Deep Tissue Massage - "Is it right for me?"

Time and time again the debate amongst therapist and the general public arises on "deep tissue" massage. What is deep tissue massage anyway?

The size of the therapist?
Not necessarily. A properly trained therapist that utilzes good body mechanics can exert plenty of pressure needed to accopmlish the goal at hand. The "average" pressure used from therapist to therapist also varies. My interpretation of deep may be very different from another therapist interpretation of deep. So don't let size fool you.

The modality?
There really is no "deep tissue" modality. Any modality can be deep or light depending on the pressure used by the therapist, the tool ie. elbow, thumb, or man made, and the density of the tissue being worked.

"I want to feel like I got a massage and expect to be sore"
Your body is the only determining factor when it comes to telling the therapist what it can and can't handle today. Our hormones change constantly so this months massage may feel deep and the next months may feel light even though the therapist is doing the exact same massage. Just because you don't "feel" sore the next day doesn't mean you didn't get a deep or good massage.

It's all in the layers.Most muscles lay in layers, overlaping each other to perform their designed function. "Deep tissue" literally means accessing the muscles under the top superficial layers. So in order to access these deeper layers we must relax the top layers first. You can't exactly til the soil under the sidewalk until the cement is dealt with first. If these top muscles won't relax they can become damaged, bruised or very sore the next day if the therapist is forcing through trying to access the deeper tissues. So again, your body is the determining factor as to how deep the therapist can go, she/he may not be able to do deep tissue.

"I need deep tissue"
Do you? We all know our bodies better than anyone on the planet, or I would sure hope we do. A 110 lb. body with 1" thick muscles on the back takes much less pressure and exertion than a 250 lb. body with 3" of solid muscle. Does the therapist need to access these deeper muscles for specific work? Sometimes we ask for deep tissue when we really just want heavier pressure and the deeper muscles don't require specific work. We work muscles that are causing the problem, they may be on top or way down deep.

There are endless sets of circumstances and confusion surrounding deep tissue massage. You and the therapist you are working with can determine whether deep tissue is right for you. Some therapist don't do deep tissue so it's always best to ask in advance in case that is something you may need.