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Self Massage Techniques

Female Forum

As a woman your health is in your own hands. It's up to each of us to take care of ourselves. This means getting the information we need about our bodies and health from books, health care practitioners, Internet and parents. It also means staying...

Psychological Effects of Massage

There are a number of different techniques that fall under the massage therapy category. Everything from Reiki to Shiatsu and Swedish to sports massage is considered a form of massage. The main feature that all techniques share, according to the...

Massage Therapy & Stress Management

Stress is a natural part of life. It is caused by everyday situations like work, school or family conflict. You can't stop it from happening, according to HelpGuide.org, a mental health website, but you can fight it with a variety of relaxation...

The Benefits of a Head Massage

Ayurvedic practitioners in India have been using head massage to treat illnesses for 5,000 years, according to MassageTherapy.com. Head and scalp massage is a simple, relaxing and affordable method of addressing many of your head- and...

Tips on Recovery From Exercise

If you want to maximize the benefits from your time and effort exercising, you need to focus on what you do after the workout and not just the workout itself. Fitness gains come from stressing the body, through exercise, and then giving it time to...

The Benefits of Massage for Stress

Stress occurs when a situation, event or thought becomes threatening, worrisome or anxiety-provoking. A small dose of stress is normal, healthy and helps people achieve goals and meet deadlines. According to the National Institute of Health,...

Tennis Elbow Diagnosis

Tennis elbow, or lateral epicondylitis, is common among tennis players and other racquet sport athletes, hence the nickname. It also appears in golfers, throwing athletes, musicians, laborers and computer operators. The symptoms include pain,...

Sport Specific Personal Training

Sport specific training refers to the development and refinement of athletic skills that is particular for a certain sport, such as pitching a baseball or running a marathon, according to Coach Vern Gambetta, author of "Athletic Development."...

Liver Benefits of Massage Therapy

Your liver plays a role in an astounding number of bodily functions: it helps with blood sugar regulation; metabolizes hormones; and traps and breaks down bacteria and toxins. Unfortunately, bodily demands can overwhelm your liver, making it...

Gyrotonic Workout

Gyrotonic exercise, derived from the words "gyro," meaning "spiral," and "tonic," meaning "toned," began as a dancer's conditioning method, but its odd-looking machines and undulating movement patterns eventually sparked the general public's...

Exercises for Tight Paraspinals Using Tennis Balls

The paraspinal muscles are important for maintaining correct posture and spinal curvature. They run parallel to your spine and attach to your vertebrae. These muscles work with the obliques on the sides of your abdominals to hold your spine...

Seaweed Bath & Cellulite

Cellulite is a condition that produces an orange-peel skin texture on body parts such as the thighs and abdomen of eight out of 10 American women, according to MayoClinic.com. Although anecdotes and reviews extol or decry seaweed baths as a way to...

Pilates Mini Ball Exercise

Beer barrels and hospital bedsprings inspired Joseph Pilates, who created and developed the Pilates technique. He designed his equipment as a means of enhancing posture, strength and flexibility, and activating the "powerhouse," or deep core...

Facial Massage Instructions

There are many benefits to regular massage therapy. Massages can reduce blood pressure and symptoms of depression, according to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. Massage therapy can also decrease both situational and...

Abdominal Massage for Men

Massage is a technique used to both relax the body and help cleanse it of stored toxins. Abdominal massage is something often missed in Western massage approaches, though it is almost always incorporated in Eastern practice for its benefits to the...

How to Do a Foot Massage

Foot massage benefits the body in a number of ways. It soothes emotions, improves circulation and even promotes detoxification. In spite of this, few people receive routine foot massages. Time and finances can get in the way, making frequent...

How to Massage & Exercise the Back Muscles With Foam Rollers

Self-myofascial release, or SMR, is a self-massaging technique that you can use with a foam roller to reduce muscle and tissue adhesions in your back that cause sensitivity, stiffness and pain. By applying gentle pressure upon these sensitive...

Foam-Roller Lower Back Exercises

Self-myofascial release, or SMR, is a self-massage technique that releases adhesions and tension from muscles and connective tissues. When you roll the foam roller onto a tender spot in your tissues, hold that position and gently rub the area...

Foam-Roller Hamstring Stretches

The foam roll is the primary tool used for a technique referred to as Self-Myofascial Release. SMFR is very similar to deep tissue massage--in fact, the name self-myofacial release, really is just another way to say self-massage. This technique...

I Have a Pain in My Butt When Stretching

Some people experience pain in their buttocks when they stretch. There are a number of reasons why pain exists, depending on the type of pain and the location in your rear end. Different causes of pain require different exercises and strategies,...

3 Ways to Use Massage to Treat Migraines

Anecdotal evidence and some small-scale studies have shown that massage can help reduce or eliminate the pain associated with a migraine in some people. Massage therapy is often used to complement other traditional medical migraine treatments...

How to Massage Pressure Points in the Ears

Reasons for an ear massage vary. In Eastern medicine the outer portion of the ear is viewed as a microsystem representing the entire body. As with other forms of reflexology, points on the ear correspond with specific areas of the body....

Exercises for a Pinched Nerve in the Hip

According Ron Miller, a physical therapist at the NeuroSpine Center of Wisconsin, one of the causes of hip and lower back pain is pinching of the sciatic nerve deep in your buttocks. This is commonly known as the piriformis syndrome, where the...

Ways to Keep the Muscular System Healthy

Having lean muscles forms a natural body armor for your organs, bones, and joints. They also are the site for fat metabolism, which help you burn more calories and keep you lean. Keep your muscles and joints healthy by exercising regularly, eat a...

Inner Knee Stretches

Your inner knee is part of the attachment and connection between your upper leg and lower leg. The muscles, tendons and ligaments are connected by fasciae, which are a huge web of connective tissues that holds your organs together throughout your...

Exercises for a Knot in the Hamstring

One way to deal with knots in your hamstrings is to have a professional massage therapist work them out through deep tissue massage. A less expensive alternative is to do self-massage with a technique called self myofascial release (SMR). The...

The Definition of Calf Muscle Tightness

Many people experience calf tightness after an intense workout. Calf muscle tightness is defined by any activity or situation in which those muscles stay contracted beyond or independent of physical exertion, usually caused by too much muscle...

Exercises for Upper Back Relaxation

Upper back tension can cause you to hunch your shoulders and make your chest and abdominal muscles tight. According to Anthony Carey, author of "Pain-Free Program" and co-founder of Function First in San Diego, California, this kyphotic posture...