The Difference Between Clinical and Relaxation Massage
When most people think of the word “massage” they picture a spa or wellness centre, with soft music, dimmed lights, and lovely smells.
While relaxation massage (usually swedish or deep tissue) is the most well known and widespread it is not the only type of massage. Clinical massage, on the other hand, serves a different purpose altogether.
We all know what to expect during a swedish, deep tissue or even a sports massage, Clinical massage is a more recent term and therefore not many people have heard about it.
First and most important step is knowing what you want or need at that particular time! If you’re after a pampering experience, a luxury Spa would probably be my go to business for this. If you’re in need of some deeper healing, nourishing or need help with musculoskeletal pain or a clinical presentation, then a clinical massage or myofascial release with someone highly qualified will be more adequate for your needs.
Knowing the difference between your typical relaxation massage and a clinical massage though will help you decide.
Therapist background and qualifications
This might be an unpopular section but one of the main differences is usually therapist’s background and qualifications.
Most clinical massage therapists have completed more advanced education in anatomy and physiology than most relaxation massage therapists. I’ve said “most” so nobody get offended!
Another difference is that most relaxation massage therapists come from a holistic or beauty background, whilst clinical massage therapists tend to come from other backgrounds (not always! and this is where you purchase the “clinical massage” but you receive the exact treatment as a deep tissue or a swedish, which can be frustrating!).
Background is usually medical (like for example in my case), sports or even come from more of an eastern technique background.
As we mentioned above, within clinical massage there are also variations when it comes to qualifications and background, which will affect the kind of treatment provided.
Some therapists have extensive knowledge in anatomy and physiology, others not so much! Some are too technical that they lack depth, some not technical enough! Checking the therapist’s qualifications and website and reading their “about” section will help you find the right person quicker.
You can gather a lot of information from someone’s “about” section;what are their qualifications? how do they talk about themselves? How do they describe what they offer? Do they have pictures using a lot of massage tools? Do they seem warm? What about their background? do they show an interest in yoga? do they show more of a scientific approach? do they target sports?
Once you know what you want these are questions that can really help you narrow down.
Objective of the treatment
A good number of people that reach our clinic, tell us during the consultation process that they expect the clinical massage to be painful and really uncomfortable.
I’m not sure if this is because the word “clinical” gets generally associated with “painful, cold, impersonal” or if it’s because they’ve had a bad experience with a therapist that didn’t use the right techniques or the right amount of pressure.
Either way this idea that a good clinical massage treatment doesn’t feel or is not meant to feel very nice couldn’t be further from the truth! In fact, it should feel amazing and deeply relaxing! Why!? Because clinical massage is based on science (or it should!), and science says slow, deep and gentle produces the best results.
So a clinical massage that fails to feel amazing is simply a bad treatment, not a good one!
Don’t go back to someone that makes you jump off the couch or hold your breath in pain!
A clinical massage is deeply healing and relaxing at the same time then focused and specific.
In terms of objective of the treatment, a relaxation massage aims exclusively to provide that pampering experience and relaxation, a clinical massage can be focused on providing healing, reducing musculoskeletal pain, in providing an effective solution to a clinical presentation or in improving your general feeling of wellbeing.
Regardless of the skillset of the therapist or the techniques applied, a good clinical massage therapist will always have one or all of these objective clear and present at all times during both the consultation and treatment session.
Not all clinical massage therapists have all of these objectives present or available to their skillset and not all are equally skilful, neither have the same depth in the delivery.
Massage therapy at this level it’s extremely personal and skilful and highly reliant on the therapist’s personal characteristics, life experience, level of qualification and massage training school.
Outcome based
A good clinical massage therapist should have an outcome based approach to treatment, where the therapist sets a clear goal with you (i.e. fixing shoulder pain) and then works towards obtaining measurable results that you can both re-evaluate after the treatment and in follow-up sessions.
For example, your goal might be focused on pain, if that’s the case you should be able to put a number to your progress in pain after the session and in follow up treatments.
A relaxation massage in exchange doesn’t usually have an outcome based goal or measures outcomes.
Follow up
The fact that clinical massage is outcome based and that the therapist is working towards a particular goal means that clinical massage will often require follow up sessions to get you to that end goal.
Relaxation massage on the other hand doesn’t usually require follow up session as there’s no goal to work towards.
Techniques applied and skillset
This is another major difference between the two types, relaxation or clinical. Clinical massage therapists should be trained to a higher standard, in anatomy and physiology but also in treatment techniques.
Some more than others, clinical massage therapists should have a bigger toolbox of techniques to choose from than a relaxation massage therapist. I say “should” because this is not always the case, but generally speaking.
Whilst relaxation massage therapists use mainly effleurage (long strokes) during their treatments clinical massage therapists need a wider skillset in order to obtain the desired outcomes.
These might include effleurage, sports massage techniques, trigger point work, advanced stretching, eastern techniques like for example acupressure or in case of highly skilled clinical massage therapists it might also include myofascial release techniques.
It not always is what it seems
The fact that a therapist seems to initially tick all your boxes theoretically doesn’t automatically make them a good therapist. Some people are just great communicators or great at sales! (which are great skills of course!)
Following the previous steps though should allow you to narrow down the options in your area and chances are you’ll find a bad ass therapist pretty quickly.
PRO TIP! I avoid therapists that promote themselves using lots of massage tools. In my opinion tools are great in moderation and can really aid the treatment but when a therapist just uses tools and not their hands, that to me is not a good sign!
What to expect during a clinical massage session
A clinical massage session at our clinic begins with a thorough consultation including presenting symptoms, postural assessment, orthopaedic assessment and clinical history. This information helps the therapist create the best possible treatment plan.
The consultation is followed by the treatment right away. We offer one hour treatments, allowing sufficient time for your body to enter a deeply relaxed state where healing can occur.
Your therapist will use a combination of specialised techniques including myofascial release and trigger point work, applying slow, firm yet gentle pressure that works with your body rather than against it.
After the session, you may experience immediate relief and increased range of motion or you might experience slight irritation or discomfort which we expect to settle down after 2-3 days following the treatment.
Most clients notice improvements after the first session and a follow-up session is always encouraged to further settle the work or continue working, with resolution of symptoms typically achieved within 3-4 weekly sessions in most cases. Some cases require further treatment. The amount of sessions required varies for each person.
About the author
Rocio Santiago
MA in Nursing, Dip. Soft Tissue Therapy
Ro initially began her career as a nurse. Following this and after a difficult time in her life that resulted in a career change, Ro went on to train at one of the leading soft tissue therapy schools in Europe, completing a 3 year degree level course and specialising in effective soft tissue manipulation for the treatment of musculoskeletal pain.
The treatment method Ro uses consists of a combined approach using different specialised techniques, myofascial release and trigger point work among others, with the intention and focus on providing effective results in the least possible amount of time.
Combining her training, science background and life experience, her treatment method is based in science and built using a whole body approach, where mind and body are addressed as one.
Ro has been seeing clients as a soft tissue therapist for 8 years, successfully treating a wide range of conditions.