Deep tissue massage is a massage technique that’s mainly done to treat musculoskeletal issues. It includes strains and sports injuries. Deep tissue massage includes providing enough pressure using slow, deep strokes to target the inner layers of your muscles and connective tissues. It also helps to break up scar tissue that develops following an injury and decrease tension in muscle and tissue. It may also help in faster healing by enhancing blood flow and reducing inflammation.
This in-home massage technique is ideal for giving attention to certain painful, stiff “trouble spots” in your body. Your in-home massage therapist will work with slow, deliberate strokes that offer pressure on layers of muscles, tendons, or other tissues deep under your skin. It is less rhythmic than other types of massage. But deep tissue massage may be therapeutic — decreasing chronic patterns of tension and assisting with muscle injuries, such as a back sprain.
Deep Tissue Massage Techniques:
Basically, these massage techniques are used to break up scar tissue and physically break down muscle “knots” or adhesions. It includes rigid tissue that can decrease circulation and create pain, decreased range of motion, and inflammation. In deep tissue massage, some of the strokes may feel the same as those used in Swedish massage therapy, but this in-home massage isn’t a stronger version of a Swedish massage. Lighter pressure is generally applied to warm up at the beginning of a deep tissue massage and prepare the muscles. Common techniques include;
Active release method:
This technique is also called ART. It combines treatment and examination. The massage therapist must first check your situation and your medical history before beginning. They will use their hands to see how developed your tendons, muscles, and ligaments are. They will also check the composition of your muscles and see how your nerves work during the examination. The massage therapist then works with abnormal tissue with the help of coordinated pressure.
Muscle energy technique:
This deep tissue massage technique helps to stretch the muscles. This technique is used by massage therapists who deal with sportspeople and patients with specific injuries during physical therapy. This unique technique has become accepted as useful for stretching the postural muscles that tend to shorten. The massage therapist pulls against resistance using isometric compression for progressive constriction. This method is not good for use with physic muscles, though, but it can allow strengthen and relax cramping muscles. After any injury, patients can get this message at home by the spa-mobile to help their muscles recapture their capacity and to decrease restricted edema.
Trigger point method:
This method is ideal to deal with pain at its source. The massage therapist will apply pressure in cycles and allow you to breathe deeply in specific ways. The purpose is to find the specific place with discomfort, to measure the amount, and to deal with it.
What happens during the massage?
Before your in-home massage session, your massage therapist will want to know about your specific areas. It can involve your entire body or just one area. During your in-home massage session, you’ll be asked to lie on your back or stomach, under a sheet. Your massage therapist will warm up your muscles with the help of lighter touch. They’ll start doing massage on your problem areas once you’re warmed up. A massage therapist will use deep kneading and stroking with different amounts of intense pressure.
Benefits of deep tissue massage:
In-home deep tissue massage provides both physical and psychological benefits. Deep tissue massage allows treating muscle pain and improving stiffness, unlike other massage techniques that focus on relaxation. But it can still improve your mental health. This amazing massage technique brings you many benefits but also helps you physically in terms of aches and stiffness. The main advantages of deep tissue massage include:
Reduces pain:
The most obvious and immediate advantage of a deep tissue massage is pain relief. As the massage is done it decreases the activity of inflammatory cytokines, which are responsible for pain and inflammation. Similarly, in-home deep massage helps enhance the proteins that signal the muscles to create more mitochondria, which help muscles, recover from injury and activity. If you’re dealing with a sports injury, living with plantar fasciitis, or have a chronic condition such as sciatica or fibromyalgia, this in-home massage can bring pain relief. Some studies have shown that deep tissue massage is a powerful pain reliever.
STRESS RELIEF:
Deep tissue massage is very helpful to relieve stress. If you are facing stress at home or at work, getting an in-home massage is the best way to unplug and relax for a longer period of time. It can help decrease cortisol levels and enhance levels of oxytocin, which is a hormone that relaxes the body and creates soothing effects. Deep tissue massage can also help with physical symptoms of stress, such as tight shoulders and tension headaches. It can address these issues and assist your body relaxes.
If you’re an athlete recovering from an injury or a worker with back pain there are a plethora of deep tissue massage advantages that can assist you to get back to living a more balanced life.
LOWERS BLOOD PRESSURE AND HEART RATE:
This in-home massage decrease stress and tension, which impacts blood pressure. It has also strong impacts on systolic, diastolic, and arterial blood pressure. Deep tissue massage can also enhance the production of serotonin, which develops good feelings and happiness.
Reduces anxiety and muscle tension:
As I have earlier mentioned that in-home massage is good for people dealing with poor health due to stress. Mainly because it allows stimulating blood flow and decreasing muscle tension. It also helps in lowering psychological stress and producing “happy hormones” like serotonin and oxytocin.
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Inflammation caused by muscle tension and chronic stress can lead to worsened overall health. It will also cause longer recovery time, decreased immune function, and cardiovascular problems, such as high blood pressure. Research has found that in-home massage therapy can help decrease cortisol levels and even boost the production of the hormone called oxytocin, which relaxes the body and has positive effects.
BREAKS UP SCAR TISSUE:
People often report chronic pain and stiffness in areas where people have scar tissue. Getting regular in-home massages can help break up this scar tissue by increasing lymphatic circulation and drainage to enhance flexibility and range of motion in the area of the scar tissue. Some people who are recovering from surgery are often advised to get deep tissue massages to decrease scar tissue.
We all know that, after an injury, and especially if it is also a very difficult time, inflammation can limit enough amount of blood flow from reaching damaged tissue and can decrease main nutrients and oxygen. It can cause toxins to add up around the damaged tissue, which only enhances swelling and pain. In-home massage can also help reduce the pain related plantar fasciitis and other injuries.
REHABILITATES INJURED MUSCLES:
A deep tissue massage can help if you have injured muscles by stretching tight or twisted muscles. It can also facilitate the movement of toxins from your muscles. This massage therapy is used often to deal with sports-related injuries. Many athletes consider deep tissue massage as an effective tool in their recovery process, as this massage therapy can help delay the onset of muscle soreness. It also helps with muscle fatigue and prevents injuries.
Reduces Arthritis Symptoms:
According to the Arthritis Foundation, in-home massage is often used to help with common symptoms of many types of arthritis. It includes chronic joint pain, stiffness, anxiety, limited range of motion in joints, and trouble sleeping. Deep tissue massages can be used regularly for natural relief, whether performed by a therapist or by the patient themselves.
Some studies have shown that firmer massages like deep tissue massage with more pressure can result in a significant decrease in arthritis pain compared to lighter massages, as well as tendonitis and similar types of painful situations.
HELPS WITH LABOR AND DELIVERY:
Deep tissue massage helps with labor and delivery. It can help women control their pain during labor. Prenatal massages are the best way for women to relax and ease tight muscles due to pregnancy even prior to labor. It can also help women to minimize depression, anxiety, and leg and back pain due to an increase in cortisol.
Studies have proven that women who get regular in-home massages prior to and during labor had less pain than those who did not receive regular massages and found that their labors were shorter than women who did not regularly get massages.
Do Deep Tissue Massages Hurt?
You may feel some discomfort or even some pain as the massage therapist deals with areas where they have adhesions or scar tissue at certain times during the massage. Pain is not a sign that the massage will be effective. In fact, your body may develop pain in response to massage, making it difficult for the therapist to reach deeper muscles. You should tell your massage therapist if you feel pain. The therapist can alter the method or further prep the tissues if the superficial muscles are tense.
Side Effects:
The advantages of deep tissue massage are best experienced if you have a regular course of massage session over a period of time. However, sometimes you just need that one-off massage to deal with the troublesome knotty shoulder. You can expect to feel a little tender in the area that has been worked after a deep tissue massage. But you shouldn’t feel active pain, and if you feel, you should discuss this with your massage therapist.
The biggest after-effects of a deep tissue massage are thirst and sleepiness. That’s why I will recommend booking a deep tissue massage service at home with a Spa-mobile, so that you can drink some water and have a nap, or go to bed, soon after the massage session.
It’s normal to feel a headache after a deep tissue massage or even to feel slightly nauseous. It has to do with toxins on the move in your body. You should drink plenty of water, relax, and both of these effects will decrease with time.
Precautions:
- It’s important that you talk to your doctor before getting a deep tissue massage at home if you are at risk of forming blood clots.
- If you’ve had chemotherapy, radiation, or have another medical condition, it’s advisable to see your doctor before starting a massage session. Similarly, people with osteoporosis should avoid the deeper pressure of this type of massage.
- Deep tissue massage should not be done directly over inflamed or infected skin, skin rashes, open wounds, tumors, abdominal hernia, or areas of recent fractures.
- It’s important to consult your primary care provider first to find out what type they recommend if you have any condition. For instance, people with certain conditions, such as spondylitis, may not be able to handle the pain of a deep tissue massage.
Final words:
Deep tissue in-home massage is more than just a massage with increased pressure. The purpose and methods are different from a Swedish massage. While it may assist with many conditions, remember that in-home massage doesn’t always have to hurt or make your body sore to be effective. To get the most out of your in-home massage session, talk with our massage therapist at the spa-mobile.
