How to Know if Deep Tissue Massage is Right for You

Have you ever gone to make an appointment for a massage, and found yourself a little perplexed at the different options available? Himalayan Salt Stone? Swedish?  What in the world??  We get it.  It can be hard to decipher the difference between massage types and figure out which is the best one for your body.  Today we’d like to lift the shadow of confusion from one of our best-loved and most often requested massage options: deep tissue.  What exactly is deep tissue massage?   Is deep tissue massage the right choice for you?

The belief of long-term pain-relief as the benefit of short-term agony from massage therapy is a common mistake many make. We think relief will come from a massage therapist digging and crushing our muscles for an entire massage session of an hour or longer. Fortunately, at Elements Massage® studios, your massage session is customized to exactly what you want, proper pressure in the desired area, to ensure your massage provides the relief you are seeking. Your massage therapist can fine-tune their focus on these important elements:

• Your connective tissue (fascia).  In case you don’t know, fascia is the membrane of mostly collagen tissue that covers, separates, and encloses your muscles.  Healthy fascia is flexible and moves freely.  However, when this tissue experiences strains, trauma, or becomes inflamed, it can become rigid and tight, putting extra strain on your body.  This presents itself as anything from headaches to muscle pain.  During a deep tissue massage, your therapist will work on addressing your fascia to ensure it is properly smoothed and lengthened, maintaining your body’s fluid flexibility.
• Your scars.  No, not the mark on your leg from your brother’s unfortunate archery attempt when you were four, but rather residual scar tissue from surgeries, injuries, or sprains.  When a muscle tears, the body repairs it by building scar tissue.  Scar tissue isn’t as strong as the regular muscle, making it pretty easy to re-injure that same area.  Deep tissue massage can assist in realigning scar tissue, strengthening and healing the scarred area.
• Your tension.  Chronic tension is often a miserable cycle of stress and pain – your stress leads to tension, which leads to pain in your muscles, which leads to more stress and tension . . . you get the picture.  Deep tissue massage tackles the cause e of your tension-related pain.  By releasing the bunched-up muscles in your shoulders, neck, and back, it helps break the pain cycle.  With the knots and pain relieved, you might even find that you’re able to face your stressors with renewed energy.​​​​​

Traditionally designed to apply pressure to specific layers of muscle, tendons and other tissues deep under the skin, deep tissue massage can be very effective in relieving problem areas and is highly therapeutic. Deep tissue massage is a client favorite for good reason.  Whether you consider it preventative medicine, health insurance, or just a much-needed dose of healing, its benefits are undeniable.  Whatever your reason for seeking out deep tissue massage, it can serve as an effective, all-natural step on your path to wellness and health.