If you are having muscle issues that are persistent and causing issues with your daily life, your doctor may refer you to a physiotherapy professional. This type of therapist works to help your issues by using exercise, massage techniques, and other treatment options to reduce pain and increase more flexibility. One of the many treatments that your physiotherapy office may offer is a routine which includes deep tissue massage. If you have never heard of deep tissue massage, or you aren't sure about the treatment, here are some things to know. These are some of the major points regarding deep tissue massage and what to expect from the treatment.
Techniques of Deep Tissue Massage
For this massage you will be lying either on your back or stomach. The massage therapist will then apply deep pressure to targeted areas. The entire point of this massage is to feel pressure and to use that pressure to release toxins, tension, and to release the muscle area so it can relax. It also works your neck muscles, back muscles, and joints. In fact, the joint massage is one of the more stand out techniques of the deep tissue massage. This is because most other massage techniques either avoid the joints, or they stick to a range of motion type massage.
Benefits of Deep Tissue Massage
There are several benefits to deep tissue massage. One of the most common benefits is to help relieve pain in the muscles and joints. For example, if you are a runner, you may find that you have joint pain from long runs or following training sessions and marathons. If you are in the process of dropping a lot of weight, you may also notice some joint and muscle pain and problems. Back pain and leg pain are also pains that you may have. All of these pains and aches can be treated with the help of deep tissue massage on a routine basis.
Length of Treatment
One of the questions you may have is how long you will need to have the deep tissue massage treatment. The truth is this could depend greatly on the level of muscle pain you are having. It may also be a treatment plan that your physiotherapy office and professional team feels you need in order to combat long-term issues from inflammation and other problems. With that in mind, the minimum amount of time would be at least four sessions with one worked in as the introduction and preliminary session used to judge your current muscle state and body issues that may change the treatment plan. At that time, if more than a few sessions are necessary, the massage professional will make the recommendation to the physiotherapist.
Keep in mind that deep tissue massage treatments are usually done alongside other physiotherapy techniques and treatment plans. If you have any questions about this, or any other aspects of the treatment plan, request a consultation. Your physiotherapist will answer any questions and work out changes to your treatment plan if necessary.
