Acupressure : A technique of extremely precise pressure on certain points of the body. These pressure points may be far from the system that they affect. For example, pressure on the forearm has been shown to be effective in relieving nausea (it really works!). Shiatsu is closely related to acupressure.

Alternative Medicine / Complementary Medicine / Complimentary Medicine : The field of health care which includes nutrition, aromatherapy, massage, acupuncture and other therapies which are not usually classed as a part of the field of western medicine. Some of the therapies are very genuinely effective, others are questionable.

ASTON_PATTERNING : another offshoot of Rolfing, was developed to teach people to maintain the improved alignment that they got through Rolfing. Aston-Patterning uses posture re-education and stresses physical fitness techniques. .

Biomechanics : This term, when applied to massage therapy, almost always refers to the therapist's careful use of posture and leverage to prevent tiring out and avoid injuring his/her own body from the repeated strain of performing massage.

Bodywork : A term for any work done on the muscular, skeletal and integumentary (skin) system. Facials, wraps, massage, chiropractic work, scrubs and hydrotherapy are some examples of bodywork.

Centrifugal / Centripetal Massage : Quite simply put, massage on the limbs is termed centrifugal if it strokes away from the center of the body and centripetal if it strokes toward the center of the body. Many therapists prefer centripetal strokes where possible (in order to return lymph and blood toward the torso for cleaning).

Compression : Downward pressure against tissue—a very useful deep tissue massage technique. Often accomplished with the knuckles or heel of the hand.

Counter-Stretching / Compress and Release / Resisted Stretching : A technique in which the massage therapist stretches a muscle, then the client flexes or pushes against the stretch for a short time. The client then relaxes the tension on the muscle and the joint is stretched for a longer period of time (and, if possible, to a greater degree). This technique works amazingly well on chronic aches and soreness.

CRANIOSACRAL THERAPY : focuses on the skull and spinal column. Therapists use very gently pressure no more than the weight of a nickel to massage the bones, membranes and fluids that support and bathe your skull and spinal column. The theory is that these manipulations will reduce tension and counteract any physical trauma you may have experienced to your head over the years. .

Cryotherapy : The use of cold as a therapeutic agent in bodywork. Cold is useful for reducing inflammation and edema, and bodyworkers sometimes use ice packs, cold towels or cooling spray on parts of the body which are sore from intense workout or have been recently injured. Massage therapists may occasionally use cryotherapy, but should be extremely careful when working with recently injured or inflamed areas.

Cupping : This move is derived from the medieval medical technique of the same name, in which heated cups were placed over the skin and allowed to cool, creating a partial vacuum. It is performed by cupping the hands (as if you were holding some water in each hand), and then making gentle slapping movements with alternate hands on the area being cupped. All the movement should be in the wrists, and the noise produced should be like a horse trotting - if it sounds like a slap, you're not holding your hands cupped enough - and it'll feel like it sounds. Suitable regions on which to use cupping are the thighs, shoulders, and upper back - it is very important to avoid the kidney region, and to keep talking to the person you're massaging to make sure you're doing it hard enough without being painful.

DEEP TISSUE MASSAGE : targets chronic tension in muscles that lie far below the surface of your body. You have five layers of muscle in your back, for instance, and while Swedish massage may help the first couple of layers, it won't do much directly for the muscle underneath. Deep muscle techniques usually involve slow strokes, direct pressure or friction movements that go across the grain of the muscles. Massage therapists will use their fingers, thumbs or occasionally even elbows to apply the needed pressure.

Deep Tissue Massage : This is exactly what it sounds like. Deep tissue work is massage which is aimed at getting to muscles and fascia which are located further away from the skin (deeper). Typical techniques include point pressure (using fingertips, knuckles or small massage tools) and heavy effleurage (using body weight on elbows or forearms).

Draping : The practice of covering the client with a sheet and/or a blanket during a full-body massage or any sessions in which the client is disrobed. Draping is done for the purposes of privacy and comfort and also for warmth. In a full-body massage, no part of the body should be exposed except for the portion that is currently being worked on.

Effleurage : This is the most basic move in Swedish-style massage, and is a broad stroking movement made with one or both hands across the surface being massaged. Effleurage always aims towards the heart, the aim being to increase lymph flow. In reality, the main benefits are in relaxing the person you're massaging and warming up their tissues ready for deeper moves. In good effleurage your hands should never leave the skin - use firm, comfortable pressure on the stroke towards the heart, and much lighter pressure on the way back. Make all your moves slow and firm (this feels nicer and is less ticklish...).

FELDENKRAIS : treats every body as an individual work of art, with different postures and different movement patterns. Practioners seek to teach their clients ideal patterns of movement through slow, gentle, exercise-like sessions. It also includes a gentle massage that is designed to teach a person how to expand his range of motion. Bienenfeld says it's often useful for victims of stroke or accidents who have lost movement. .

Friction : A deep-tissue technique which moves tissues against each other. Done with fingertips, palm, knuckles or forearm.

Hacking : This is often done immediately after cupping, and on similar regions of the body. Another move that both looks and sounds worse than it really is, hacking involves holding the hands in a 'karate chop' pose, and then relaxing the fingers and making chopping movements from the wrists with the little finger and edge of the palm. If done correctly, the other fingers all slap into each other, so the move should feel gentle and not like being hit (if it hurts, you're either doing it wrong, or much too hard). The aim should be to make the two hands land as close to each other as possible, and as fast as possible - this sounds disturbingly like something else entirely...

HELLERWORK : is an offshoot of Rolfing that adds both mental and movement re-education to the physical work. In a series of 11 sessions, you get instruction on how to break bad posture habits and you also get a massage that focuses on returning your muscles and other tissue to their proper positions. The result can be dramatic. "Sometimes we can greatly increase the spaces in your joints to the point where you may grown three-fourths of an inch taller before you're done," Bienenfeld says. .

Holding / Rocking / Jostling : Extremely useful, and frequently overlooked massage techniques. Holding is pretty much what it sounds like—passive touch with a gentle hand. It makes contact between the client and therapist and prepares the client for massage. Adding a light movement to holding makes it rocking, a very comforting and pleasant way to start or end a massage, especially a strenuous one. Jostling is similar to rocking, only more abrupt, usually used in stimulating or sports massage.