Massage Styles at Deep Massage of San Antonio

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The field of massage therapy is pretty diverse. There are a number of techniques that fall under the heading of massage therapy, these are the techniques used to relieve you of stress and pain:

Deep Tissue Massage | Swedish Massage | Neuromuscular Therapy | Myofascial Release | Sports Massage | Muscle Energy Technique | Trigger Point Therapy | Myoskeletal Alignment Technique

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Deep Tissue Massage: Deep Tissue Massage is a term that gets thrown around quite a bit by people that want you to believe that it's just more pressure used in a massage. Deep Tissue Massage is more than just a lot of pressure. It's a massage of the deeper layers of muscle and connective tissues of the body. Deep Tissue Massage is used to provide a more therapeutic effect by massaging all layers from superficial (closer to the skin) to deep (closer to the bone). Deep Tissue Massage relaxes the muscles, rids them of built up metabolic waste, relieves chronic tension and holding patterns, and helps release adhesions between muscles and connective tissues. It can also be useful in preventing scar tissue build up from injuries to muscles and connective tissues.

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Swedish Massage: This is the type of massage most people think about when they want a massage. Generally, the massage is full-body and is both very relaxing and therapeutic. Swedish Massage technique can also focus on one area of the body such as the back if that is the client's desire. Swedish Massage uses several relaxing and therapeutic strokes like kneading, gliding, striking, compression, and friction. It may also include joint movements and stretching as desired. Swedish Massage sessions are typically 1 hour to 90 minutes, but can be shorter or longer as desired.

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Neuromuscular Therapy: Also called NMT or Trigger Point Therapy. NMT is a system of soft tissue manipulation techniques that seek to balance the nervous system with the musculoskeletal system. This is one of the methods used to help clients experiencing pain and it's very gentle and effective. Stated in simplest terms, trigger points in muscles (including deep muscles) are released, helping to correct muscular imbalances that can cause pain and discomfort. NMT also addresses nerve pain caused by pressue from soft tissues including muscles, fascia, tendons, and ligaments. Neuromuscular Therapy is effective in helping with conditions such as Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS), Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction (TMJD), Back pain, Sciatica, Whiplash, Fibromyalgia (FMS), Migraines, and even some forms of Scoliosis and Torticollis.

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Myofascial Release: This technique, while it doesn't feel like other massage techniques, is another gentle, deep, and highly effective technique used by the therapist to help facilitate release of restrictions in your fascia (a widespread connective tissue) that can cause tightness and pain. If you feel that you could relieve your discomfort or pain if you could "just stretch that area" then Myofascial Release could be just what you're looking for. The gentleness and feeling of deep release of Myofascial Release makes it the treatment of choice for many who suffer from Fibromyalgia, Lupus, and Myofascial Pain Syndrome.

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Sports Massage: Sports Massage is generally used to help improve athletic performance. Most often the Sports Massage is focused on the muscles and tissues most often used in the athletes sport, i.e., runners focus on their legs. The techniques used are likely to include Swedish Massage, Deep Tissue, and Neuromuscular techniques and are often combined with specific stretching. Exactly how it is done depends on whether the massage is being used to prepare for an event, recover from an event, or assist in healing an injury.

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Muscle Energy Technique: Essentially these are advanced stretching techniques, specifically, Muscle Energy Techniques (MET) are those manipulative treatments in which a client, on request, actively uses his or her muscles from a controlled position in a very specific direction against a distinct counterforce provided by the therapist which will vary according to results desired and condition of the client. MET can be used for a variety of reasons including releasing tight muscles, mobilizing joints in which movement is restricted, improving local circulation, "breaking down" tough fibrotic tissue so that it can be replaced by healthier tissue, and even assist in releasing painful trigger points.

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Trigger Point Therapy: This type of therapy targets the sore, irritable, tight spots in muscles called trigger points. These trigger points can cause the whole muscle to be tight and painful, or even restrict movement in a joint. They can also "refer" pain to areas elsewhere in the body. In Trigger Point Therapy the Massage Therapist carefully seeks out the trigger points in muscles (including deep muscles) and uses specific compression techniques which allow the trigger points to release. This technique is often employed as part of NMT or Deep Tissue procedures and is a great method for relieving muscular pain and tension.

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Myoskeletal Alignment Technique: Myoskeletal Alignment Technique (MAT) is a powerful and deep method of relieving pain by breaking pain/spasm/pain cycles using a therapeutic blending of muscle balancing routines with unique joint-capsule maneuvers. One of MAT's major contributions is the emphasis on treating stubborn pain conditions by mobilizing joints through muscle manipulation. MAT is effective for a wide range of pain conditions including neck pain, back pain, thoracic outlet syndrome, and much more.

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For other San Antonio, Texas massage sites or for more information about massage therapy and massage therapists please check the sites listed below. On these site you can find information about Massage Therapy, Massage Therapists, and information about different styles of massage therapy and bodywork used in San Antonio and elsewhere.

Ben Crabtree, LMT, CNMT (MT023588) d/b/a Deep Massage