Myofascial Massage, what is it, and why do I need it?
I’ve had my fair share of standard massages and I’ve globetrotted through the maze of Swedish, Thai and Russian offerings to convince myself that I knew a lot about massage. I was wrong, the therapeutic benefits alone are mind boggling and it seems that every day I’m learning even more about why there’s something magical about the human touch. Recently I met a therapist who was trained in both lymphatic drainage massage and Myofascial massage. Of course, I had to know the 411 on this new to me modality. Here’s the scoop:
It’s not like a regular massage, there’s no oil involved as there has to be friction in order to achieve results. On certain areas of the body, typically areas where there is scar tissue, previous surgeries and/or trauma it is believed that the underlying tissue is never fully recovered and Myofascial connective tissue develops which can cause pain and restrict motion. In order to facilitate the best healing possible this tissue should be released…coaxed if you will into softening by succumbing to gentle, yet firm pressure in a constant stream.
In my case, delivering 4 kiddos and having some…err; other work done on my abdomen has left me with a scar so knarly it looks like I went head to head with grizzly bear and lost. Anything that could remotely help my very much traumatized tissue would surely be appreciated, and while there were no promises of outward, aesthetic benefit; the hope of internal revamping was enough for me.
The massage itself was intense at times; pleasant at other times and left me with a strange feeling of lightness that oddly enough encouraged me to work on my posture; as a recently developed hunch (a byproduct of my subconscious effort to protect my wounded abdomen) was less than flattering. How often you should undergo treatment is best determined by you and your practitioner; but one thing is for sure; if you are looking for a non-invasive way to improve your health keep an open mind as you may find something that helps you tremendously.
