| Types of Massage |
| There are many different types of massage
available. The type of massage you choose will be based on a variety
of factors including; pain tolerance, rehabilitative need, injury,
goals, etc. Your massage should help you attain whatever your goals
ranging from relief from pain to simple relaxation. (Also see our
"In Depth" section for
more info on massage and types of masage). |
| Neuromuscular Therapy |
Neuromuscular Therapy (NMT) is
a very specialized form of manual therapy. A therapist trained in
NMT is educated in the physiology of the nervous system and its
effect on the muscular and skeletal systems. The Neuromuscular Therapist
also is educated in kinesiology and biomechanics and how to work
in a clinical or medical environment.
By definition, Neuromuscular Therapy is the utilization
of static pressure on specific myofascial points to relieve pain.
This technique manipulates the soft tissue of the body (muscles,
tendons and connective tissue) to balance the central nervous system.
In a healthy individual, nerves transmit impulses (which are responsible
for every movement, function and thought) to the body very slowly.
Injury, trauma, postural distortion or stress cause nerves to speed
up their transmission, inhibiting equilibrium and making the body
vulnerable to pain and dysfunction. It is therefore necessary to
stabilize low levels of neurological activity to maintain normal
function and overall health.
Neuromuscular Therapy will be used to address five elements
that cause pain:
- Ischemia: Lack of blood supply to soft tissues which causes
hypersensitivity to touch
- Trigger Points: Highly irritated points in muscles which refer
pain to other parts of the body
- Nerve Compression or Entrapment: Pressure on a nerve by soft
tissue, cartilage or bone
- Postural Distortion: Imbalance of the muscular system resulting
from the movement of the body off the longitudinal and horizontal
planes
- Biomechanical Dysfunction: Imbalance of the musculoskeletal
system resulting in faulty movement patterns (i.e., poor lifting
habits, bad mechanics in a golf swing of tennis stroke, computer
keyboarding)
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| Sports Massage |
Why are so many sports
and fitness enthusiasts including regular therapeutic massage as a
part of their conditioning programs? There is a growing
awareness that a complete workout routine includes not only the exercises
itself, but also caring for the wear-and-tear of minor injuries that
naturally occur with strenuous movement. The physiological and psychological
benefits of massage make it an ideal compliment to a total program.
Who can benefit from regular massage?
Anyone who routinely stretches their physical limits through movement
such as running, cycling, hiking, swimming, dancing, tennis and other
racquet sports, strength training and aerobics. In fact, anyone who
uses their bodies strenuously in their work will find relief with
therapeutic massage.
Massage is beneficial when starting a conditioning program because
it helps you get into good shape faster, with less stiffness and soreness.
It helps you recover faster from heavy workouts and relieves conditions
which may cause injury. Massage can be something to look forward to
after a workout - a healthy reward.
What Happens
When You Exercise? Regular exercise produces positive
physical results like increased muscular strength and endurance, more
efficient heart and respiratory functioning, and greater flexibility.
Exercise, along with a healthy diet, also results in less body fat
and greater lean body mass. These are the components of health-related
fitness.
These positive physical changes occur as the body gradually adapts
to the greater demands put on it by regular exercise. The body improves
its functioning to meet the challenges placed on it. Conditioning
has been described as a process of pushing the physical limits (tearing
down), recovery, and the building up to meet the new demands. Recovery
is often overlooked, but is essential for the rebuilding phase, and
to realizing the benefits of a conditioning program.
The "tearing down" phase of the adaptation process often
involves stiffness and soreness, especially when the amount of movement
is significantly increased from what the body has been use to in the
past. Referring to post-exercise soreness, people often comment about
finding muscles "I didn't even know I had."
Delayed muscle soreness (24-48 hours after exercise) may be caused
by any number of different factors. Some possible causes are minor
muscle or connective tissue damage, local muscle spasms that reduce
blood flow, or a build up of waste products from energy production.
Trigger points or stress points may also cause pain when pressed,
which may radiate pain to a larger area. They are not bruises, but
rather small areas of spasm. Trigger points may be caused by sudden
trauma (like falling or being hit), or from repeated use of a particular
muscle.
Heavily exercised muscle may also lose their capacity to relax, causing
chronically tight muscles and loss of flexibility. Lack of flexibility
is often linked to muscle soreness, and predisposes you to injuries,
especially muscle pulls and tears. Blood flow through tight muscles
is poor, which also causes pain.
How does massage
help? Recovery. Therapeutic massage helps the body recover
from the stresses of strenuous exercise and facilitates the rebuilding
phase of conditioning. The physiological benefits of massage include
improved blood and lymph circulation, muscle relaxation and general
relaxation. These in turn lead to removal of waste products and better
cell nutrition, normalization and greater elasticity of tissues, deactivation
of trigger points and faster healing of injuries. It all adds up to
relief from soreness and stiffness, better flexibility and less potential
for future injury.
In addition to general recovery, massage may also focus on specific
muscles used in sport or fitness activity. For example, areas of greater
stress for runners and dancers are in the legs, for swimmers in the
upper body, for tennis players in the arms, for golfers in the low
back. These areas are more likely to be tight, loose flexibility and
develop trigger points.
Overtraining. Adequate recovery is also a major factor in avoiding
the overtraining syndrome. Overtraining is characterized by irritability,
apathy, altered appetite, increased frequency of injury, increased
resting heart rate, and/ or insomnia. It occurs when the body is not
allowed to recover adaquately between bouts of heavy exercise. Therapeutic
massage helps you avoid overtraining by facilitating recovery through
general relaxation and its other physiological effects.
Trouble Spots. You may also have your own unique trouble spots, perhaps
from past injuries. A massage therapist can pay special attention
to these areas, monitor them for developing problems and help keep
them in good condition.
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| Relaxation or Swedish |
We experience all of life through
the physical reality of our bodies. Our pleasures and pains, the ups
and downs of daily life affect the body profoundly, often in ways
we're not aware of. Stress is more than a household word these days
- it's something everyone feels to one degree or another. Let's take
a look at the mechanics of stress and the role therapeutic massage
can play in stress management.
Understanding The
Stress Response
Stress is an unconscious and automatic reaction to anything we believe
may be threatening to us. In the stress response, the body is primed
for fight or flight by messages carried by the sympathetic branch
of the nervous system. Whether we are confronted by a mugger in the
street or find ourselves in a long line at the bank or a short lunch
hour, the effects are the same, impacting all levels - physical, mental
and emotional.
We are at full readiness as our body tenses and our breathing gets
shallower and more rapid. There is an increase in heart rate, blood
pressure and adrenaline production, with a corresponding decrease
in blood flow to the extremities, digestive function, and immune system
activity.
Ideally, this defensive reaction will subside once the situation has
resolved, allowing our body to return to its normal state of affairs.
We often help this process with some rest, the right exercise or massage
therapy.
However, a person who is frequently under stressful influences will
tend to remain locked into a pattern of stress response, unable to
relax or let go. This type of pattern is damaging to the body; as
it escalates, it ultimately leads to discomfort or pain, and is a
contributing factor in most disease processes.
The longer one is in pain, the more likely one will try to block it
out. It is at this point that alcohol and drugs often enter the picture.
Unfortunately, as one uses substances which deaden the nervous system
to reduce the perception of the pain, awareness of oneself and others
are reduced in the process.
In Our Everyday Experience
Like driving a car with one foot on the gas and the other on the brake,
we experience stress whenever we initiate an action and hold it back
at the same time. Our ever-obedient muscles try to obey both messages
and work against each other.
In the same way, we have our own unique muscular responses to the
expression of emotions such as anger, sadness, fear and exhilaration.
We use our muscles to block, control and restrain these strong feeling
and our reaction to them. Even though we may be unaware of the amount
of tension we store within, it puts extra wear and tear on both mind
and body over time.
Maintaining these patterns of chronic tension is like leaving the
lights on all night - it takes energy; but once it's a habit, we no
longer recognize it as such. What we do notice are the aches, pains,
fatigue, headaches, digestive problems, PMS, or a host of other stress-related
symptoms. These symptoms are important signals to be heeded, rather
than ignored or bypassed. Accumulated stress and tension always diminish
the amount of energy and vitality we have to enjoy life, be creative
and productive and strive for better things.
The
Relaxation Response
The antidote to stress is known as the relaxation response, which
is triggered by the parasympathetic branch of the nervous system.
This action sends messages to the body to relax, slow down and take
a deep breath: saying in effect, it's time for rest and healing.
There are a number of ways to promote this response, such as exercise,
meditation, listening to calming music, guided visualization, biofeedback,
and of course, therapeutic massage.
Massage takes place in a comfortable and safe environment, which is
generally away from the source of most stressors. As massage stimulates
the relaxation response, muscular tension is released, circulation
is increased and sensory receptors are activated. Areas that have
been "cut off" by accumulated stress can begin to feel once
again. Massage teaches us to tune in to body signals and soothes us
at the same time.
All of this results in greater body awareness which can help you to
more carefully monitor your own body's responses and needs. Then you
can release tension before it becomes chronic and damaging. Living
in a more relaxed and balanced body will enable you to better handle
the stresses in you life, and nothing can take you back to that state
of well-being more quickly than massage.
 More...
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