Influency of segmentar and general classic massage in flexibility of young adults

Abstract

Massage is defined as a methodic and rhythmie compression of the body or its part to get therapeutic effeets, divided in circulatory, neuromuscular metabolical, mechanical and physiologieal. The effeets of classieal massage can also be divided in local and reflex and general. The local effeets results the direct action of the pression on this place. The reflex effeets presents indirect action by active vein substances liberated localy and the general results of the application of classic massage in ali the body (Guirro, 1986). Hollis (1990) took atention to the massage effeets about painful place helping taking off the local pain being able to reduce the muscular spasm which would be beneficiai to improve the flexibility of the patients. Dantas (1989) have defined flexibility as a physical quality expressed by range of motion of ajoint or some joints specific direction. The aim of this study was assessment the classical massage segmentai and general effeets in global flexibility of the healthful and young adult subjects in the course ofthe flexibility tests. The subjects ofthis study were eighteen healthful young people who realized six classieal massage therapy, and five segmentai, one global, for six weeks , in a frequence of once in a week. Before and after every massage session, the global flexibilities were measured through lateral and anterial tilt, where the distance between third finger- floor were measured. We found in this study that classieal massage through this used maneuvers had a positive influence in the subjects flexibility.