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Deep Tissue-what is it?
Learn more About Deep Tissue
Deep tissue is
different than swedish in so many ways. Deep
tissue is extremely focused work. We work on one
small area at a time, usually a knot within the
muscle. Deep tissue is intended to work
trough superficial tissues to get to the deeper
tissues. The deeper tissues are usually the
problematic ones causing the pain. Deep
tissue is different than Deep pressure. You can
provide deep pressure to superficial muscles and
not usually deeper tissues, that is when in
transitions to Deep tissue.
Deep tissue breaks up
adhesions (muscles fibers stuck together), and
realigns fibers. This helps reduce pain and
increase blood flow and movement. Deep tissue is
done with a firm, constant, slow deep pressure.
Communication between patient and massage
therapist (LMT) is huge. You, the patient, is in
control of the depth, to some degree, as you are
telling the LMT when it is
uncomfortable/painful. At Stress Waived we
were taught that massage should never be
painful. Pain makes the muscles tighten up,
which is counter productive to what we are
trying to accomplish, and of course it hurts.
A good analogy is:
Take a balloon, blow it up. Now hold your hands
on opposite sides of the balloon. Take a finger
from each hand and point it into the center of
the balloon. Now push each finger, from the
opposite side towards the center until they
touch. This is very possible, you have just have
to go slow enough, at the pace of the balloon.
The balloon has to stretch around your fingers
pressure.If you go to fast-you pop the balloon.
This is the way the muscles have to respond
during Deep Tissue pressure. The speed the LMT
can go depends on how quickly the muscle lets go
and allows the pressure to occur. The LMT
follows the release of the muscle by providing
constant pressure as the muscle relaxes. If the
LMT goes to quickly the muscle will tighten to
protect itself (so it doesn't "break" like the
balloon).
To make progress with
pain reduction, Deep tissue treatment usually
takes several appointments. This allows the
muscle to react to the pressure it got and learn
that this newer position (of release) is ok and
good. The muscle is used to being tight so we
basically have to "retrain" the muscle.
Deep tissue can be
used on almost any muscle. It works well with
certain conditions such as: Fibromyalgia, Tennis
Elbow, Lower back pain, and so much more.
After a Deep tissue
treatment you MUST drink lots of water. You need
to flush the toxins(created from the muscle
contractions), and hydrate the cells (having
been "squished" by the tight muscle.
