Deep Tissue & Myofascial Release Integrated to restore structural balance to the body
Deep Tissue Massage
Deep Tissue Massage is NOT just heavy pressure and should not be a painful experience. Deep Tissue & Myofascial Release requires a Therapist who understands the layers of the body and has the ability to work with tissue in these layers to relax, lengthen and release holding patterns effectively and efficiently. It is properly applied at oblique angles with little or no use of oil or lotion. The client will feel the results deep into the core of the tissue which is being worked. The pleasure/pain level should be hovering between pleasure & pain, or right up to the threshold of pain without crossing it. Clients often describe this point as 'A good hurt'. The release this provides can be a relaxing experience. Clients usually leave the session feeling better, and often continue to feel further improvement for several days. There may be some mild soreness the following day, usually lasting a few hours to one day. Occasionally there can be more than expected soreness or fascial pain.
Myofascial Release Myofascial Release* is a collection of approaches and techniques that focuses on freeing restrictions of movement that originate in the soft tissues of the body.
The benefits of this work are diverse. Direct bodily effects range from alleviation of pain, improvement of athletic performance, and greater flexibility and ease of movement to more subjective concerns such as better posture. More indirect goals include emotional release, deep relaxation, or general feelings of connection and well-being.
Rather than being a specific technique, MFR is better understood as a goal-oriented approach to working with tissue-based restrictions and their two-way interactions with movement and posture. The umbrella of MFR techniques focuses heavily on how postural habits, specific activities or lack of activity and compensations for prior injuries result in chronic stress and avoidance of full range of movements. These in turn result in both shortening of muscular units and adhesions between layers of fascia.
Fascia forms the passive structural definition of our bodies. Adhesions are places in which separate fascial layers or fibers have bonded together dysfunctionally. The application of controlled and focused force, applied in a purposeful direction, acts to stretch or elongate the muscular and fascial (myofascial) structures toward the goals of restoring the fluid/lubricative quality of the fascial tissue, the mobility of tissue, and normal joint function* *By Keith Eric Grant & Art Riggs
*The restoration of joint function occurs where such function has been adversely affected by the dysfunction of the surrounding myofascial tissue. The authors differentiate this from dysfunctions intrinsic to the joint itself, which are beyond the scope of our consideration.
More About Myofascial Release
Myofascial Release is an interactive tissue lengthening/balancing approach that uses feedback from the clients body to determine the direction, force and duration of the tissue stretch and to facilitate relaxation of tight or restricted tissues. Myofascial Release recognizes that a muscle cannot be isolated from the other structures of the body
The therapist works with the client, not on the client, and uses guidance from the client's body feedback to determine where the restriction is and apply treatment to help achieve efficient movement patterns that their body can maintain.
When using Myofascial Release techniques, the massage therapist monitors tissue tightness through the kinesthetic link formed through touch. This link allows the therapist to sense the client's inherent tissue movement, tissue tone and the more overt muscle tone. The therapist is able to detect subtle restrictions to efficient movement and apply treatment to release the restrictions.
