Benefits of Deep Tissue Massage when compared to Seated Acupressure Massage

Just because you have a Neck or Shoulder problem it doesn’t mean Seated Acupressure Massage is the best treatment for you.  There are many benefits of Deep Tissue Massage for Neck & Shoulder problems and I wanted to share some:

Because Deep Tissue Massage is carried out on a massage table allows us to use a greater variety of advanced techniques (which are not able to utilise while you are sitting in an oniste massage chair).  By ustilising all our massaging applicators and advanced techniques it makes Deep Tissue Massage more effective at:

  • Alleviate pain
  • Restore flexibility
  • Address muscle spasms
  • Address knots

Deep Tissue Massage is more flexible so we can reach all the affected muscles.  For example with Seated Acupressure Massage we only treat some of the muscles and don’t do any work on the chest.  If you have poor posture then Deep Tissue Massage can open up your chest which is normally tightens up when you have poor posture.

Put simply Deep Tissue Massage is best for addressing problems with your Neck or Shoulder while Seated Acupressure Massage is best for reducing stress and anxiety.

Related Posts

  • So how does massage reduce pain? – Part 2

    Previously I explained the scientific theory for  "How does massage reduce muscle pain?" in the short term .  But what about the long term? I would like to introduce to you the "descending pain suppression mechanism." The brain is not a passive receiver of sensory messages, but rather a centre that interprets them and makes constant adjustments accordingly. For example, everyone knows that the way you perceive pain will be influenced by whether you focus on it or think of something else instead. And it seems reasonable to suppose that evolutionary selection may have favoured those individuals who could ignore pain signals for long enough to take actions that let them escape and survive danger.

    Unpleasant cutaneous sensations stimulate nuclei within the mid brain.  These nuclei in turn initiate activity in the descending spinal tracts that release endogenous opiates (inhibitory neurotransmitters) within the spinal segment receiving the painful input.  This diminishes the intensity of the pain transmitted to the higher centres. Sports and Deep Tissue massage techniques can reinforce a naturally occurring discomfort, causing much greater release of opiates and achieve a more profound pain suppression.

    References Basbaum A, Fields H.  (1978) Endogenous pain control mechanisms: review and hypothesis.  Ann Neurol 4: 451-2. Watson J (1982) Pain mechanisms: a review.  3. Endogenous pain mechanisms.  Australian Journal of Physiotherapy 27: 135-43

  • Anxiety reduction & massage?

    I know that I often say that one of the benefits of massage is that it may reduce anxiety.  I think most people would agree that being in hospital or undergoing hospital procedures may makes us feel anxious.  So I was interested in a recent study that looked at the effectiveness of massage with or without guided imagery (a therapist talking you through a scene to help you relax), prior to cardiac catheterisation.  As you can imagine anxiety is very common in patients prior to cardiac catheterisation, which can lead to high blood pressure and increase the amount of sedation necessary to complete the procedure. Fifty five patients opted to receive either a 15-minute massage (31 patients) and a 20 minute guided imagery (24 patients) in a quiet area of the hospital prior to cardiac catheterisation.  Self-report anxiety levels, blood pressure and heart rate were evaluated in the research participants as well as matched for comparison to a control group not taking part in the study. The results indicated that massage, with or without guided imagery, produced significant reductions in self-reported anxiety, with the combined intervention having a more pronounced effect.  In addition a lower diastolic blood pressure and heart rate were found when compared to the control group. In my experience slow, deep stokes help to reduce anxiety and as a team we often incorporate this into treatments. References Amstrong K, Dixon S, May S, Patricolo GE (2014).  Anxiety reduction in patients undergoing cardiac catheterisation, following massage and guided imagery.  Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice 20 (4): 334 - 338.    

  • Why do your muscles hurt?

    The most common reason for booking a treatment with Vitality Therapy is muscle pain due to your"knots". So what do we mean by "knots"?  Technically speaking they are either  Trigger points (or Myofascial Trigger Points to give them their correct name) or hypertonic muscles. There are six key elements that cause acute or chronic muscle pain:

    1. Ischemia: the lack of blood flow to soft tissues that causes hypersensitivity to touch.
    2. Hypertonic muscles: very tense muscles or muscle spasms.
    3. Trigger points: highly irritated points and bands in the muscles that refer pain to other parts of the body.
    4. Nerve entrapment/compression: pressure on a never by soft tissue, cartilage or bone.
    5. Postural distortions: imbalance of the musculoskeletal system resulting from poor posture while siting at a desk.
    6. Bio-mechanical distortions: imbalance of the musculoskeletal system resulting in faulty movement patterns e.g. poor sports techniques.
    A massage therapist has a wide variety of techniques in their toolkit to help release muscle pain including NMT.