ACN Massage

 What is a massage? Massage involves working and acting on the body with pressure – structured, unstructured, stationary, or moving – tension, motion, or vibration, done manually or with mechanical aids. Massage can be applied with the hands, fingers, elbows, knees, forearm, feet, or a massage device. Massage can promote relaxation and well-being, and can relieve pain from injury or chronic disease, lessen anxiety and eliminate depression. It can also be used to treat neck and back pain, headaches and migraines, carpal tunnel, numbness and tingling, fibromyalgia, and a host of other maladies.

The word massage is believed to come from the root word “massa” (found in the French, Arabic, Latin and Greek languages) meaning "friction or kneading, to touch, feel or handle". Archaeological evidence of massage has been found in many ancient civilizations including China, India, Japan, Korea, Egypt, Rome, Greece, and Mesopotamia. There are many different types of massage: Acupressure, Shiatsu, Balinese, Cranial-sacral, Lymphatic drainage, Reflexology, Stone massage, Tuina, etc and many different methods of practicing these types of massage.

Tuina is a form of Chinese manipulative therapy practiced by ACNWellness massage therapists and often used in conjunction with acupuncture, moxibustion (a dried root used to warm the body), fire cupping (a local suction is created on the skin using heat and a small cup), Chinese herbalism, t'ai chi (an internal Chinese martial art practiced for both its defense training and its health benefits), and qigong (a practice of aligning body, breath, and mind for health, meditation, and martial arts training).  Tuina is a hands-on body treatment that uses Chinese taoist and martial arts principles in an effort to bring the eight principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) into balance. The practitioner may brush, knead, roll/press, and rub the areas between each of the joints, known as the eight gates, to attempt to open the body's defensive chi and get the energy moving in the meridians and the muscles. Techniques may be gentle or quite firm. The name comes from two of the actions: tui means "to push" and na means "to lift and squeeze." Other strokes include shaking and tapotement (to tap with the fingers in a thrumming motion). The practitioner can then use range of motion, traction, with the stimulation of acupressure points. These techniques are used to aid in the treatment of both acute and chronic musculoskeletal conditions, as well as many non-musculoskeletal conditions.

In professional settings, massage involves the client being treated while lying on a massage table, sitting in a massage chair, or lying on a mat on the floor. The massage subject may be fully or partially clothed or unclothed. Sessions may last 30 minutes up to 90 minutes and are performed by a Licensed Massage Therapist (LMT). Be sure that your LMT is licensed and insured, that the facility providing the massages is also licensed by the state (we are), the massages are overseen by a physician, you are comfortable with the therapist you are working with, and your LMT is current in continuing education (CE) credits.