Focusing on strengthening and stretching your muscles and ligaments, physiotherapy is a scientific technique for maintaining and enhancing health and physical fitness. Physiotherapy is also a vital component of preventative medicine.
Physiotherapy often includes therapeutic exercise and physical manipulation. Deep tissue massage is often added to physiotherapy treatment programs with other treatments (such as acupuncture) to boost treatment efficacy.
Deep Tissue Massage
Deep tissue massage physically manipulates muscle and other soft tissues utilizing various methods including kneading, tapping, vibrations, and tapping on painful or tense regions. However, deep tissue massage differs from other types of massage in terms of its methods and objectives; as a result, it feels extremely different from other types of massage.
Deep tissue massage, unlike Swedish massage, is not necessarily soothing. It needs higher pressure and may be initially unpleasant – but the physical and emotional rewards are greater.
Benefits of Deep Tissue Massage
Greater pressure enables the massage therapist to reach muscle and tendon layers which are inaccessible using conventional massage techniques. Among the advantages of deep tissue massage are:
- Chronic discomfort alleviation (especially neck and back pain)
- Enhanced flexibility
- Enhanced mobility
- Efficacy in treating carpal tunnel syndrome
- Decreased muscular strain
- Reduced muscle soreness
- Improved posture
- Prevention of tennis elbow
- Therapy for sciatica
- Reduced osteoarthritis discomfort
- Decreased fibromyalgia
- Stress reduction
- Other mental health advantages
Deep Tissue Massage and Physiotherapy
Deep tissue massage complements other physiotherapeutic modalities. Deep tissue massage can be used before, during, or after other treatments to help heal or prepare patients for therapies which need the flexibility and mobility that deep tissue massage can give. Inquire with your physiotherapist about the most efficient method for incorporating deep tissue massage into your physiotherapy regimen.
Before physiotherapy or exercise
Deep tissue massage enhances mobility, enhancing a patient’s capacity to complete the essential motions, stretches, and exercises for more vigorous physiotherapy sessions. As soon as the acute pain passes, you will enjoy the flexibility and mobility necessary to participate in the physiotherapist-directed activity.
After physiotherapy or exercise
By stretching and strengthening your muscles through exercise, you can induce them to contract. After the rigorous activity, it is important to stretch; however, standard stretching does not penetrate deeply into the muscles; deep tissue massage manipulates and stretches muscle fibers in all directions.
Stretching, both conventionally and with deep tissue massage, enhances the range of motion and promotes muscle development by stretching the fascia, a fibrous membrane which functions as a muscle sheath. Deep tissue massage and exercise accelerate muscular growth, making it great therapy for athletes.
4 Key Benefits of Massage
- Pain Relief
Early researchers in pain perception hypothesized that pain could be modulated by competing stimuli. This essentially means that if you have an injured vertebral disc and apply sufficient pressure to the skin/muscle in the area, it can interfere with the messages that reach the brain, making the pain feel less intense.
Massage has also been demonstrated to enhance levels of endorphins and serotonin, plus relieve localized muscular spasms. According to recent research on massage for lower back pain, such physiological changes have been hypothesized to help with pain reduction.
- Relaxation and Sleep
Massage treatment has been demonstrated to alter the central nervous system, with enhanced healing and regeneration; a lower heart rate; a drop in stress hormones; and sensations of tranquility and wellness.
Due to these physiological and psychological changes, relaxation massage can now be utilized to relieve anxiety and tension – and even boost the immune system.
- Scar Tissue Recovery
Massage and pressure applied to scar tissue can help dissolve subcutaneous adhesion and prevent the creation of new scar tissue. This is particularly beneficial following orthopedic surgery, wherein restoring the joint to its complete range of motion is essential for recovering full function (and preventing potential issues).
- The Lymphatic System
The lymphatic system is a network of slow-moving vessels which transport cellular waste toward the heart to be filtered and eliminated.
A specialized style of massage known as “lymphatic drainage” is a very helpful method that involves gentle gliding motions, along with mild pressure on the skin to increase lymph fluid circulation and reduce edema. Several procedures are often used following the excision of lymph nodes during breast cancer surgery.
Interested in more details about deep tissue massage? Visit Fraser Life online or call us in Langley at (778) 278-4755 today.