Swedish massage uses five styles of long, flowing strokes to massage. The five basic strokes are effleurage (light touch), petrissage (kneading), tapotement (rhythmic tapping), friction (compression), and vibration. Swedish massage has shown to be helpful in reducing pain, joint stiffness, and improving function in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee over a period of eight weeks .¹ The development of Swedish massage is credited to Per Henrik Ling though the Dutch practitioner Johan Georg Mezger adopted the French names to denote the basic strokes.
Swedish massage did not originate in Sweden, nor was it created by a Swede. Instead, massage is referred to almost universally as "classic massage." And in most of Europe the term classic massage is much more prevalent than Swedish massage. But in America, the term classic massage is used very little, while Swedish massage is considered the classic and most basic of all massage methods.
Swedish Massage
(everything you wanted to know and more)
A great massage for relaxation or for those who are sensitive or do not like a great deal of deep pressure.
¹ Robertshawe P. (June 2007). “Massage for Osteoarthritis of the Knee”. Journal of the Australian Traditional-Medicine Society 13 (2): 87.
