A massage therapist uses techniques commonly applied by hands, fingers, elbows, knees, forearms, feet or any device to treat body stress or pain in a particular muscle or organ. Traditionally, massage is an extremely popular therapy in China because they try to avoid pain killers for temporary pain relief. Massage therapy industry in China is among the highest paying industries making it one of the biggest ones in China’s service sector. USA and UK are also seeing an increase in messaging since the start of the 19th century and massage therapist industry reached $12.1 billion in 2015 in the US. Athletes and professional sportsmen also undergo certain messages to keep their muscles healthy and tackle any stress or pain.
Not everyone can provide a message because it needs special techniques and training to serve the purpose and only professionals can do the job or things may get worse otherwise. In settings like message centres, clients are treated while lying on the special purpose message table, sitting in a massage chair or lying on a floor mat depending on the type of treatment. However, amateur settings can use general purpose surface like a bed or floor to undergo a massage session. It can be done with a number of available techniques and methods like active release techniques, aquatic bodywork, Burmese messages, Thai massage, biodynamic massage, Swedish massage, traditional Chinese massage and acupuncture etc.
Aquatic bodywork is a set of messages and workouts done under water. This can be done either in a warm water pool or normal water depending on the type of therapy which one is after. Acupuncture is a form of alternative medicine and is a key component of traditional Chinese medicine. Needles are inserted into the body and acupuncture therapy is supposed to be a pseudoscience because the theories and techniques used are not based on scientific knowledge. However, some research suggests that acupuncture can help in pain relief but the majority suggests against it for longer-term pain relief solutions. It is generally safe with least chances of side effects if done properly. That is; under trained professionals and using clean needle techniques and single needles. While there are mixed conclusions about the effectiveness of acupuncture, it is suggested that trained acupuncturist should be used to reduce the risk. However, the effectiveness of massage therapy in getting a perfect pain relief cannot be negated.
