THE ART OF HEALING: Massage Therapy
Do you ever wish there were a magical oil to squeeze into your aching joints? Some sort of magic gas to pump you up? Is it difficult for you to fall asleep when you want to? When you need to? Do you find yourself in a state of "suspended animation" just when you need to concentrate and finish a painting, a sculpture, or even finish the inevitable bookkeeping nuisance that surrounds your work? Do your muscles and tendons go sore on you? Do you show signs of less flexibility? Less endurance? Do you feel over-extended? Are you getting anxious more often? More depressed?
If your answer to any of these questions is yes, your solution may lie in a different kind of art--massage therapy (MT, for short)--the healing art which creates balance and restores that necessary sense of well-being. -Bruria Ginton, LicMT, ©1997. All rights reserved.
Types of Massage Therapy
Structural Integration
Structural Integration is a scientifically validated body therapy. Unlike massage, Structural Integration focuses not on the muscles but on their protective layer, called fascia (also known as connective tissue). Muscles are contracting tissues that give the body and organs physical movement. The fascia surrounds the muscles, bones and organs in the body. The fascia gives muscles their shape and the body its structure. Structural Integration aligns and balances the body by lengthening and repositioning the fascia. As fascia is lengthened it allows the muscles to move more efficiently. The practitioner will apply pressure to the body, working the entire fascial system in a systematic way. When restricted fascia is released and lengthened the body can return to its structurally optimal position
The continuing pull of gravity, the stress of daily activities and physical injuries can pull the body out of alignment. The fascia gradually shortens, tightens and adjusts to accommodate the misalignment. When the body is out of alignment it creates inefficiency and imbalance resulting in stiffness, discomfort and loss of energy.
When a body is aligned and balanced it moves with greater ease. It requires less energy to function. Good posture is effortless and breathing is easier. The body becomes more flexible, more coordinated and athletic performance improves.
-The Guild for Structural Integration,©2007. All rights reserved.
Trigger Point
Trigger point therapy is a bodywork technique that involves the applying of pressure to tender muscle tissue, called Trigger Points, in order to relieve pain and dysfunction in other parts of the body.
There are two basic types of trigger points: active and latent. Active trigger points cause muscular pain and will refer pain and tenderness to another area of the body when pressure is applied. Latent trigger points only exhibit pain when pressed; they do not refer pain to other areas of the body. These are often called knots and are very common. Although they are common, they can lead to big problems. Latent trigger points are believed to be one of the causes of stiff joints and restricted range of motion of old age. Trigger points may also be associated with myofascial pain syndromes or fibromyalgia. Furthermore, the pain caused by trigger points may be the biggest cause of disability and loss of time in the workplace.
The purpose of trigger point therapy is to eliminate pain and to re-educate the muscles into pain-free habits. After several treatments, the swelling and stiffness of neuromuscular pain is reduced, range of motion is increased, tension is relieved, and circulation, flexibility and coordination are improved.
Other Types of Massage Therapy
There are many different types of massage therapy. For information on the most common types, visit types of massage. Carol can help you decide which is best for you.