Looking after your body, and keeping it in balance is one thing, but for some, it is difficult to know when to book in for that deep tissue massage. Getting the work-life balance right is so important for your physical, mental, and emotional health. You NEED your body to be functioning well for you because you only get given one body to get you through life.
For many, they would see a deep tissue massage, or any massage for that matter, as a TREAT. The reality is, you all need to service your body to keep it functioning. The same would apply to a car that you own. A car is a working machine of many component parts that needs regular servicing. The body needs to be kept in check, and good working order during servicing and MOTs. The same is applied to those seriously looking after their bodies. They come to see me for an assessment, and then a follow-up, this is the ‘servicing’ in comparison to maintaining your car. Then once all the bodywork is done, my clients come back for either 3 or 6 monthly MOT’s to keep their body functioning at optimum.
So my advice is to visit me for that service and then to maintain with bi-yearly MOTs. I have listed below five signs that you need a deep tissue massage. I must stress that there is a difference between a deep tissue massage and Swedish massage, your deep tissue massage will be served with strong pressure for good reason. It is used to target specific aches and pains, of which Swedish massage does not. However, both types of massage serve to provide stress-busting relief if you are in need of stress management in your life. Deep tissue massage can untangle knots, loosen scar tissue, and move sub-layers of muscle back to where they are meant to be aligned to function at maximum capacity.
So here are five signs to look out for and call me for a deep tissue massage:
You now ‘accept’ the back pain you have
It is now months since the pain started and you cannot remember a time that you were pain-free. This is the time to act and to tackle it head-on by booking in for an initial consultation and session with me. Nine out of ten times I can fix this in one, maximum two appointments. Those that may need a third appointment will have a skeletal complication that will need adjusting, alongside the muscle component to realign your musculoskeletal system.
You notice you slouch at work and at home – it has become the new normal
The muscles that hold your torso upright become slack and get sore from you leaning over. They then allow other muscles to create tension, to try and keep you upright, creating an imbalance in the muscles. Eventually, you will begin to feel tension soreness in your torso that may even transpire into your neck and shoulders, as a result of the muscle imbalances going on. For all office workers reading this, it will be familiar for you and you know that hunching over your computer will lead to bad posture. The good news is a deep tissue massage session will help to resolve and aid your posture.
Your training regime feels different, you notice you have reached a plateau
Your strength gains in the gym have diminished and you feel you have lost your range of movement in your exercises, then please consider that you have plateaued and a deep tissue massage is the answer. It will loosen you up, increase your flexibility, and make it easier to work muscles you never knew you had.
You’ve completed a sporting challenge like a marathon or climb
You have finished a challenge and within two days your legs are throbbing and feeling heavy. This is known as DOMS – Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness. This needs a deep tissue massage to relieve all tension and to remove that heavy feeling. If you are training for an endurance event, like a marathon, and you get tight calves by the 3-mile mark your body is screaming out for a deep tissue massage.
You’ve noticed that you get headaches
This is a clear sign that your neck and shoulder muscles are very tight and ‘imbalanced’. To relieve all these muscles and those on the front of your neck will take away your headache. Please do not allow yourself to suffer and to use pain relief to get by. This is a clear sign that your body needs my specialist intervention with a deep tissue massage. Take a look at my Sports and remedial therapy page to find out more about the treatment.
