Deep Tissue Massage

Deep Tissue Massage is one pillar of my therapeutic approach.  Alongside palpatory precision (knowing what I am touching),  being able to work at the appropriate depth, safely and with care,  is what Deep Tissue Massage is all about. 

While the term Deep means working at depth, this doesn't mean indiscriminately pushing through all the different layers to work deeply.  What Deep Tissue means in  my work is that when I find tension in a tissue, I go to the depth of that tension to work, meeting it at the exact layer in which it is present, not too deep nor too shallow.

To give an example we can look at the low back and hip.  These areas present much more tissue to work with than, for example, the neck.  And often with tension in the low back and hip, the most important muscles affecting these areas are located below some of the largest muscles in the body.

In order to effectively reach these muscles, knowing how to position the body so that the surface muscles are slackened is essential.  This is an example of understanding the anatomy and is part of skillful palpation. 

Next, being able to locate tension in the muscle precisely allows me to meet that tension with my hands exactly where that tension is being held.  From this point I can apply different techniques including range of motion, isometric holds, even subtle listening to coax the muscle into relaxation and guide the nervous system into new connections.

As you can see, the role of Deep Tissue in my work is about comfortably and safely going to the depth needed to find tension where it is stored.  And from there it provides the base from which to work effectively on that tension with a variety of other techniques.