Massage
Why get a Massage?
Life happens. We sit at computers and get sore. We play sports and get sore. We lift up kids and get sore. We feel stressed and get sore. The whole body plays a part in patterns which contribute to pain, and one of the key parts of our anatomy which is facilitated in pain, is our fascia. Fascia envelopes almost every facet of our anatomy from muscle cells, to tendons, to organs. Its function is to separate and contain different parts of our anatomy, and to allow the different parts to glide past eachother in a smooth and fluid like fashion. What happens sometimes if we injure ourselves, become dehydrated, become sedentary or get into some bad postural habits, is this fascia can get sticky and stop gliding freely in a fluid like manner. This means movement becomes restricted, blood flow to the area becomes restricted, and other parts of the body start to compensate for this lack of free movement. There we have the beginings of a pain syndrome. There are many different ways of breaking down these adhesions and creating more fluidity in the fascia again. Massage is potentially the most widely known and sought after method used by people in search of a release.
How Does Massage Work?
In order to break up the fascial adhesions, we need to change the state of the fascia from a solid form to a gel like form. We call this process thixotropism, which can be likened to liquifaction. In an earthquake, wherever there is a high saturation of water in the earth, the fluid rises to the surface creating changes in the soil structure and any structures on the land. Massage works in a similar way, by warming up the tissues, they become more pliable and easy to manipulate. The fascial adhesions become more pliable and we can slowly work our way deeper to break up the “fuzz” or the adhesions until we get a sense of movement, fluidity and blood flow in the muscle again. Once we have achieved this, we then gently stretch the fascia and put it back where it wants to be.
What Happens During a Massage Session?
The massage sessions are 50 minutes long, and will start with a consultation to clarify what your needs are, if there are any contraindications and what areas you would like the massage to focus on. You then get to select your favourite Tui Bee Balm for the massage! The therapist then leaves the room, while you remove your clothing and get comfortable on the massage table and cover yourself with the blanket. You remain completely covered during the massage session, only exposing the area that is being massaged at the time. Client safety is paramount, so there will be some dialogue throughout the massage session to ensure the session is enjoyable and therapeutic for you. Once the session has come to an end, the therapist will leave the room again, while you slowly make your way into an upright position again, get dressed and enjoy the post massage bliss!