Have you been in body pain, lots of stress, or sleepless nights? Then you might be in desperate need of a massage. Massages are so much more than just a way to decompress and relax. By having one, you may address other health issues hiding underneath. Deep tissue massage is a massage involving slow, steady strokes with just the right amount of pressure to release and loosen any tension hidden deep in your muscles that can be causing you to feel more stressed, pain, and problems with sleep.
What is a deep tissue massage?
Deep tissue massage is a type of massage that is mainly used to treat deep deep layers of your muscles and is commonly used to help to treat strains and sports injuries. This type of massage entails sustained pressure using passive, long strokes to reach the deepest layers of your tissues and muscles. This kind of motion will help to break up scar tissue that starts setting to decrease stress in the tissues and muscles, usually after an injury. A deep tissue massage will encourage faster healing by increasing blood flow which will help to decrease any inflammation.
What are the benefits of deep tissue massage?
This kind of massage creates the perfect technique to relax muscles. It will help to restore your tissues by increasing the amount of oxygen in your body. And when your body gets the chance to undergo this type of environment, it will empower you to get cleared of toxins and support your body to heal faster. But there are more benefits of having this type of massage, and those include:
Speeds Up Recovery
Research has suggested that the technique used by a deep tissue massage, can help with a faster recovery, by helping with:
- The relief of stiffness and discomfort
- Promote sprain healing
- Improve blood circulation (helping with reducing swelling or fluid build-up)
- Restore a limited range of movements
May improve back pain
A massage can help reduce the stress in the deepest tissues, a study in 2017 gathered 31 men that were suffering from a form of arthritis and divided them into two groups. One of the groups received deep tissue massage as a form of recovery and the other one received a therapeutic massage instead.
Each participant got 10 massages, which lasts up to 30 minutes for two weeks. The study concluded that the group who received the deep tissue massage saw a reduction in pain compared to the group who received a therapeutic massage instead.
Helps with reducing Lower Back Pain in Pregnancy
The joys of motherhood come at some cost, and experiencing lower back pain especially on your last term is very common, but it doesn’t have to be that way. A case study helped to conclude that massages can reduce lower back pain during pregnancy. The study saw an improvement after a 12 session massage for about 30 minutes in each session.
Many researchers have supported that massages can help you to heal faster by improving scar tissue. However, massages can help you to feel good from the inside too and support with conditions that includes:
- Improve your mental health, as they can help to reduce symptoms of stress, which will directly assist you to manage anxiety and depression.
- It may help improve respiratory function with conditions such as Chronic lung disease
- Massage may also assist with digestive issues, such as chronic constipation.
- May help control pain and discomfort in conditions such as arthritis, sciatica, or fibromyalgia.
- It May also help relieve headaches and help with dealing with pain during childbirth
- May decrease high blood pressure, as it can reduce heart rate.
What to expect from a deep tissue massage?
In most cases, this type of massage is recommended for someone who is experiencing some pain from some type of injury or an increase of stress and back pain for example. While your doctor may recommend you to consider therapeutic massages as a support for your healing, you can just book one for yourself.
Your therapist will ask you a few important questions before starting your massage, in order to know your health history and understand your daily habits, lifestyle, diet, and level of activity. This will help your therapist to recognize the root of your discomfort, so you can have the best approach for speed-up healing.
Once your treatment begins and you are now experiencing your first session, the level of undress will of course be up to you, however, the concerning region will need to be displayed so your therapist can have access to the troubled areas. When ready, you will be asked to lie down on your stomach or back covered by a sheet.
Your massage therapist will start by warming up your muscles first, which can be done by using a lighter touch. After your muscles are warm, your therapist will start to work on your troubled areas. Your massage will consist of intense pressure strokes to reach the deepest parts of your tissues and muscles.
The length of your massage will depend on what type of assistance you require. The duration of each session as well as the number of sessions needed will be addressed with you by your therapist.
Are there any side effects?
It’s not uncommon for you to experience some type of discomfort after a deep tissue massage. However, it’s important to warn your therapist if you are experiencing too much pain during or after your massage. And even though massages hold a very low risk, it’s possible that it’s not suitable for everyone. You should consider speaking to your doctor before having a deep tissue massage if you have conditions, such as :
- Bleeding Disorder
- Have been diagnosed with Cancer (or receiving treatments such as chemotherapy or radiotherapy)
- History of blood clots
- Currently taking blood thinners
Any discomfort that you may feel after your massage should ease within a few hours. Allowing yourself to rest, or even having a relaxing shower can help you to settle after your massage. It’s also important to have plenty of water, to enable your body to release toxins.
Conclusion
Deep tissue massages can be a very effective way to support you during healing or many other conditions. Because this type of massage helps you by relaxing your body and reducing built-up tension, it’s not uncommon for people to experience general discomfort without even knowing that a massage can be the beginning of very troubled well-being.
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