Deep Tissue
A deep tissue massage is designed to relieve severe tension in the muscle and the connective tissue surrounding the muscle or what is known as fascia. Fascia is the thin, strong tissue that surrounds all the muscles in the body and helps keep them in their form. The next time you pull the skin away from a chicken leg look for a thin, white layer between the skin and the meat of the chicken. That’s the fascia. Deep tissue massage also works that part of the system as well.
Deep tissue massage focuses on the deeper layers of muscles, not those located just below the surface of the skin. Deep tissue massage is often recommended for individuals who experience consistent pain, are involved in heavy physical activity (eg. athletes), and patients who have sustained physical injury, with scar tissue in the muscle and who tend to experience chronic pain. Deep tissue massage helps to break up scar tissue in the muscle and it helps muscles overworked through exertion, to repair more quickly and relieve pain.
Deep tissue massage is a separate category of massage therapy, used to treat particular muscular-skeletal disorders and complaints. The technique itself is a usually a series of physical muscular manipulation techniques. These techniques are used to penetrate the upper layers of the muscles, and layers of skin and fat to reach a particular area of the muscle below.
A deep “pressure” massage is used with longer strokes applied over the client’s body throughout the massage session. The long strokes are not used locally on a specific area of the body, they are instead used to stimulate the entire musculo-skeletal system. Deep tissue massage is NOT recommended for the entire body, as it is an extremely intense form of massage therapy, and if applied all over the client’s body, it could create some bruising and mild nerve damage.
Deep tissue massage is a type of massage therapy that focuses on realigning the deeper layers of muscles and connective tissue. It is especially helpful for chronically stressed and contracted muscle groups such as, stiff necks, low back tightness, and sore shoulders. Excessively tight muscle tissue can block circulation and cause pain, create limited movement, and cause inflammation.
Deep tissue massage works to eliminate these symptoms by physically breaking down the adhesions in the muscle tissue. To achieve this, the massage therapist often uses direct deep pressure or friction applied across the grain of the muscles. Massage therapists may use their fingertips, thumbs, knuckles, hands, elbows, and forearms during the deep tissue massage.
At certain points during the massage, many clients will experience some discomfort and pain. It’s important to tell the massage therapist when you feel pain and if it’s outside your comfort range. There is usually some stiffness or pain after a deep tissue massage, but it should subside within a day or so. You may be asked to breathe deeply as the massage therapist works on certain tense areas. It’s vital to drink plenty of water after the massage to flush metabolic waste from the tissues and the massage therapist may recommend applying ice to the area after the massage. The bottom line is, this is a great way to get and keep yourself in excellent health.