If you’ve never experienced massage therapy before, one of your first questions when considering it will be which type you should be looking most closely at. The term “massage therapy” actually covers a variety of specific massage modalities or styles of massage, each of which is designed with different direct specific benefits in mind (though these can cross over and be shared by several types).
At Body Balance Massage & Float, we’re happy to offer a full range of massage options, ranging from Swedish and sports massage to trigger point therapy and many others. One of our most popular styles, and one of the most well-known massage types, is deep tissue massage – what exactly is this, and how does it benefit you? This two-part blog will dig into everything you need to know.
For starters, it’s important to understand the connection between the skin and your body’s overall comfort level. The skin is the single largest sensory organ present on the body – this means it’s a major player in how your body will react to various stimuli, whether we’re talking about pain, pleasure or any area in between.
The outer layer of the skin is present to protect internal cells against damage. The inner layer, on the other hand, detects stimuli and relays them to the brain, plus interfaces with the nervous system to help produce the proper reactions to stimuli when needed.
The tissue layers of the body in order from outside to inside are skin, adipose (fat), fascia, muscle, then bone. while most are familiar with the skin, muscle and bone layers of the body, many are unaware of this very important layer called fascia. Like the skin, the fascial layer detects stimuli and relays messages to the brain. it also helps keep everything in the body in it’s proper place.
Deep tissue massage therapy, as the name indicates, is bodywork down on these deeper layers of muscle and fascia. Our subsequent sections will go over the numerous areas where it has proven benefits.
One of the top purposes of deep tissue massage is relieving and even eliminating muscle pain, which can be felt in a variety of areas throughout the body. One way this is accomplished is through increased blood circulation, which is promoted by deep tissue massage – there’s a direct connection between pain symptoms and blood circulation within the body.
In addition, many people enjoy deep tissue massage for the benefits it brings them in terms of consistent nightly sleep. It has several properties that allow the patient to relax and de-stress in better and more permanent ways, factors that heavily influence sleep and related sleep conditions like insomnia. Many people find that after a few deep tissue massage appointments, their entire sleeping and resting patterns change in positive ways.
One of the single greatest benefits of deep tissue massage is soothing depression, anxiety and related mental health concerns. One of the key factors throughout these conditions is stress, and multiple studies have shown that forms of direct human touch like massage provide a friendly, safe stress reduction method. Many people with heightened anxiety or depression find major relief through deep tissue massage therapy.
For more on how deep tissue massage benefits you, or to learn about any of our massage therapy programs, speak to the staff at Body Balance Massage & Float today.