How to Avoid a Stiff Neck and Back Pain During Your Flight: A Guest Post by Chiropractor Brent Wells

1.      Use self-massage

If you’re experiencing neck or back pain during your flight, you can also try giving yourself a massage. An easy way to do this is to pack a tennis ball in your carry-on and use it to massage your shoulders and between your lower back and the seat. A tennis ball is all you need to really loosen up your muscles. Many airports offer massages, and it can be tempting to get one before a flight. However, this will only help a bit at the beginning of the flight and disappear by the end of it. Instead, try getting a professional massage the evening that you land. You’ll wake up refreshed and ready!

2.     Try to sleep in a natural position

It can be difficult to stay comfortable during your flight. Try not to twist or contort your body as you’re looking for a good position to rest. As much as you can, sit with your seat reclined and your body aligned. Here’s where a neck pillow can really help to keep your spine straight and forward as much as possible.

3.      Order your favorite beverage and snack

Stay relaxed by ordering your favorite beverage and snack, so that you can enjoy the flight. Stress can be a major factor when it comes to back pain, so do whatever stress-free activities you like. Stay relaxed, watched a movie, enjoy a snack – whatever makes you feel comfortable.

4.      Upgrade to first class

If you’re really struggling with pain on a flight, you can also try to get upgraded to first class, where the seats are wider and more comfortable. You can do this by using your airline points, paying more or bringing a doctor’s note that explains your back condition. Find a way to get a more comfortable seat. Sometimes the investment of first class can make a huge difference to your pain.

5.      Stay hydrated throughout your flight

It’s easy to get dehydrated on a flight. Be sure to ask for water, or bring an empty water bottle through security to later fill with water. For a long flight, it’s important to continue to drink fluids. This will prevent your muscles from getting stiff or tense during those long hours.

For your next flight, follow these nine tips to keep your neck and back pain away. If you struggle with neck and back pain on a regular basis, you should also consider seeing a chiropractor. A chiropractic clinic can give you professional medical advice about whether you need an adjustment, as well as creating a care plan that involves massage, diet, exercise, and supplements. Don’t just cross your fingers that your pain will go away, make an appointment before your upcoming trip. 

If your trip takes you to New York City, book a professional deep tissue massage in Midtown or the Financial District with a highly trained massage therapist at Bodyworks DW Advanced Massage Therapy.

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The Rise of Medical Massage in New York City

 

A lot has changed in the 12 years since I graduated massage therapy school. And started practicing medical massage in New York City. When I attended the Finger Lakes School of Massage (FLSM) in 2007, I was part of a very small minority of potential therapists interested in learning medical massage. Our school was one of few programs that taught myofascial release as a major part of it’s program. Larger schools such as Swedish Institute focused almost exclusively on Swedish massage and shiatsu (aka acupressure).

FLSM offered direct training in medical massage and myofascial release techniques. This was one of the main reasons I left NYC and moved to Ithaca for 6 months to attend. FLSM’s program was intensive. 6 months straight working 9-5 monday through friday. Plus many additional hours each day of study and hands on clinic work. Here’s a fun fact to give you an idea of how intensive the program was.

We had to learn the names, locations, and bony landmarks of all 206 bones in the body by day 3!

This was so we could spend the next several months of kinesiology class learning nearly 600 muscles. Including their attachment points and functions. All while practicing Swedish, Shiatsu, Myofascial release, medical massage, sports massage, prenatal massage, energy work. And several other massage modalities you’ve probably never even heard of. Basically if you didn’t spend at least an hour a night studying to retain the day’s information dump, you quickly fell way behind.

For More Information: Medical Massage in New York City

Want to hear some good COVID-19 massage news? Massage Therapy with safety protocols is SAFE!

 

Hi! So, we have been open now since July 6th and steadily rebuilding our team. The first couple of weeks felt pretty stressful. We have a whole list of new safety protocols and cleaning procedures to practice. What once felt routine and easy (all the things that happen before and after your massage) has took a while to adjust to, but is now the new normal. It feels good to be able to share some good COVID-19 massage news. Whew!

Our track record over the past 4 months is now over 1,500 appointments since reopening with zero issues of covid transmission. Therefore, I feel that I can comfortably say that massage therapy is a safe activity with our safety protocols securely in place. Thank you to all NYC’ers for taking masks and social distancing seriously! All of our hard work is what’s allowing businesses to stay open and for us specifically to be able to offer medical massage in New York.

With the recent uptick in cases in NYC, we are re-instituting mandatory PCR covid testing for our therapists. Since we reopened, I myself have had 7 tests, all were negative. As long as testing is readily available, therapists will test every two weeks even though it’s not required by NYS. You can view the therapists’ test results here.

Great COVID-19 Massage News: Bodyworks DW has moved ahead to our “Stage 2” Reopening

We’ve had months of practicing our new massage safety measures and things are running smoothly. So, we have moved ahead from our “soft” reopening to our “stage 2” reopening. This means we are starting to bring more therapists back to work. And using all of our treatment rooms. And soon, bringing the front desk back to the office.

Part of our confidence stems from knowing that it’s not just our studio that has stayed covid-19 free. I’ve spoken with numerous other studio owners both in NYC, and in upstate NY. Thankfully, I haven’t heard about anyone running into problems with covid. That means that hundreds of therapists have been working on thousands of clients with no issues or infections.

So, if massage therapy was going to be a source of transmissions, we’d have heard something by now. We haven’t, which is great COVID-19 massage news!

That doesn’t mean it’s impossible for transmissions to happen. A particular therapist in NYS (not at our studio!) could get lax with safety or be skirting the guidelines. Or a particular therapist could get lax with precautions outside of work and get the virus. But if massage therapy in general under the new guidelines was creating viral spread we would have heard about it by now from contact tracing programs. It’s wonderful to be able to say that medical massage in Midtown and Fidi at our studios is safe!

Massage Therapy Safety Protocols: A Quick Review

A lot of the changes we have made have been more on our side, including following CDC cleaning guidelines, setting up hand sanitizer stations, changing how we were storing linens, etc. Most of those are happening behind the scenes and don’t really change how you, as clients, experience getting a massage. We want to be transparent about them so that you can trust that we are keeping our studios clean. But in terms of what you actually “need to know” there are only really a few main changes.

For More Information: Massage Therapy New York

How to get a great massage in New York that exceeds your expectations

 

Satisfaction in life has mostly to do with things turning out about how we expect, or better. When things happen below our expectations, we tend to be dissatisfied. I train my industry leading massage therapists at Bodyworks DW on intake and outtake with new clients. A lot of that training goes into how to help clients have realistic goals and expectations for a medical massage in New York. In general, that means helping some clients realize that massage has a lot more to offer than simply relaxation and stress relief. And also helping other clients realize that for most pain issues it takes more than one session to completely relieve their issue. 

Massage in New York can help relieve pain for the long term

If your experience of massage is limited to the occasional hotel spa massage while on vacation… You likely view it as a form of relaxation and stress relief. And no more. If you are in real pain, you’ll go to a chiropractor, physical therapist, or straight to the hospital. And for most massage therapists working at a hotel spa, you are not wrong to think of massage in this limited way. The training requirements for massage therapists vary greatly from state to state. Not to mention country to country. 

For example, here are the training requirements for 4 popular vacation states, and the New York requirements:

• Florida – 500 hours and NCETMB or MBLEx
• California – 500 hours and MBLEx or NCBTMB
• Virginia – 500 hours and MBLEx
• Texas – 500 hours and MBLEx or NCETMB
• New York – 1000 hours and state exam

MBLEx is the “massage and bodywork licensing exam” and is used by many states in the US. NCETMB is the “National Certification Exam for Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork” test. Both are multiple-choice question tests of a massage therapist’s knowledge. This includes anatomy, technique, and professional ethics. 

For More Information:  Deep tissue massage in midtown 

Doing Physical Therapy? Massage Therapy Can Improve Results!

 

7 Reasons why this powerful combination works

Pain sucks. As a massage therapist, I would know. Almost everyone who comes to see me does so because they’re in pain! Many times, they are already seeing a physical therapist and not entirely happy with the results. What many don’t realize is that the combination of physical therapy and massage can give greater results than either modality on it’s own. 

Most of the time, my clients have such a powerful response to massage therapy they don’t need additional therapies. However, that isn’t always the case. I always look for clues that indicate I may need to refer a client to another practitioner, such as a physical therapist. 

Update September 2020: Sometimes those clues are less about what the “best” course of treatment would be. And more about finding a way to help a client make their budget work. PT is covered by insurance far more often than massage therapy is (for now). Sometimes, I think a combination of PT and massage will work as well as massage on it’s own. If so, I will often recommend a client work with a PT 1-2 times a week and with me once every 2-4 weeks.

The PT will help the client make small but steady gains. In my sessions, I’ll then focus on making bigger leaps. Assuming the PT sessions are covered by insurance, the client spends less money overall and arrives at a pain free place. It just might take a little bit longer to get there. You can find several great PT’s that we send clients to on our colleagues page!

For More Information: Massage Therapist In NYC

Massage Therapy for Ankle Sprains: Advice for Runners

Massage Therapy for Ankle Sprains: what to do from the moment you get injured…

Massage therapy for ankle sprains wasn’t my intended topic this week. Then I took a bad fall in a parkour class trying to jump a 12 foot gap. (I made it 11′ 9″). I’ve now got about 6-8 weeks of healing, before exercising again in any weight-bearing or high impact capacity. And definitely won’t be doing the NYC Marathon this year. Based on my own professional assessment, anyway.

It’s also timely and useful for those of you currently training for the NYC Marathon or the Ironman Triathlon to know a bit more about treating ankle sprains.

Update August 2020: Sadly, there will not be an NYC Marathon this year due to COVID-19! Our advice is to take training slowly and use the break this gives as a way to avoid injury next year 

I know that there is a lot of info out there about what to do and what not to do. And mub ch of this info is confusing and conflicting. So I’m going to walk you through what to do based on the most recent science. And show you when to add in massage therapy for ankle sprains. Using my own injury as an example.

For More Information: Massage Therapy NYC

DW’s Daily Stretch Routine on BWDW TV

 

Our new self-care video subscription library has the pain relief tools you need. Whether you are taking classes online, or working from home. It also helps alleviate soreness or pain you may be experiencing.

DW’s Daily Stretching Routine is easy to learn. And quick to do. It also has a host of holistic health benefits when practiced daily. It’s designed to get blood moving to all major muscle groups and joints.

In this stretch series, David takes you through some basic anatomy explanations. And shares some self-massage techniques along with the stretches.

He also includes tips for easy tension relief! You have the option of going through the entire program from start to finish in one video. Or taking a more targeted approach for specific problem areas like the neck or hamstrings. We made sure it easy to navigate and find the parts of it that help your issue the most!

For More Information: DW’s Daily Stretch Routine on BWDW TV

INJURY RELIEF VIDEOS on BWDW TV

Sometimes injuries happen. And in these times, it’s difficult to know what the best solution is. Our subscription library has a variety of injury relief videos with targeted self-massage techniques for specific ailments.

We cover a lot of areas prone to injury. And some techniques will require use of your own hands, but others can be achieved using foam rollers, rubber balls, and other tools. We have programs for everything from:

• ankle sprains
• carpal tunnel syndrome
• self massage for neck pain
• self massage for back pain
• self massage for hip pain
• pain from sitting
• and more!

A Sample of Injury Relief Videos in the Library

• Pain Relief From Sitting – This video includes foam rolling and yoga mat stretches to relieve pain in the back and hips from sitting more than we’re used to.
• Headache and Allergy Relief- In this video you’ll find helpful techniques to loosen the nasal cavity to improve breathing and prevent headaches.
• Mobilization & Self Massage for Foot Ankle- This video contains self-massage techniques and stretches to mobilize the foot and ankle to prevent injury and relieve pain.

For More Information: Self-massage for neck pain

How to get a great 60 minute massage in New York that exceeds your expectations

Satisfaction in life has mostly to do with things turning out about how we expect, or better. When things happen below our expectations, we tend to be dissatisfied. I train my industry-leading massage therapists at Bodyworks DW on intake and outtake with new clients. A lot of that training goes into how to help clients have realistic goals and expectations for a medical massage in New York. In general, that means helping some clients realize that massage has a lot more to offer than simply relaxation and stress relief. And also helping other clients realize that for most pain issues it takes more than one session to completely relieve their issue.

Massage in New York can help relieve pain for the long term

If your experience of massage is limited to the occasional hotel spa massage while on vacation… You likely view it as a form of relaxation and stress relief. And no more. If you are in real pain, you’ll go to a chiropractor, physical therapist, or straight to the hospital. And for most massage therapists working at a hotel spa, you are not wrong to think of massage in this limited way. The training requirements for massage therapists vary greatly from state to state. Not to mention country to country.

For example, here are the training requirements for 4 popular vacation states, and the New York requirements:

• Florida – 500 hours and NCETMB or MBLEx
• California – 500 hours and MBLEx or NCBTMB
• Virginia – 500 hours and MBLEx
• Texas – 500 hours and MBLEx or NCETMB
• New York – 1000 hours and state exam

MBLEx is the “massage and bodywork licensing exam” and is used by many states in the US. NCETMB is the “National Certification Exam for Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork” test. Both are multiple-choice question tests of a massage therapist’s knowledge. This includes anatomy, technique, and professional ethics.

For More Information: Massage Therapy New York

The Benefits of Realignment: Massage Therapy for Feet and Ankles

Your feet are your foundation for upright posture: Invest in massage therapy for your feet and ankles!

Very often someone will ask me: if I could only have one area of my own body worked on, which one would I choose? And more or less always, I respond that I would choose massage therapy for feet and ankles.

Surprised? So are most of the people who ask! But I can’t think of any part of my body that has worked harder than my feet and ankles. Stints in pointe shoes and training for marathons immediately come to mind as the biggest demands I’ve placed on them. But still, they support me as I walk at least 10,000 steps every day up and down the New York City streets.

But even if I’d never danced or run competitively, or walked as much as I do, my feet and ankles are still the foundation for the entire weight of my body. They absorb information from the ground so that the nervous system can create standing posture all the way up the skull. And if something is less optimal with your feet and ankles, your posture will change to compensate. Just imagine what would happen if there were a problem or weakness in the foundation of a building. Similarly, issues in the feet and ankles can lead to a cascade of dysfunctions throughout the body. Massage therapy for feet and ankles can create profound improvements in our posture and movement.

More Information: Massage Therapy New York

Medical Massage Therapy: it will relieve your pain, but did you know about all the other benefits?

Not long ago, studios that specialize in the benefits of medical massage therapy in New York City were few and far between. Massage therapy was not widely viewed as a rehabilitative practice for managing musculoskeletal pain. It was viewed as a luxury. And certainly not a luxury that was aimed at providing pain relief.

Flash forward to the present day. Massage therapy has become a sought after holistic modality for addressing an array of pain conditions. In fact, the main benefit of medical massage therapy is pain relief. But what if you’re not in pain? What if you’re not dealing with any current injuries? Or what if your pain is quickly resolved? Can you still receive or continue to receive Medical Massage Therapy? OF COURSE!

Medical Massage has a host of peripheral benefits. Whether you are seeking relief or simply want regular massage sessions tailored to you and your needs.

First, Some Basics about Medical Massage

Medical massage therapy is designed to target specific client complaints. Also, medical massage serves to supplement and complement one’s personal lifestyle and activities. It’s not just one technique. It is a combination of techniques and styles that address these specific conditions or lifestyles. It’s also outcome-oriented. The massage therapist and client typically want to achieve certain goals by the end of a session as well as after a series of sessions.

Check out a previous post on medical massage therapy by Rachel Simhon, LMT, if you’d like to know the finer details about what can happen in a medical massage therapy session.

What else could I want besides pain relief?

Whether you are in pain, rehabbing an injury or looking for that extra edge, you’ll win with the additional benefits of medical massage below. We not only want you to walk out the door feeling better. We also want you to gain more knowledge about YOU! Medical massage therapists want to empower you to make the most of your lifestyle.

Read more about massage Therapy near you in midtown

Deep Tissue Massage For Injury? When It’s Great and When to Wait!

New Yorkers & our “no pain, no gain” mentalities…which often get us into trouble

A deep tissue massage for your injury will most likely do wonders. However, before getting a deep tissue massage, we need to analyze what kind of injury you’re dealing with. And what stage of injury would allow for it. Better safe than sorry!

Deep Tissue Massage for Injury 101

First let’s make it clear what deep tissue work is. In a nutshell, its a type of massage for injury that is specific and intentional. The strokes are slower and applied with more pressure. This is to target deeper layers of muscles and connective tissue. It’s a massage modality used more often to ease muscle tension and/or improve range of motion… And generally used to alleviate injuries in a chronic stage vs the acute stage.

What is a chronic injury vs. an acute injury? Glad you asked!

What’s chronic pain?

Chronic injuries develop gradually and have existed for months or even years. The pain can go through periods of remission. And come back in unpleasant episodes. Chronic pains exist for long periods of time if the root cause is not properly addressed or treated.

For example, chronic neck pain and shoulder pain is super common. And usually occurs when your job has you sitting in front of your computer 5x a week for 8 hours at a time. There are times where you’re so used to being in low level pain, you don’t even acknowledge it. Sound familiar?

We don’t expect you to be able to quit your job to address your chronic pain. However, allowing this type of discomfort to stagnate will only get worse with time. And even have a ripple effect on the body’s soft tissues. This can cause postural deviations and/or referral pain elsewhere in your body. For chronic pain, we recommend a series of deep tissue massages to discover and deal with the root causes. Such as an older injury that never healed properly.

Once your chronic pain goes away we recommend regularly scheduled deep tissue massage sessions about every 6-8 weeks to keep pain from coming back.

What’s Acute Pain?

Acute conditions are anything but cute! The pain usually is the direct result of an explicit and memorable incident. For example, pain from “rolling” your ankle trying to catch the subway. Or sharp lower back pain after that one extra deadlift rep. The acute stage of an injury is generally the first 48-72 hours after the injury. Even the slightest movement after the injury can be very painful. Also, acute injuries associated with joints, muscles, tendons or ligaments can have swelling, redness and very limited range of motion.

Probably not ideal to get a deep tissue massage in the acute injury phase but, rule out massage altogether? Not so fast…

Deep tissue techniques on the injured area may actually cause further injury! However, a massage that facilitates muscle or joint healing is great for getting you on the right track towards recovery. A knowledgeable massage therapist will mix in lighter swedish style strokes to the injury area. These promote muscle relaxation, and promote faster healing by increasing blood flow to the injury. And in turn removing excess fluid and waste from the injury site.

It won’t magically make the injury go away, but should increase the ability to move through it, put more weight on it, and heal faster. When you can move easier, you’ll increase you own body’s ability to heal itself.

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Are you noticing pain in your body? Pain often starts with breathing restrictions!

What is the most common issue you see with your clients?

There are many common areas of pain that I see with my clients. Clients will often experience tension in their neck and shoulders. They may also experience low back pain that runs down the side of the leg. But after assessing clients both on and off the table, there seems to be an even bigger commonality. One that affects the whole body. Most of us are experiencing some level of breathing restrictions.

Often this means our core is weak. This can lead to spine destabilization. Although, while the diaphragm is the primary breathing muscle, it’s not always the problem muscle. So, it’s very important to do a thorough intake to get a full scope of an issue.

How do you work to correct issues with breathing restrictions?

There isn’t one right way to treat a client. Everybody is different and can change on the daily. Recently, I’ve been asking my clients do a standing flexion & extension test. The subsequent steps will depend on what has a bigger dysfunction (flexion or extension). Since the body will sacrifice mobility for stability, I check there first. Stability comes from the core. The core includes: the Transverse Abdominals, Internal Abdominal Oblique, Pelvic Floor, Erector Spine group, Diaphragm, Multifidus.

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What to look for in a sports massage therapist

New York City can be an intense and high-energy place. It attracts similar sorts of people.

Everyday you see thousands of runners and cyclists making their way up and down the West Side highway training for races. There are thousands of professional dancers performing in the various musical theatre venues in the city each day as well. Physically active types are a big part of the NYC population. Even the folks you see putting in long hours at their desks during working hours often leave to go workout right after work. They swing kettlebells at their Crossfit gym or do handstands at their yoga studio. With all the athletes in the city, it’s no surprise that working with a top notch sports massage therapist is what many of our clients are searching for.

But what should you look for in a sports massage therapist?

What is sports massage and how can it benefit you?

Before looking for specific qualities in a sports massage therapist, it’s helpful to understand what to expect from a session. Sports massage can comprise any of the manual techniques that a licensed massage therapist is trained in. These techniques are performed with the intention of addressing your specific concerns around your active and/or physically demanding lifestyle.

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Tag Team for Your Shoulder Pain: Massage Therapy and Physical Therapy

The newest medical information is now easy to find online and shows that the surgical boom of the 90’s didn’t actually produce better results for patients with shoulder pain. As a result, more patients are turning to alternative, more conservative treatments (ie non-surgical) for dealing with this. These alternative treatments often include massage therapy and physical therapy.

Surgery frequently relies on images (i.e. MRI, X-Ray) to determine a course of action. However, studies have shown that surgically fixing the anomalies found in these images doesn’t always solve the pain. In fact, for many common pains including low back, neck, and shoulder pain, surgery had similar results to simply doing physical therapy.

Pain medication is used to treat your symptoms, but usually won’t address the root cause. Massage and physical therapy look at the whole picture of your history, body alignment, posture, and movements. Both approach the problem from an integrative and comprehensive perspective. They seek to identify the underlying cause of your shoulder pain and give you the tools to move better without pain.

More About Shoulder Pain and Common Pathologies

Shoulder pain is a common complaint. In primary care scenarios, the reported annual incidence of shoulder pain is 14.7 per every 1000 patients per year. For those with previous shoulder pain, the recurrence rate is about 25%. Additionally, nearly 40-50% of those experiencing previous shoulder pain will still report some pain after 12 months.

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The Rise of Medical Massage in New York City

How massage is grew out of its luxury spa roots into a respected alternative medicine for pain management

David Weintraub LMT & Owner at Bodyworks DW writes about how massage therapy has shifted during his career and how he and his colleagues are pushing the envelopes of what’s possible with massage!

A lot has changed in the 12 years since I graduated massage therapy school. And started practicing medical massage in New York City. When I attended the Finger Lakes School of Massage (FLSM) in 2007, I was part of a very small minority of potential therapists interested in learning medical massage. Our school was one of few programs that taught myofascial release as a major part of it’s program. Larger schools such as Swedish Institute focused almost exclusively on Swedish massage and shiatsu (aka acupressure).

FLSM offered direct training in medical massage and myofascial release techniques. This was one of the main reasons I left NYC and moved to Ithaca for 6 months to attend. FLSM’s program was intensive. 6 months straight working 9-5 monday through friday. Plus many additional hours each day of study and hands on clinic work. Here’s a fun fact to give you an idea of how intensive the program was.

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Deep Tissue Massage & Swedish Massage: What you should know about their differences

Germain Phanord, LMT at Bodyworks DW, writes about the differences you need to know between Deep Tissue Massage and Swedish Massage. Read below!

Swedish massage and deep tissue massage sound like two completely different forms of massage. Surprisingly, they have a fair amount of overlapping techniques. They also have their differences. Knowing these will help you choose the one that works best for you!

The primary goal of Swedish massage is to relax the entire body. Swedish massage uses long gliding strokes, and light to medium pressure. The best way to think of it is like a general tune up.

Deep tissue massage is best for giving attention to painful trouble spots in your body. Generally, it uses slower, more deliberate strokes with medium to deep pressure. Deep tissue massage is used most often for chronic aches & pains such as a stiff neck and upper back, lower back pain, and leg muscle tightness.

Swedish massage techniques for general relaxation

Swedish massage is usually a full-body massage treatment. Some exceptions apply such as in areas that are medically contraindicated. Or if the client asks the therapist to steer clear of an area. Depending on the client’s preferences, a Swedish massage session may involve several or all of the following basic techniques.

Effleurage

Effleurage is the most common stroke in Swedish Massage. It’s a free flowing and gliding movement towards the heart. Often times, effleurage is used to begin a Swedish massage. Since this stroke is used to warm up the muscles and relax the body, it’ll calm the nerves, improve blood circulation, & improve lymphatic drainage.

Petrissage

This technique resembles kneading dough. It involves lifting and rolling the tissue under or between the fingers. Similarly to effleurage, petrissage is designed to release muscle tension, improve blood flow, & increase lymphatic drainage.

Friction

Friction strokes are great for removing scar tissue. The massage therapist will apply pressure by placing either the pads of thumbs, knuckles, fingers, or forearms on the affected area. The movement will be a continuous back & forth motion or an alternating circular motion.

Vibration

Vibration is performed by gently shaking the body with the palm or fingertips. It will release muscle tension in small areas, such as along the spine. It’s also super relaxing!

Tapotement

Tapotement, or tapping and percussion, is a quick choppy rhythmic movement that has a stimulating or toning effect. You see this often in massage done on TV or in a movie as it looks very dynamic. The effects are similar to vibrational techniques but it’s a bit more vigorous.

Deep Tissue Massage Techniques for Specific Issues 

Although Deep tissue and Swedish massage use many of the same techniques, they have different intentions. The amount of pressure used in these two kinds of massage vary greatly. In addition, deep tissue massage includes more specialized techniques for treating specific issues. The most common two are below: 

Myofascial Release

What’s fascia, you ask? Well, fascia is the connective tissue that glues your muscle fibers together. It many ways, it holds you together, but it can also get stiff and tight, causing you pain. Myofascial Release is a technique involving slow, sustained pressure into muscle tissue. This slow pressure stretches and releases your fascia. In addition, this technique can effectively break up knots and release trigger points. It helps improve movement, flexibility, exercise related soreness, and muscle function. Over a series of sessions, myofascial release will also realign and improve posture!

Trigger Point Therapy

A trigger point is a tight area within muscle tissue that causes pain in other parts of the body. These points are frequently formed as a result of trauma to the muscle fibers. Trigger Point Therapy consists of pressing and holding these points for 5-20 seconds. At first, this can feel intense, but it will then release into major relief. This type of therapy can help clients that are experiencing headaches, low back pain, sciatica, sports injuries and more. You can experience a significant decrease in pain after just one treatment!

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