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Massage Therapy
Massage therapy attempts to accomplish physical, functional and psychological goals through manipulation of soft tissue.
There are many ideas of where the word massage originated from. Some believe it is from the French word massage meaning “friction of kneading”. Others believe it could be from the Arabic word massa which means “to touch, feel or handle”. It could be the Latin word massa which means “mass, dough”. The oldest possible origin of the word massage could be the Hebrew word me-sakj which means “to anoint with oil”.
Massage involves applying pressure and manipulating the body through structured, unstructured, tensions, motions, and vibrations that can either be done manually or with the assistance of a mechanical device.
Most massage therapy will target tissues such as muscles, skin, joints, ligaments, tendons and other various connective tissues. Depending on the massage technique being used, the therapist will either apply pressure with use of their hands, fingers, elbows, forearms, and sometimes their feet.
In most massage therapy settings the client will be treated while lying on a massage table. In rare circumstances the client will sit in a chair or lay on a mat for their massage. Depending on the therapist the client will either be fully or partially clothed and may have parts of their body covered by a towel or a sheet.
Massage has evolved into massage therapy with the attempt to provide some distinction between an erotic massage that is not legal in the United States and a therapeutic massage for muscular and joint injuries.
Deep Tissue Massage
The goal behind a deep tissue massage is to provide relief from severe tension felt in the muscle and its connective tissue. A deep tissue massage focuses on the muscles in the human body that are located below other muscles. Deep tissue massage therapy is usually only recommended for people who experience constant pain and are actively involved in forms of heavy physical activity. These may be athletes or individuals who may have sustained traumatic physical injury.