The reason why something as simple as relaxing has become difficult is mainly because of the various types of massages that one can get. There are several massages that cater to certain types of ailments. The advantage is that if the potential client knew exactly what massage would help their ailment, the massage therapist would be able to do a much better job. One of the more popular massages that many clients utilize is the deep tissue massage.
Greg Smith is the Director of Information and Outreach at the Colorado Institute of Massage Therapy. Smith has been practicing massage therapy for the last seven years and also serves as a fitness therapist and personal trainer. A massage that has several stereotypes surrounding it, Smith has a complete understanding of how it helps patients that need it most.
"Deep tissue massage can also be called deep muscle press or deep muscle stretch," Smith said. "The idea is that, by pushing deeper on the muscle, it actually helps stretch the muscle and elongates it."
"Imagine a guitar string," he said. "If you push a guitar string to the side it stretches that string. If you run your finger all the way through, you would stretch that string from top to bottom. That can have a therapeutic effect in trying to loosen up individual fibers as you move along that string. Muscle fibers could be thought of in that way. Deep tissue is designed to help with relaxation, but primarily deals with muscle tension."
Many choose the deep tissue massage because it can be very beneficial for their health. When muscles are stressed, they prevent the flow of oxygen and nutrients in the body. This leads to the inflammation that builds up toxins in the muscle. The deep tissue massage helps to release those toxins.
As far as the stereotypes that surround the deep tissue massage, many say that it is a very strenuous massage. Many experts advise potential clients to be sure that a deep tissue massage is what they want because it can be very uncomfortable if there body is not in the need of pain relief.
"Deep tissue massage very rarely causes injury," Smith said. "In 2004, I believe there were two cases of injury in the United States out of the millions of massages. When a client says that the pressure is too deep, I know to let up. The idea is not, "no pain, no gain." We are trying to create a response from the muscle, and to do that we try to move or stretch the muscle."
"However, a deep tissue massage can injure you if someone were getting the massage for the first time for a reason other than pain," he added. "The number one reason for this type of massage is pain relief. If it's just something to pamper you, a birthday, anniversary, or some fun thing like that, or to deal with stress, they may want just a relaxation massage to start."
