Deep Tissue Massage
Are you wondering if you should go with Deep Tissue Massage for your session? Here's some info so you can decide.
Application of Deep Tissue Massage
Deep Tissue Massage works by sustained, slow, deep strokes that focus on inner muscle and connective tissue.
This process is wonderful at easing general muscle tension, breaking up old scar tissue, decreasing inflammation, healing injuries, and bringing circulation to areas that really need it.
Deep Tissue Massage is wonderful for folks who have injuries of any kind. Car accidents, sports injuries, tennis elbow, accidental falls, chronic pain from manual labor and repetitive labor, as well as conditions like sciatica.
In general, Deep Tissue Massage is intentional about healing and really getting after the painful areas that need attention. It can be intense and for many people, that's exactly what they want and need. Deep tissue massage focuses on the inner layers of the muscle, hence the term deep! This technique goes for stuckness and pain in tendons, muscles, and connective tissue.
To do so, lots of consistent pressure is applied with fingertips, palms, and forearms. This enables me to provide therapeutic pressure for wide areas and specific points both.
Benefits of Deep Tissue Massage
The central aim and benefit of deep tissue massage is healing injuries. This technique really goes after what needs therapeutic and rehabilitative attention. Whether its from an accident or a sports injury, if you're trying to recover an injury, this is the modality for you.
Deep tissue is aimed at going further in than a technique like Swedish massage. It is not quite as relaxing as swedish massage is, but honestly, the relief found from Deep Tissue is cathartic, healing, and incredibly important. If you're reading this and you think "oh yes, I need that!" Then this is definitely for you. The relaxing massages can come in their time, but if you've got a specific part of your body that needs rehabilitation and specific therapy, it's best to go ahead and address it sooner rather than later.
I don't, however, want to perpetuate the the story that deep tissue massage has to hurt in order for it to be "working." Sometimes it's painful, many times it's not. It all depends on your body and what you need in the moment!
History of Deep Tissue Massage
According to some articles on the internet, Deep Tissue Massage was used by the ancient Egyptians and Greeks. Given that it's a very general technique that's used to heal injuries (I'm sure the Egyptians and Greeks had injuries) it wouldn't surprise me.
Deep Tissue Massage emerged in the Western World in Canada and the United States and was commonly used for recovering from car accidents (whiplash) and sports injuries. Again, the chief goal of Deep Tissue is to heal and rehabilitate injuries. A Canadian doctor Therese Phimmer is given credit for naming the therapy and introducing it to the world. She dialed in the method for others in the 20th century. Phimmer published a book called "Muscles: Your Invisible Bonds" that in 1949 that really helped the method find popularity and traction in the therapeutic community.
