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Frequently Asked Questions about Massage 

There are many great reasons to get a massage:

Whether you are an athlete or an arthritis sufferer massage therapy is a great addition to any person’s regular health care routine. Depending on the types of injuries or ailments that you suffer from, there is a massage technique that can get to the heart of what ails you and provide relief as well as a strong foundation of healing to help prevent future injury.

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Benefits of Massage 

  • Releases mental and physical tension

  • Relaxes muscles

  • Eliminates metabolic waste

  • Improves oxygen supply to cells

  • Improves tone and elasticity of skin

  • Decreases blood pressure 

  • Increases circulation of the lymph

  • Improves body alignment 

  • Promotes a sense of well-being

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What is a Trigger Point?

Trigger points are tiny areas of irritation that form within strained bands of muscle tissue.  Commonly known as a knot.  Sometimes felt as a firm ball of tissue.  Trigger points refer sensations of pain, weakness, or numbness to surrounding or ditant areas of muscle tissue.

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Trigger points are present in the majority of cases of chronic muscular pain.  They are formed as a result of muscular strain, which in turn can be the result of sume kind of trauma, including an accident, exposure to cold or infection, or overuse of a particular set of muscles.

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Massage therapy attempts to disrupt the tension-pain cycle by locating trigger points and deactivating them.  Manual pressure applied directly to the points for 8 to 12 seconds disrupts the flow of nerve impulses activationg the referred pain zone, thus diminishing the sensations of pain felt there.

What is fascia?

Fascia is a band or sheet of connective tissue, primarily collagen, beneath the skin that attaches to, stabilizes, encloses, and separates muscles and other internal organs.  Although fascia looks like one sheet of tissue, it’s actually made up of multiple layers with liquid in between called hyaluronan. It’s designed to stretch as you move. But there are certain things that cause fascia to thicken and become sticky. When it dries up and tightens around muscles, it can limit mobility and cause painful knots to develop.

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Healthy fascia is smooth, slippery and flexible. Factors that cause fascia to become gummy and crinkle up (called adhesion) include:

  • A lifestyle of limited physical activity (too little movement day after day)

  • Repetitive movement that overworks one part of the body

  • Trauma such as surgery or injury         

  •  Treatment focuses on relieving pain and getting tight fascia and muscle fibers to relax.                                                                                           

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