, all this can only be achieved by following a number of rules – otherwise, the procedure will be absolutely useless for the body. Let’s take a closer look at the benefits of self-massage and how to make it as effective as possible.

The effect of self-massage on health and fitness
Self-massage has a beneficial effect on the condition of muscles and skin. The latter will be of particular interest to women. Various massage techniques have a beneficial effect on epidermal tissue:

  • tone it;
  • improve blood supply to the skin;
  • relieve excess tension.
    All this helps eliminate wrinkles and increase the elasticity of facial skin, and also helps fight cellulite (if the thighs and buttocks are massaged).

The role of self-massage in the recovery process after injury or heavy loads

Soft tissue injuries (including muscles) lead to swelling. It has two adverse effects. The first is a disruption of the functionality of the affected area. The second is a disruption of its blood circulation.

Both effects can be relieved with self-massage. Thus, an injured muscle cannot fully function independently for a certain period of time in the early stages of recovery. Its use may not work or be complicated by pain. Both problems are relieved by massaging the affected area. It increases muscle tone and at the same time relieves pain.

As for blood circulation, gentle mechanical action on the injured area improves blood circulation in it. This is especially important in post-traumatic rehabilitation, since due to physical inactivity it can lead to stagnation. They can increase the recovery period or even cause various diseases (for example, thrombosis).

Self-massage is also effective after intense physical activity. For example, training in the gym or heavy work.

Any physical activity on the muscles leads to their overstraining, which remains for a certain time after it. With medium-intensity loads – for 15-30 minutes, with intense – longer. Overstraining is not always pleasant. In addition, it can cause muscle spasms, which can be very painful, uncomfortable, and simply interfere with everyday life. Therefore, it is important to relieve tension.

Of course, the best option is a massage session with a professional. But if there is no opportunity to visit a specialist, self-massage will help.

The second point during physical activity is the production of lactic acid. The body synthesizes it during muscle tension. If it is very strong, a lot of the substance is produced. After the end of the load, it is partially washed out by the blood and processed, and partly remains in the microcapillaries. If too much lactic acid remains in the muscles, this causes unpleasant sensations. However, the substance itself will leave the muscle tissue for at least 15-20 minutes.

Self-massage will help speed up the process, which has a beneficial effect on blood circulation and prevents stagnation. If you massage the place where unpleasant sensations have appeared, this will remove blood from there with dissolved lactic acid and help saturate the muscle tissue with other blood, enriched with oxygen and coming from the lungs.

The effect of self-massage on emotional and mental state
According to research by the independent scientific organization Romir, conducted in 2021, more than 50% of Russians suffer from stress. Another 6% of the country’s residents have some form of depression.

This situation is explained by the fact that people are constantly in a state of tension. The reasons for this can be very different – from difficulties at work to problems in the family or personal life.

In fact, stress relief, and especially depression treatment, is a whole range of measures. One of them is massage, which can be replaced with self-massage. You need to understand that it may not completely remove the problem, but it will certainly bring relief.

Why does self-massage, which has a purely physical effect on the body, improve the psycho-emotional background? Here are the main reasons:

Relaxation. One of the manifestations of stress is muscle tension. Self-massage relieves it. Muscle relaxation sends a corresponding signal to the brain, and the symptoms of stress go away.

Monotonous actions. One way to calm down, relieve stress and relax is to monotonously repeat certain actions. This is the basis of many spiritual practices – for example, fingering a rosary or meditatively repeating mantras. Self-massage involves repetitive monotonous movements.

Improving blood circulation. When stressed, blood rushes to the muscles and often stagnates there. In this way, the brain prepares the body to escape from danger. It was necessary for primitive people. Modern people do not need it, but the mechanism has remained. Massaging muscles helps to normalize blood circulation in them and thereby direct blood (and along with it oxygen and nutrients) to the brain.

Effect on nerve endings. There are a lot of nerve endings in the skin. Gentle impact on them, which can be achieved with the help of self-massage, stimulates them. They transmit signals to the brain, which promotes relaxation and relieves tension.

All of the above makes self-massage an excellent remedy for stress.

Recommendations for choosing a self-massage technique depending on the desired result
Self-massage technique is selected depending on the result that needs to be achieved. Below is a table, in the left column of which the purpose of the procedure is indicated, and in the right – the massage technique that will help in achieving it.

Self-massage techniques
Depending on which part of the body the massage effect is applied, the techniques used during the self-massage session will differ. Most often, people self-massage:

  • neck and collar zone;
  • face oval;
  • back;
  • body.

Next, we will talk in more detail about which techniques should be used in these cases.