Digging into the Benefits of Deep Tissue Massage

While a lot of us think about massage as a way to relax and de-stress, massage is also growing as a therapeutic device to treat chronic pain and profound muscle injuries.

Deep tissue massage is turned to by professional athletes as part of their training, as it addresses muscles and soft tissue at their most profound layer.  Using deep, firm strokes, deliberately applied, deep tissue massage is an excellent means of speeding muscle recovery and treating chronic, persistent pain.

In this post, we’ll be digging into the benefits of deep tissue massage.

Stress

While standard methodologies can be effective for many people as a means of combating stress, deep tissue massage helps to encourage the production of the hormone oxytocin.  This is a mood-regulating hormone and when there’s more of it in your system, your emotional life will be more positive and your mood, much less volatile and more tranquil.

This style of massage also serves to reduce cortisol in the body, which is a natural response to stress. Blood pressure is also reduced.

Athletic Performance

Deep tissue massage is used by elite athletes to improve performance.  It’s a proven method in widespread usage, as these athletes demand much from their bodies.

This style of massage answers the need to adequately feed muscles by improving blood flow.  It also aids in muscle recovery from the extreme exertion involved in high-level sports, while relieving soreness.

Breaking Up Scar Tissue

Muscle and ligament injuries can cause invisible scar tissue to develop.  This can impede their function, provoking stiffness, soreness and limited mobility.

But because deep tissue massage attends to the deepest level of the muscle, it can break up scar tissue which can seriously affect muscle performance.

Arthritis Support

Even though arthritis attacks the skeletal system, the pain it causes can produce muscular imbalances, as the body seeks to “work around” it.

Deep tissue massage corrects muscle imbalance, but it can also help arthritis patients by improving mobility, relieving muscle stiffness and improving function in the joints.

For Labor Pain

Deep tissue massage can have a notable effect on pain in women in labor, including in the back and legs.  But it also helps to prevent premature delivery, as well as the time women spend in labor.  When deep tissue massage is deployed, labor can be shortened by as much as 3 hours.

Deep tissue massage, while effective for treating stress, is also a therapeutic tool with numerous applications.  When leave a session with a deep tissue massage practitioner, it’s likely you’ll feel as though you’ve been to the gym.  That’s your body telling you you’ve done it some good!

Back & Body Medical

Back & Body is an award-winning Manhattan clinic, dedicated to relieving pain.  We’re a team, practicing chiropractic, sports medicine, physical therapy and acupuncture.  Deep tissue massage is part of our suite of pain relief services.

Whether you’re an athlete, someone struggling with arthritis, or you’re expecting a baby, digging into the benefits of deep tissue massage is well worth your time.  Contact us.