Running & Rub Downs

There are a good 4 months from the spring thru the summer when I get many calls from runners or those training for marathons or triathlons. Massage is an incredible tool for those training for any athletic event. A real athlete spends a lot of time training, strengthening, stretching and preparing. This is pretty intense work. Massage is an excellent way to facilitate you staying with your training schedule.

If you overwork yourself one day, I can go in there and help repair the related muscle tissue and prepare them to getting back to work. Along those lines, I can also help reduce tightness and discomfort related to an already injured muscle group that is being exacerbated from the training. If an athlete is doing well and not having any problems, massage can work as a preventative measure. Massage will keep your muscles loose, speed up your recovery after training sessions, and help to flush out the built up metabolic waste as well deliver more oxygen and nutrients to your tired muscles.

I cannot stress the importance of massage during any atheletes career; whether it be a constant sport or training for a specific personal event.

Master List

For those of you who like easy lists, here is your master list of massage benefits:

Reduces......
pain
stress
tension
muscle pain and tension
stiffness and soreness of overused muscles
mental strain
mild high blood pressure
adhesions and constrictions from injuries
side effects from cancer treatments
dead skin cells
softens scars
certain types of edema

Improves......
circulation
lymphatic flow
digestion and elimination
facial muscle tone
joint mobility and flexibility
fascia pliability
productivity
mental clarity
healing
sleep quality'
confidence and self control
recovery time after sporting events
muscle relaxation
liver function
breathing patterns
amount of nutrients to your body's systems

Relieves.....
mental and physical fatigue
headaches
some sinus issues
bronchial congestion

MASSAGE IS THE NEXT BEST THING TO EXERCISE AND REST!

Psychological Benefits

Massage has some interesting psychological effects. The obvious is stress reduction. Massage promotes relaxation, deeper sleep, and provides a place for people to let go and not do anything. Regular massage makes people pay more attention to their bodies and therefor practicing better health. This in turn makes us feel more youthful and better energized. This awareness also helps one recognize muscular issues before they normally would. Being able to address this and take care of it gives people a more responsible and empowered view of their health. Especially if they listen to my lectures!! ;) Massage has also been proven to improve self-esteem and body image. Many doctors refer patients who are recovering addicts and those with eating disorders so that they may get used to feeling good in their bodies. Also, psychiatrists sometimes send abuse and trauma survivors to a massage therapist in order to feel what safe touch is again.

I am sure you have heard of companies providing chair massage for their employees... Besides the obvious reduction in workplace injuries, massage has been proven to reduce fatigue, anxiety, and absenteeism. It also has been proven to increase productivity, problem solving skills, alertness, speed, accuracy, and job satisfaction. No wonder most of the fortune 500 companies provide massage for their employees!

Other than the above, massage can make people feel invigorated, energetic, relaxed, happier, peaceful, and healthier. What more could you ask for?

Other Physiological Benefits

Massage effects a number of other body systems besides the muscular.

Nervous System - Specific massage techniques can either stimulate or relax the nervous system. So if you need to come down from a hectic day, there are ways to provide a sedative effect and calm your body's reflexes down.

Circulatory System - I provided some examples last blog, but there are other quite interesting results from massage. It can stimulate blood flow through the deeper veins and arteries, increases the amount of blood stored in one's muscles, and overall improves the system which means less work for your heart. With massage, the whole blood-making process improves resulting in increased red and white blood cells.

Digestive System - Massage definitely gets "things" moving along. If you have ever expelled gas during a massage, fear not. You were not the first and will not be the last. Massage assists peristalsis in your intestines and helps speed up the elimination process. Having issues in this department? Let me know; some gentle abdominal techniques can be applied to assist peristalsis even more and having you moving your bowels in no time!

Immune System - Massage has been clinically studied to prove that it does assist in the healing process. it is well documented to aid in arthritis, recover from surgeries, lesson effects of chemotherapy, eliminate toxins and germs from the body etc. There are so many diseases that massage can assuage the side effects of the medication and/or the actual illness itself. i will be more specific when I do my list. A huge way this works is by massage relaxing people. When people are stressed, there is a whole chain reaction of hormones and change sin the body to cope with this fight or flight instinctual feeling. When we can get relaxed the effects of those changes are reduced. Also, we all know massage helps us sleep. Whether it is catching some z's during the session or finally achieving that good night's rest the following evening. When we sleep, our bodies are hard at work recovering from the day and repairing our body. So more sleep= feeling better.

Benefits

This blog is the first of 4 installments in the "Benefits of Massage" series. It will cover the obvious physiological and the not-so obvious physiological and psychological. Then the 4th blog will be a nice easy reference list.

Primarily, massage stimulates the circulatory system. You cannot see this, but it is quite obvious to me . During the massage there can be slight reddening and warming of the skin called hyperemia. What is this increased circulation doing? it is bringing more oxygen and nutrients to your muscles and organs and taking away more lactic acid and other metabolic waste products. Also, it aids the lymphatic system in "flushing" out the toxins and free radicals in your body.

Massage helps to prevent and relieve muscle spasms and cramps. Therefor, it is an excellent technique for pain management and prevention. Regular massage causes muscles to become firmer and more elastic, at the same time relaxed. Muscles that are fatigued from exercise or over-use will restore much quicker via massage than with passive rest. Post injury, specific techniques can reduce and help to prevent build-up of scar tissue and lesions.

So whether you have muscle pain or discomfort from chronic pain, old injury, new injury, or an amped up workout, you can greatly benefit from receiving a massage.

Massage & Weight Loss

I have had some clients ask if massage will help them loose weight, look thinner, or reduce cellulite. If this was a direct cause and effect independent of proper diet and exercise, I would probably be able to retire by now. Massage can assist with weight loss behaviors in promoting the above.

I am only going to discuss healhty weightloss as that is the only kind I will promote. When combined with proper nutrition and exercise, massage can aid in the weightloss process.

When increasing your frequency and load in the gym, it's very important to increase your recovery and self-care. Most don't. You need to have your muscles relaxed and elastic to be able to get the most out of your workout. If you're tight, the body is not functioning as well and it is going to affect your form and the amount you can get out of the workout. Massage will make sure that you do not accumulate too many knots, trigger points, or tight bands of muscle fiber.

Massage also stimulates the circulatory and lymphatic systems. While you are working out and eating healthier, massage will aid in delivering more oxygen and nutrients to your muscles and organs, as well as eliminating more lactic acid and other metabolic waste products. This is how it cleans out the "toxins".

Massage will, over time, make your muscles and skin more supple, elastic, and tone. By no means is it a magic wand..... So if you pair regular massage with a proper diet and exercise regime that you actually follow, than massage can aid in having a healthier looking body.

"I think I am going to be sick...."

How many times have you said or thought that phrase in times of stress or anxiety? People do internalize stress and we do feel those emotions in our muscles. Keeping with the above statement. some people hold stress in and shows up physically in stomach aches, nausea, etc. Others when stressed voluntarily tighten their muscles. Some common ones are to hold your shoulders upward, or pull your shoulders in an interior position, or tightening up your abs so your torso curls in. Some people even tighten up their hip muscles (Freud knew a few things). This is a normal and common reaction to emotional stress. As a muscle specialist this makes me wince. As if we do not have enough ways to lock up our muscles, we have to worry about worrying? I am not doctor (I know my undergrad psych degree holds zero credit here) but if we could simply find another outlet, maybe our muscles won't be the whipping boy for our brains and hearts... Some things I do to relieve stress to avoid tightening up are: reading, blogging ;), working out, listening to my favorite music while doing absolutely nothing else, gardening, playing a board game with my husband and yes, even journal. I know you are thinking, gee when do I have time for that? I say even just 10-15 minutes of an activity like the above could help your body find another outlet for the stress so that it does not translate into your muscles.

Ergo, My back!

Sometimes I wonder if my clients feel like teenagers. I have a lecture prepared for everything... whether it's about the importance of hydrating, stretching, posture, or exercising. It is for your own good. Wait, did I say that to a client or was that a flashback from my youth?? I tell you these things because I want you to free your muscles and free your life. Think about how nice life would be if you didn't wake up with a stiff neck or back, if you could run that extra mile, or you could spend longer outside planting flowers with your kids??? Massage only gives you the jump start into the right direction. It is then up to you focus and adjust your self care to really prevent the muscles from tightening up in the first place.

One way you can do this is to take a look at the ergonomics in your life. Having something set up ergonomically correct supports you maintaining proper posture and, in turn, using your body in a way it was designed to function. The reason I decided to take classes on how to advise clients with this, is that I can give sound advice. Instead of just showing you how to sit, I can now give sound and numerically ways to adjust your station. I am sure you read in my last newsletter that I pair this service with massages. It is not a money-making gimmick. It is because I genuinely care about each and every client and want each and everyone of them to eventually not need me. Yes, I want you all to keep seeing me, but I strive those visits to turn into something that you want to do for maintanance and general healthcare. Not because you are in pain and discomfort or cannot move. Since most of us spend a huge portion of our lives at the computer (myself included) I thought it was the perfect way to really be able to assist you in your journey to wellness.

So please, if you are interested in chaning your lot, try my service out! I promise I won't lecture or judge. I will simply list the adjustments to make and how to achieve them.

http://www.dcdeeptissuemassage.com/Ergonomics.html

Facia......

For a visual, Fascia is the white filmy "stuff" you see when you prepare chicken. I like to refer to it as the wrapping paper of the body. Fascia is conenctive tissue that warps around your muscles and bones and keeps everything together in a nice not always tidy package. The reason why it is important to work on the fascis is that it is what connects all of our muscles together and is sometimes the tissue that connects the muscles on to their boney insertion. For example, the IT band. Everyone has heard of this structure, but I find most clients have bo idea what it actually is. The IT band is a strip of thick fascia that runs between and around and connects with muscles in the hip (2 muscle groups with 10 muscles), thigh (3 muscle groups with 14 muscles). This thick band of fascia then inserts on to the femur on the lateral side of the thigh.
http://www.paulmanley.co.uk/hip/itband2.jpg
Why is it so sensitive? it is essentially the insertion area of over 2 dozen of the bodies largest muscles!! If your IT is tight, work on loosneing up all of the hip and thigh muscles. Fascia generally works similar to this throught the body. In most circles (including massage therapists, anatomists, physiologists, etc) the tissue of fascia is just as important to work out and loosen up as is the muscles. I am doing this usually when you feel be doing slow long deep strokes (usually with the forarm).

Working out with your massage.

Can you workout before a massage? Sure!
Can you workout after a massage? Why not?

But......

Massage is an excellent way to warm up before a good workout. You will most likely achieve more and repair quicker. There are 2 reasons to be very cautious while work out after a massage session. 1. That pesky reorganization period. Your muscles are reconfiguring to function slightly different than they were before the session. So when you are doing your exercises be quite conscious of your body mechanics and make sure you are doing everything properly. 2. You are so warmed up, you may have the tendency to overdue it. You may feel like you can go faster, push harder, lift more. Don't. Most likely you had a deep tissue massage with trigger point work. Your muscles do have to repair from this work. Adding an intense workout on top of that brings up the possibility that you will wake up quite sore the next day. So just take it easy with your workout. So stay hydrated and simply listen to your body.

Working out before a massage is great way to warm up for me! I will most likely be able to get deeper faster and easier leading to more work being accomplished. Again, you run the risk of being slightly sore; avoid this by staying hydrated and keep stretching!

Twice a week? Perhaps.

Some people have requested to come in twice, sometimes 3 times a week to tackle a very specific issue. I usually do not allow this. There are some instances in where coming twice a week is suitable for the work we are doing. But this entails extremely specific and deep work.

The reason it is not necessary or even the best idea to make sessions so close, is that your body needs to adjust to the work we just finished. Like I said before, when our muscles are tight, the fibers are in constant contraction and therefor shorter. When this happens, the muscles are not able to function up to par and this is when other muscles help compensate the motions and you get a chain reaction of tightness and tension. During a massage, I work on loosening up the muscle fibers and releasing the Trigger Points. This will relax the muscle and therefor elongate the fibers, hopefully back to homeostasis. At this point, the muscles go thru what I like to call a "reorganization period". Basically, the original tight muscle is letting the other muscles know that it can do its job without any help. During this time your body has to adjust functioning differently in it motions. I like to give the body a few days to do this. Plus, I would like your body to get used to its new posture and being stretched more often. (Hopefully you are listening to my lectures and implementing them).

That being said, there are always exceptions to the rule. If you feel you need more constant work to keep up with a life-altering muscle issue, then we will discuss it and come up with a treatment plan.