Recently, I had 2 different clients say to me, “You can beat me up! I like a DEEP tissue massage!” Upon my intake with them to reveal their major health concerns and goals for the treatment that day, I discovered that neither person had had a massage in several months, had immense amounts of stress, were dehydrated, and hadn’t done any form of stretching or self-care to speak of.
I get what they were asking for. I’ve heard it said many ways. Clients don’t want to feel like they wasted their money or time by being “petted” or rubbed down with oil and needing to walk out of their treatment feeling some sense of relief from their pain and stress.
Asking for a deep-tissue massage when your body feels like a brick without doing anything to prep the muscle tissue is like going to the gym and lifting 300 pounds when you haven’t been to the gym regularly. You can’t do something intrusive to the body when it has had little time to warm up or build up endurance through.
Why Deep tissue may not be what you “knead”
1. Deep Tissue is not a technique on its own – it is several techniques combined to create physiological changes within the deeper layers of tissue. This can be accomplished with trigger point, myofascial release, Swedish, opposition work and more. Deep tissue is NOT firm pressure! It is a peeling away of tension in the layers, much like unhooking Velcro. The layers are adhered to one another and need to be disengaged from the layer below it. This is accomplished with gradual warming of the tissues to prepare for more specific work ahead. Deeper is not always better or appropriate at the moment.
2. Deep tissue FULL BODY one-hour massage – it takes time – lots of time! The nervous system is operating at a high level with pain and stress (sympathetic response). You can’t undo days/weeks/months or even years of tension patterns in one hour. If you dive in with all you’ve got, the rebound from the tissues will fight back and make the treatment much like a game of chicken. The protective state that your body is in won’t yield to even the strongest pair of hands. Instead of bricks, think of a lump of clay that needs to be reshaped and formed into a useful vessel. The clay then rests at the potter’s wheel, using water to smooth out the edges and some tools to create more definition. A formidable piece of art emerges with intention and is not forced but gently coaxed out of a ball of mud. The body cannot handle a full hour of deep, intense work – think of longer massages, more frequent visits to retrain the muscles for relaxation.
3. You want targeted, precise work over barreling brute force! What most people expect from a massage is to walk out feeling renewed. Expecting a cement roller to iron out all the kinks is just not realistic. When you go to the gym, you warm up on the treadmill, stretch, then lift weights. You don’t just reach for the 300# barbell doing 30 reps and expect to walk out looking buff. It takes patience, repeat visits and a build up of increasing weights to achieve the results you are looking for. It’s not going to happen in one visit. Being strategic about how the massage is applied is like seeing a personal trainer at the gym. Your massage therapist can recommend a treatment plan that can fit any schedule or budget and will be more beneficial for you.
4. Pain is no gain! – The goal is to increase blood flow (circulation) to bring fresh, oxygenated blood full of nutrients to the tissues so that healing can begin. In addition to the brain secreting endorphins, the body’s natural tranquilizer, the body carries away the cellular debris to be eliminated by the liver and kidneys. Increasing inflammation on already inflamed tissues makes no sense and can cause more harm than good. Allow your massage therapist to moderate pressure to enable healing, not more pain.
5. You haven’t stretched or hydrated or had a massage in a long time – you cannot tenderize frozen meat, bottom line. If you asked a chef to burn your steak and bring the ketchup, imagine the response, the horror that they would look upon you with? It feels the same as a massage therapist when a client asks you to beat them up! We could no more do that than a doctor would issue antibiotics to you for a virus. Hydrating the tissues by drinking half your body weight in ounces for a day or 2 before your treatment, doing some foam rolling, stretching, and taking a hot shower before arriving will ensure that you will maximize your time with your therapist without shortening their career by asking them to use their hands as boxing gloves.
Ultimately, you should be able to trust that the professional massage therapist will use the appropriate amount of pressure to give you the desired results. Allow the therapist to have an opportunity to create change in your body by “loosening” the deadline of needing instant relief. Your condition most likely did not happen overnight. Making massage a part of your lifestyle will prove itself dividends in the prevention of future musculoskeletal issues. Treat your body well, don’t beat it.