DEEP TISSUE MAY NOT SOLVE YOUR ISSUES

We've all been there, lying on a massage table doing everything possible to not cry out in pain at the excessive pressure being used on our soft tissue. We think to ourselves, "it's supposed to hurt! How is it going to get better if I don't tackle it head-on? No Pain, No Gain!"

Well, that's not necessarily true. Most people believe that in order to feel better, you have to feel worse, such as how muscle soreness after working out means your body is getting stronger. While it's true in that sense, muscle tension and muscle soreness are two different things. Muscle tension is caused by changes in the Nervous System, meaning that it's your brain sending signals to parts of your body to tighten and stay tight. Muscle soreness is caused by injury, overuse, underuse, or a lack of oxygen or blood flow to the area.


Here's a good example:

Someone who sits at a desk all day (like me) may experience muscle tension in their arms, neck and shoulders; this is caused by sitting in the same position using poor posture for an extended period of time without taking a minute to get up and stretch. This is what most people experience, if not in the same places. Muscle tension tends to make the area feel tight, uncomfortable and stiff.



An example of muscle soreness would be an athlete; someone who works out several times a week and plays a high-contact sport (say, football) may experience pain in their muscles from overuse and injury. Soreness tends to take a few days to go away and can often be helped by staying well hydrated and allowing the body time to recover after injury. Muscle soreness makes the area feel, well, sore and maybe even stiff or swollen if there's bruising in the area as well.

So why wouldn't excessive deep pressure help with muscle soreness or muscle tension?

According to Massage Magazine, excessive pressure isn't always the answer simply because it's creating the falsehood that other styles, such as Swedish massage, aren't effective. It's also creating the falsehood that using excessive pressure is the only way to get muscles to relax. That just isn't true.
Think about it this way: if you're receiving really deep pressure during a massage, more than maybe you can handle, are you going to enjoy it or cringe at the amount of pressure? If you're in so much pain you can't even relax during the massage, it's a good indicator that maybe you're not doing what's best for your muscles.


While some pain is okay, and even expected, there are two different kinds of pain. According to an article by Portland Monthly, there's "good pain" and "bad pain" when it comes to muscle relief and massage. "Good pain" is considered to be pain that's felt during a massage that's uncomfortable but you tend to feel immediate relief. "Bad pain" is excessive pain felt during a massage that can aggravate the issue, lead to bruising and there's little to no relief. In fact, excessive pressure and/or force could even lead to nerve damage.

We're not saying Deep Tissue massage is bad.  In fact, Deep Tissue can help with a number of ailments and many people prefer deeper work. The problem is when so much pressure is being used that instead of helping ease muscle tension only more is caused or even worse issues arise, such as nerve damage, bruising, or muscle aggravation.


Relaxing massage has it's place too.  These kinds of massages, while having a lighter touch, can help to reduce stress, stimulate the blood flow, lower blood pressure, ease muscle pain and help the body to recover. Excessive force isn't always needed to really correct what's going on with your body, so it's important to have open and honest communication with your massage therapist about your health history, your aches and pains, and even your moods or stuff that's going on that could lead to stress and anxiety.

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In order to really achieve pain alleviation and improvement, your body needs to recover first before building back its strength, especially as an athlete. A good mixture of Deep Tissue and Relaxing massages can be utilized to achieve this, but it's important to not overdo the pressure as this can be counter-productive and lead to more pain and lengthen your recovery time.

Always be open and honest with your massage therapist about your needs and remember that massage isn't supposed to hurt, it's supposed to make you feel good!

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