Regardless of how well you take care of your body, exercising the muscles in order to keep them relaxed and working well, you can still sometimes experience discomfort or pain. In some cases, a discomfort or pain that you feel in your body is caused by very specific and localized muscle tension and can, therefore, be released by massaging and relaxing this muscle. In other cases, discomfort or pain may be more broad–almost like you are wearing a tight shirt that is too restrictive of your normal, natural movements. If this is the case, your fascia tissue may the source of the problem, and while a traditional massage that addresses the main muscles of your body may be somewhat helpful, a fascia massage that addresses the fascia tissue throughout your entire body may be even more beneficial.

Your fascia tissue is the soft, fibrous connective tissue that attaches, stabilizes, encloses, separates, and supports every major part of your body, including muscles, bones, tendons, ligaments, organs, and nerves. Fascia is composed primarily of collagen and is not only elastic and flexible, but also strong and resilient. When fascia becomes tight for any reason, it can seriously restrict the individual’s normal range of motion and cause discomfort or even pain. Fascia tissue massage is designed to address this and to smooth out the fascia of the body so that the tissues and joints are better able to move.

Fascia Therapy Massage

Fascia therapy massage also referred to as fascia release massage, is directed at stretching out the fascia tissue, especially where it has become knotted and tight. The idea is that the therapist is actually grasping the fascial tissue and using force to push or pull the underlying structure in order to change the consistency of the tissue. With sustained pressure and stretching, the therapist is able to decrease pain caused by tight fascia tissue and increase range of motion. The therapist can actually assess the condition of the fascia tissue, feel for a change in the tissue as a result of the force they apply, and then move their hands along the stretched or released tissue to the next barrier. At the conclusion of a fascia therapy massage, you should notice an improvement in the appearance of cellulite, muscle performance, pain reduction, blood flow, lymph drainage, and muscle recovery.

When is fascia therapy massage more appropriate to receive than other massage techniques? The simple answer is whenever you feel like you’d prefer it. Even when you aren’t experiencing any discomfort, pain or a significant decrease in your range of motion, you can still benefit from receiving fascia therapy massage, as it will stimulate the fascia, help it to perform better, and prevent it from tightening uncomfortably at a future point. Individuals who are suffering from any amount of back, neck, foot or joint pain, headaches, nerve entrapment issues and pain or dysfunction as a result of scar tissue can experience wonderful improvements as a result of regular fascia therapy massage. It can also be useful in assisting with conditions of:

• Inefficient posture. Since fascia tissue covers all areas of the musculoskeletal system, it actually determines the length of the various muscles involved in maintaining proper posture. Tight fascia tissue over the muscles that help to support your back can make these muscles less efficient in maintaining proper alignment. The body then seeks to adapt to this problem by having connective tissue support the body, which opens the door to a host of new problems.
• Dysfunctional movement. Your daily life consists of a lot of repetitive movements, whether you sit before a computer for hours at work or constantly climb up and down stairs or some similar thing. It can happen that a muscle which contracts over and over again over a period of time can eventually cause fascia tissue restrictions. This results in problems with muscle strength and range of motion that can be addressed with fascia therapy massage.
• Scar tissue. All scars are composed of connective tissue that has a very random pattern. This means that scars are not well suited to helping the surrounding tissue, and as they develop and mature they can actually pull on the surrounding tissue and adversely affect the body as a result. With fascia therapy massage, scar tissue can be made more functional so that it doesn’t pull on surrounding tissue.
• Athletic muscle strain. Regardless of how carefully they try to strengthen and protect the health of their bodies, athletes tend to put a considerable amount of muscle strain on their bodies. This can lead to pain and loss of range of motion. Fascia therapy massage can help to decrease pain and increase range of motion so that athletes don’t have considerable downtime while training or performing.

For more information about fascia therapy massage and how it can benefit you, contact Botanica Day Spa today.