Having a full body massage at home is excellent for relieving stress and tension from your muscles. Even before the treatment ends you will feel physically and mentally relaxed. They can be 60 minutes or 90 minutes long and are the perfect way to get over a busy week, especially when they take place in the comfort of your own home.
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What Is A Full Body Massage
A full body massage includes Swedish massage techniques such as effleurage and petrissage. These techniques, specifically designed to relax your muscles and melt away targeted areas of tension. Unlike deep tissue or sports massage however, the emphasis is not just on rehabilitation and treating injuries. Instead a full body massage also releases psychological stress and anxiety to give an overall feeling of wellbeing.
Benefits Of A Full Body Massage At Home
A full body massage relaxes tight muscles and reduces tension. But it also goes a lot further. Whether it’s for 60 minutes or 90, a massage gives the mind the opportunity to quieten and be still. This has been proven to reduce the levels of stress hormones such as cortisone in your body. In turn this can aid sleep, reduce blood pressure and boost the immune system. Full body massage also benefits depression and associated conditions like IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) and fibromyalgia(1).
Who Is A Full Body Massage For
A full body massage is for anyone who wants to reduce stress and anxiety and relax painful or tense muscles. They’re also great if you’re feeling tired or just plain run down. A full body massage is also an ideal introduction if you haven’t had a massage before.
Areas A Full Body Massage Can Include
Personalize your full body massage. If certain areas don’t require attention, just let your massage therapist know and I wll tailor the experience to your needs.
Neck And Shoulders
The muscles of your neck and shoulders are areas of tension from stored stress and anxiety. You will often feel this across your upper back. This can radiate up your neck into your jaw or across to the deltoid muscles of your shoulders. It can even go down into your arms, especially if you do a lot of typing or clench your fists when things get hectic. The main muscles involved here are the upper part of your trapezius, your deltoids and your rotator cuff muscles. If you often find yourself rubbing the back of your neck or the top of your shoulders, a massage to this area will help.
Upper Back
If you spend a lot of time sitting, standing still, or generally have a sedentary lifestyle, you will feel it in your upper back. Especially if you have a poor posture. Hunching over a desk or looking down at your phone causes your trapezius to be over stretched and therefore weak. This results in pain which can also be felt in your rhomboids between your shoulder blades. Also the upper part of your erector spinae, which runs alongside your spine. Massage will relax these over-extended muscles and leave them feeling a lot looser.
Lower Back
Lower back tension can affect the rest of your body. Whether a dull ache, a sharp pain or both, it can force you into unnatural postures for standing, sitting, and every action in between. And because tight muscles are more prone to injury, the result can be a strain, sciatica or even a slipped disc. Prolonged sitting is again the main culprit, but also poor lifting technique in or out of the gym. The main muscles involved here are your lats, the middle and lower part of your erector spinae and your QL. Effluerage to this area, especially your Quadratus Lumborum, can soothe away tension and improve your overall feeling of wellbeing. I recommend full body massage always includes treatment for your lower back.
Chest
The main muscles of your chest are the pectorals and their job is to move your arms across the front of your body. And anything that causes your arms to be in front of you rather than at your sides is shortening those muscles. Common examples of this include computer work, driving and texting. You might not notice any direct effects from this in your chest unless you lift weights, but a tight chest contributes to rounded shoulders(2). If you have issues with your upper back, this is probably a factor. Massage to this area will help you achieve a good overall posture whether you’re sitting or standing.
Abdominals
Whether or not you have a six pack, your abdominal muscles are there and they’re probably tight. Prolonged sitting causes them to be compressed, tensing up and getting weaker. Doing some ab exercises at the gym can help to improve tone and strength, but few people ever stretch these chronically short muscles. This shortening pulls your upper body forward and down, exacerbating the overstretching of your upper back muscles. It is also possible that your tight abs are contributing to gastro-intestinal issues such as IBS, bloating and cramping(3). Massaging your abdominal area is not only relaxing but can have benefits that are felt elsewhere in your body.
Arms
Most people don’t realise how in need of a massage the muscles of their arms actually are. But constant computer use, driving and carrying heavy bags all takes it’s toll, as does weight training, golf and racket sports. The strain is greatest on your biceps and forearms, which is why they are included in a full body massage. The main muscles involved are the tricep brachii, the bicep brachii and the brachioradialis. But massage to the back of your arms, the triceps, will also have its benefits.
Glutes (buttocks)
Your glute muscles, otherwise known as your buttocks, are often overlooked in massage but are the source of many issues elsewhere in your body. Prolonged sitting through the day, whether this is at a desk, driving or watching TV, restricts blood flow through the muscles. Running or weight training, such as squats and deadlifts, causes tension. Combined with a lack of stretching this can lead to inactive glute muscles that are unable to do their job. And this can lead to an over reliance on your back and hamstring muscles. The result is lower back pain and even sciatica(4). Massaging your glutes will restore blood flow and reduce tension, allowing them to function correctly.
Calves And Hamstrings
Your calves and hamstrings are the muscles at the back of your leg. Once again, they are often the victims of prolonged sitting or standing as it can cause them to tighten up. This will in turn pull your pelvis out of its corret alignment and contribute to lower back pain and sciatica. The main muscles involved in the calves are the gasctrocnemius and soleus. While in the hamstrings it’s the semitendinosus, semimembranosus and biceps femoris that will benefit. Massage to these muscles will help to correct pelvis alignment, increase flexibilty and reducing cramping.
Quads (thigh)
Your quads are the muscles of your thigh and run from your pelvis to your lower leg. They straighten your leg at the knee but also flex your hip. Because of this they are most affected by sitting, becoming tighter at the top and overstretched lower down. Like tight hamstrings this can pull your pelvis out of alignment as well as causing pain in your knee. The main muscles involved are the rectus femoris, vastus lateralis, vastus intermedius and vastus medialis. Massage to your quads can make your hips feel a lot looser as well being relaxing overall.
Shins
The main muscle of your shins is the tibialis anterior and it’s main job is to flex your foot towards you. Pain or tightness in this area is often incorrectly labelled as shin splints, which is a different, specific condition. If you do a lot of walking or running, or just spend a lot of time sitting, it is very likely you will have tight shins. Given the tibialis anterior’s lack of routine attention, massage provides a surprising source of relaxation for this often-neglected muscle.
Book A Full Body Massage At Home
If you would like to book a full body massage at home please contact me on 07713 250352 or email david@massageinyork.co.uk. Includes sports massage, deep tissue massage and Swedish massage. For more information on booking click here