Effleurage: A gliding stroke over skin; used to apply lubricant, warm tissue, encourage relation, asses condition of muscles.
Petrissage: Kneading stroke lifts the tissue to "milk" wastes, enhance blood flow, and break down adhesions to prevent scarring in muscle fibers.
Friction: More advanced for specific treatment to joint spaces and around bony prominences addressing muscle-tendon attachments.
Tapotment or Percussion: Stimulates tissue; a series of brisk blows in rapid, alternating movements.
Muscle injuries pull muscle fibers (cells) beyond their capacity to move, and they tear, much like a cloth. This injury stimulates the increase of protein synthesis (by the ribosomes) in the muscle cells that are damaged. This new protein is made into myofilaments to re-build the damaged sarcomeres and used to create new sarcomeres in the muscle cells. The result is muscle hypertrophy (increase in size). Research indicates that the formation of new muscle cells (hyperplasia) does not occur, but the existing cells become larger. The connective tissue harnessed around the muscle cells is thickened and strengthened during this process. The presence of myoglobin in the urine is an indicator that muscle injury has occurred. (Myoglobin is the oxygen carrying pigment in muscle tissue. It is released into the bloodstream when the muscle cell is damaged).
Massage stimulates blood flow which carries nutrients and oxygen needed by the cells. Massage also stimulates the elimination of cellular wastes. Massage increases lymphatic flow, which carries away the excess fluid normally associated with injury. Massage can prevent or reduce scar tissue formation in muscles.
Medical Services
(Click on a medical service for a short description.)
Neuromuscular massage is specific to the individual muscles and concentrates on the relief of trigger points through static pressure on tender, congested muscle fibers. It is used to improve function, reduce muscle tightness, strengthen postural muscles, protect joints, and minimize the toll stress can have on the body.
Fibromyalgia is a psychophysiological disorder that literally means "muscle ache." It is considered a soft-tissue rheumatism, with causes including trauma, inflammation, overuse, and stress. It can affect any age group, and its symptoms include any combination of the following: fatigue and exhaustion, irritable bowels, migraine headaches, sleep disturbances, tension and poor stress tolerance, feelings of joints swelling, and anxiety and depression. Treatment for fibromyalgia typically includes education, bodywork therapies (such as massage therapy, stretching, yoga, hydrotherapy) and rest and relaxation.
Therapists performing therapeutic and medical massages give specific attention to muscle groups related to an injury or medical condition. These massages include specialized techniques such as connective tissue massage, trigger point therapy, deep tissue massage, and neuromuscular reeducation.
While massage therapy is not intended to replace appropriate medical care, there are numerous conditions in which it is used as a form of treatment. Some of these conditions include: adhesions, arthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome, chronic pain syndromes, depression, digestive disorders, headaches, insomnia, muscle tears, nerve impingements, paralysis, postural distortions, sciatica, sprains, surgical rehabilitation, spinal/neck injuries, temporal mandibular joint (TMJ) dysfunction, and tendonitis. Frequently, a physician will order medical massage as part of the patient's treatment plan.
All athletes look for an edge that can help them train more effectively, perform better or overcome injuries quickly. The growing awareness and use of sports massage therapy, a valuable addition to other manual therapies and treatments, has become a key component of today's high performance mix, as much a part of an athlete's critical discipline as a carefully monitored diet.
Regular sports massage can: reduce the chance of injury; improve range of motion and muscle flexibility, resulting in improved power and performance; shorten recovery time between workouts; maximize the supply of nutrients and oxygen through increased blood flow; and enhance elimination of the metabolic by-products of exercise.
