Deep Tissue Massage, Therapy For Your Body Education For Your Mind
After you read this, check out Cheri's article on how your thoughts affect your healing
Or check out Cheri's alternative healing article-A Deep Tissue Massage For Your Heart
Another wonderful massage education article by Redding Massage Therapist and Yoga Teacher Cheri Davis.
A Deep Tissue Massage does not have to be painfully deep to be deeply effective.
Read on to understand why receiving painful deep tissue massage therapy goes against the relaxation effect in the mind/body and why stretching and yoga are one of the best ways to give yourself a deep tissue massage from the inside out.
Deep Tissue Massage works on the deeper layers of the body to help break up scar tissue and adhesion's(little parts of the muscle or connective tissue stuck together) in the deeper tissues of the body. Deep Tissue Massage also help with muscle flexibility by elongating and stretching muscles that maybe have become shortened and contracted due to overworking or stress. Having scar tissue, adhesion's and muscle tightness in the body can cause pain, inflammation, contraction, lack of movement or mobility.
When scar tissue and adhesion's are broken up it gives the rest of the body more flexibility and mobility and thus decreases pain and inflammation. When the scar tissue and adhesion's are broken up it also lets the muscle stretch out because the muscle isn't in constant contraction(spasm) from having to guard in protection of having scar tissue and adhesion's.
To break up the scar tissue and adhesion's the massage therapist(me) goes to the deeper layers and moves across the grain or direction of the muscle. Then to help create lengthening in the muscle I will also move deeply in the same direction of the muscles to help stretch the muscle too.
Going deep into a muscle too quickly can cause muscles to contract and spasm. This actually counters the effects of a massage which is to get the muscles to relax. So many people say to me...oh you can go as deep in the massage as possible and when I do..the rest of their body tenses up to it response to the deep tissue massage.
So the best avenue is a slow deep dig into the muscle...doing it this way..actually sends a deeper energetic message to the muscle that letting go is ok.
It's taken years for muscles to build up tension, adhesion's and scar tissue....and many times it takes more than one massage to break down the muscles and to re-train them to relax. Plus if the person is a high stress person, a deep tissue massage may do wonders for the 90 minute massage, yet when they walk outside the room and back into their stressful life, their muscles click right back into tight stress mode.
There are many reasons why a muscle may be tense and tight. The can be simple mechanical reasons of overuse. Mental stress is a big reasons why muscles are tight. Since the mind/body are connected, when there is mental stress there is also physical stress.
Another reason why a muscles may be 'tight or tense' is that it actually isn't really tight or tense...it's actually just weakened and tired muscles. The symptoms of weak and tired muscles are almost exactly identical to tight sore muscle too.
Note
**Having lived in Redding, CA for over 5 years now I have seen many massage clients who have received deep tissue massage therapy that caused them to be sore and hurt for days and days. This was not the case where I received my massage education in Seattle as massage therapists there seemed to have more massage education then here in Redding. Being sore for days and days should not be the case when receiving skilled deep tissue massage. The body should only sometimes be sore for 1 day or 2 and usually this soreness results in the muscles releasing, not tensing back up. If you are receiving deep tissue massage that you have to tense up too, Please communicate to your massage therapist.**
After you read this, check out Cheri's article on how your thoughts affect your healing
Or check out Cheri's alternative healing article-A Deep Tissue Massage For Your Heart
Another wonderful massage education article by Redding Massage Therapist and Yoga Teacher Cheri Davis.
A Deep Tissue Massage does not have to be painfully deep to be deeply effective.
Read on to understand why receiving painful deep tissue massage therapy goes against the relaxation effect in the mind/body and why stretching and yoga are one of the best ways to give yourself a deep tissue massage from the inside out.
Deep Tissue Massage works on the deeper layers of the body to help break up scar tissue and adhesion's(little parts of the muscle or connective tissue stuck together) in the deeper tissues of the body. Deep Tissue Massage also help with muscle flexibility by elongating and stretching muscles that maybe have become shortened and contracted due to overworking or stress. Having scar tissue, adhesion's and muscle tightness in the body can cause pain, inflammation, contraction, lack of movement or mobility.
When scar tissue and adhesion's are broken up it gives the rest of the body more flexibility and mobility and thus decreases pain and inflammation. When the scar tissue and adhesion's are broken up it also lets the muscle stretch out because the muscle isn't in constant contraction(spasm) from having to guard in protection of having scar tissue and adhesion's.
To break up the scar tissue and adhesion's the massage therapist(me) goes to the deeper layers and moves across the grain or direction of the muscle. Then to help create lengthening in the muscle I will also move deeply in the same direction of the muscles to help stretch the muscle too.
Going deep into a muscle too quickly can cause muscles to contract and spasm. This actually counters the effects of a massage which is to get the muscles to relax. So many people say to me...oh you can go as deep in the massage as possible and when I do..the rest of their body tenses up to it response to the deep tissue massage.
So the best avenue is a slow deep dig into the muscle...doing it this way..actually sends a deeper energetic message to the muscle that letting go is ok.
It's taken years for muscles to build up tension, adhesion's and scar tissue....and many times it takes more than one massage to break down the muscles and to re-train them to relax. Plus if the person is a high stress person, a deep tissue massage may do wonders for the 90 minute massage, yet when they walk outside the room and back into their stressful life, their muscles click right back into tight stress mode.
There are many reasons why a muscle may be tense and tight. The can be simple mechanical reasons of overuse. Mental stress is a big reasons why muscles are tight. Since the mind/body are connected, when there is mental stress there is also physical stress.
Another reason why a muscles may be 'tight or tense' is that it actually isn't really tight or tense...it's actually just weakened and tired muscles. The symptoms of weak and tired muscles are almost exactly identical to tight sore muscle too.
Note
**Having lived in Redding, CA for over 5 years now I have seen many massage clients who have received deep tissue massage therapy that caused them to be sore and hurt for days and days. This was not the case where I received my massage education in Seattle as massage therapists there seemed to have more massage education then here in Redding. Being sore for days and days should not be the case when receiving skilled deep tissue massage. The body should only sometimes be sore for 1 day or 2 and usually this soreness results in the muscles releasing, not tensing back up. If you are receiving deep tissue massage that you have to tense up too, Please communicate to your massage therapist.**
In Redding, CA and searching for professional, high-quality therapeutic massage therapy or a yoga teacher? At my massage sanctuary in Redding. I offer a wide range of massage therapy and yoga therapy options. If you aren’t in Redding and want massage gift certificates, I offer those online too, through Pay Pal. This way even if you don’t live in Redding, CA you can still gift massage therapy or yoga therapy to your loved ones that do live in Redding. Check out my massage article on side by side massages for couples, friends family. They are wonderful to experience together! Plus I offer private massage instruction for couples. Visit my article for couples massage instruction for side by side couples instruction. Together learning the art of therapeutic massage therapy with presence and awareness.
