techniques

 

Massage and bodywork can help release chronic muscular tension and pain; improve circulation, increase joint flexibility, reduce mental and physical fatigue and stress, promote faster healing of injured muscular tissue, improve posture, and reduce blood pressure. Massage and bodywork are also known to promote better sleep, improve concentration, reduce anxiety, and create and overall sense of well-being.

Are there any medical conditions that would make massage or bodywork inadvisable?

Yes. That's why it's imperative that you communicate any medical concerns to your therapist prior to the session.

Benefits of Massage

Generally, massage is delivered to improve the flow of blood and lymph (fluid in lymph glands, part of immune system), to reduce muscular tension or flaccidity, to affect the nervous system through stimulation or sedation, and to enhance tissue healing. Therapeutic massage may be recommended for children and adults to deliver benefits such as the following:

• reducing muscle tension and stiffness
• relieving muscle spasms
• increasing joint and limb flexibility and range of motion
• increasing ease and efficiency of movement
• relieving points of tension and overall stress; inducing relaxation
• promoting deeper and easier breathing
• improving blood circulation and movement of lymph
• relieving tension-related headaches and eyestrain
• promoting faster healing of soft tissue injuries, such as pulled muscles and sprained ligaments
• reducing pain and swelling related to injuries
• reducing the formation of scar tissue following soft tissue injuries
• enhancing health and nourishment of skin
• improving posture by changing tension patterns that affect posture
• reducing emotional or physical stress and reducing anxiety
• promoting feelings of well-being
• increasing awareness of the mind-body connection and improving mental awareness and alertness generally

Massage therapy may also be recommended for its documented clinical benefits such as improving pulmonary function in young asthma patients, reducing psycho-emotional distress in individuals who suffer from chronic inflammatory bowel disease, helping with weight gain, improving motor development in premature infants, and enhancing immune system functioning.

Description of Massage Techniques

Swedish
The most commonly recognized form of massage; Swedish massage mainly relaxes the muscles and eases aches and pains. It utilizes long, flowing strokes and gentle kneading.

Deep Tissue
Deep tissue massage is used to release chronic patterns of muscular tension using slow strokes, direct pressure, or friction directed across the grain of the muscles. It is applied with greater pressure and to deeper layers of muscle than Swedish, hence its name and is effective for chronic muscular tension. Communication is very important with deep tissue therapy. Ideally the work should invoke little to no pain for the client. The therapeutic ideal is to be right on the edge of "good pain." Once it crosses over that border - the body will block which is counter-productive to the therapy.

Shiatsu
Japanese acupressure massage that restores energy to the body.

Polarity
Balances the energetic systems of the body.

Neuromuscular Therapy (NMT)
A system of soft tissue manipulation that addresses the underlying causes of pain, not just the symptoms. An accomplished neuromuscular therapist interprets the effects of the following internal and external factors, which often create irregular activity in the central nervous system that leads to pain and dysfunction:

• Postural Distortion/Dysfunctional Biomechanics
• Reduced Circulation
• Trigger Points
• Nerve Impingement/Tension
• Somatovisceral/Viscerosomatic Reflexes
• Trauma

Trigger Points
Small knots which develop in a muscle when it is injured or overworked.
The identifying characteristic of a trigger point is that it refers pain to another place on the body. The muscle has contracted at some point and is unable to return to its relaxed state. Because of this contraction blood and lymph flow is hindered and becomes blocked in the area of dysfunction. Over time this build-up will irritate the trigger point enough to send out a pain signal. This signal can either resonate close to the trigger point or may refer to another area of the body.