Terri Ramsey Beavers Good morning! Ready to go back to bed?
If you’re dealing with chronic pain, mornings can be the worst. Laying in bed, you know a world of pain is waiting for you the moment you move your body. Extra stiff muscles, and skyrocketing pain levels, are enough to make anyone want to crawl back into bed.
Sadly, doctors are still prescribing patients opioids in an attempt to help. However, every day, on average, 130 Americans die because of opioid overdoses.
If you’re looking for a holistic approach to pain, then you need to learn about the power of deep tissue massage therapy. Instead of covering up your pain with pills, you can begin working to get rid of it completely.
Read on to learn everything you need to know about deep tissue massages.
Deep Tissue Massage Therapy
Deep tissue massage therapy is a specific type of massage technique. To perform a deep tissue massage, the masseuse will apply constant pressure. The constant slow pressure works directly with your muscles and tissues.
1. Musculoskeletal System
The goal of deep tissue massages is to work through different issues in your musculoskeletal system. Skeletal muscles, tendons, cartilage, connective tissues, and bones, are all a part of your musculoskeletal system.
2. Rapid Healing
If you’re recovering from an injury, or have a strain, the intense massage can help you heal faster. If you have any scar tissue from the injury, deep massages work to break that tissue up so the scar can fade away.
As your muscles begin to loosen up, you’ll be able to increase the blood flowing to them. Blood carries with it essential nutrients, as well as oxygen that your muscles need to heal. Soon, the inflammation will begin to recede, as the connective tissues and deep muscle layers repair themselves.
3. Healing Repetitive Stress Injuries
Deep tissue massages are great for individuals dealing with a repetitive stress injury. A repetitive stress injury is an injury that occurs because of a certain motion you’re performing, over and over.
It’s common for clerical workers to stress their tendons out of the repetitive movement of typing. Since it takes a while for repetitive stress injuries to form, it’ll also take a while for them to heal. You can expect to have several deep tissue massages before a repetitive stress injury can truly heal.
4. Pregnancy and Labor Pain
Pregnancy brings with it a whole new world of aches and pains. Luckily, you can find deep tissue masseuse who specializes in working with expecting mothers. The masseuse will lighten up on the amount of pressure, while still targeting the inner layers of muscle.
5. Specialized Focus on Pain Points
Deep tissue massage therapy usually focuses on treating 1 area at a time. If you’re recovering from an injury, the masseuse will focus their energy and attention on the injured area. You can also get a deep tissue massage if you’re trying to treat a specific health condition that’s not injury-related.
Here’s a list of the different things deep tissue can help with:
- General stiffness
- Back pain
- Tennis elbow
- Fibromyalgia
- Plantar fasciitis
- High blood pressure
- Sciatica
- Carpal tunnel
- Posture problems
- Osteoarthritis pain
You may need more than 1 massage treatment to get the results you’re looking for. Conditions such as carpal tunnel syndrome can take multiple massage sessions to work through. This is because the carpal tunnel is a type of repetitive stress injury.
6. Gentler Than Swedish Massages
Swedish massages and deep tissue massages share similarities. However, these 2 massages are vastly different when it comes to their uses and pressure levels.
A Swedish massage’s main goal is to help you relax and unwind. When you get a Swedish massage, you can also experience relief from muscle tension that builds up throughout the day.
A deep tissue massage, on the other hand, works to target chronic pain. Rather than addressing normal daily tension, deep tissue addresses deeply rooted tensions and chronic stiffness.
Both deep tissue and Swedish massages use similar strokes. The masseuse will use their fingers and palms of their hands to stimulate your tissues.
Certain styles will also involve the use of arms, such as elbows and forearms. The elbow can apply intense pressure on certain points.
7. Experience Healing Discomfort
Whether you go to a masseuse or use a deep tissue massager at home, you can expect the massage to involve a lot of pressure. However, other than pressure, there’s a lot of other sensations you’ll be experiencing.
Here are a few of the things that you should feel with deep tissue therapy:
- Pain-Free
- Relaxed
- Clear airways
Even though deep tissue is intense, that doesn’t mean it’s painful. If you’re experiencing true pain during your massage, the masseuse is using too much pressure.
We like to tell people to expect “healing discomfort”. Healing helps remind you that you’re getting the massage to fix something that’s not working in your body. When you experience the discomfort, you can feel good knowing you’re doing something to better your body.
8. Train Your Body to Relax
A deep tissue massage also gives you the opportunity to participate in the healing process. You can do this by focusing on unwinding, and letting go, as you experience the healing discomfort.
If you tense up, you’ll be working against the massage. Instead, unclench your fists and let go of any tension you’re holding onto in your face or body.
Finally, make sure you’re not holding your breath. Restricting your breath will cause your muscles to tense up. Instead, you want to breathe deeply and calmly so your muscles can get the oxygen they need.
Pain-Free Living
We hope our article was able to teach you at least 1 way you can benefit from deep tissue massages. After all, understanding the power of deep tissue massage therapy empowers you to lead a pain-free life.
Are you looking for more ways to look and feel great? Go ahead and check out the rest of this site.