What is Deep Tissue Massage?
The myth of no pain, no gain.
Occasionally, I’ll get a client that wants me to use the greatest amount of force possible during their session. They usually have a ‘no pain no gain’ way of looking at their therapy on the table. Helping this client understand not only why they don’t need that, but also why they don’t want that, is one of the harder parts of my job. Not only can it be damaging to the client to do this repeatedly, but it’s also risky for the therapist. Now I’m not saying no one should EVER have deep tissue, however it’s important to know what deep tissue is because there is a huge difference between heavy pressure massage (aka push as hard as you can) and deep tissue massage.
First, let’s see what the actual textbook definition of Deep Tissue Massage is. The National University of Health Sciences defines deep tissue massage as the following:
Deep tissue massage targets chronic tension in muscles that lie far below the body’s surface. Deep muscle techniques involve slow strokes, direct pressure or friction movements that go across the muscle grain.
Notice how they didn’t mention the words ‘heavy pressure’ or ‘pushing with extreme force’? That’s because heavier pressure doesn’t affect the deeper layers as much as knowing how to apply proper techniques. Direct pressure, or static friction, is a technique we use in deep tissue massage along with several other techniques such as cross fiber friction, stretching, stripping etc... Knowing when, how and where to apply these techniques comes with education and experience from the therapist.
Deep tissue massage is also subjective. This means deep work may feel completely different for one person versus another. This is because people have different bodies, so naturally it will feel very different for each person. If one person has no serious chronic conditions for example, they may not feel as much discomfort compared to someone who has several deep-seated conditions they are working through. Here is where the No Pain No Gain phrase comes in.
No Pain No Gain. (It doesn’t belong in your massage)
Most people don’t want a painful massage, but I do hear the phrase ‘no pain no gain’ in reference to how heavy the pressure should be. The problem with that on a massage table is that if you attempt to push the body to the point of trying to force the tightness out of the muscles, you are essentially forcing your body to fight back. As therapists we can feel the muscle tissue doing this. This is your sympathetic nervous systems way of dealing with pain. This is known as ‘fight or flight’ response. Your body is giving itself two options to deal with the new painful stressor which is run away or stay and fight.
Fight or flight response is a response to a threat to survival that is marked by physical changes and prepares an animal to react or retreat. (Britannica, 2024) It’s an ancient survival mechanism in our brains that helps us recognize and cope with stress and threats. This includes pain that you can feel during a massage. Even though we know you are in no danger, your body is systematically designed to resist the pain. This is why a painful massage is not necessarily an effective massage as too much pain can trigger the body’s natural instincts to run or push back making it much harder for your therapist to get into that dense tissue.
So how do we as therapists reach these deeper layers of chronic pain and work to break up hypertonicity, scar tissue and trigger points without triggering this response?
Well, believe it or not, in the world of massage we are taught to access the deeper layers with lighter sustained pressure for areas of dense locked up tissue. This technique allows your muscles to melt and return to a healthier state where fluid can flow, and the tissue can function properly. If I were to force my way into a muscle, the human body would work to push me out and make me have to fight against your body. Whereas if I am patient and allow the body to let me in naturally with slow, sustained, focused techniques, I can work with the body instead of against it, which a better way to achieve your desired results.
A good massage gets into the tissue of the deeper layers without causing additional stress and soreness to the body. As the therapist works in a sort of communication with the clients tissues we begin to feel the unwind and relaxing of the muscles and surrounding fascia. The idea is to avoid triggering the anxious affects of the sympathetic nervous system and work with the tools of massage to stimulate the parasympathetic or rest and digest system.
Rest and Digest. One of the greatest benefits of massage is its ability to activate the parasympathetic nervous system. Otherwise known as rest and digest. During massage, activated pressure receptors in our skin send messages to the brain which tells the body to switch on rest and digest. This helps the body rest, relax and recover. As the relaxation response sets in it can cause slower heart rate, slowed breathing and muscle relaxation. This is exactly why we experience things like a growling stomach or a runny nose or even falling asleep. This is the place for massage therapy. A place where the body is receptive to change within the parasympathetic nervous system. Not the fight or flight mode triggered by painful massage caused by using too much pressure.
References
National University of Health Sciences (2024). Deep Tissue Massage. https://www.nuhs.edu/patients/health-information/articles/deep-tissue-massage/#:~:text=Deep%20tissue%20massage%20targets%20chronic,go%20across%20the%20muscle%20grain.
The editors of Encyclopedia Britannica (2024). Fight or Flight Response. Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/science/fight-or-flight-response
