Massage vs Myofascial Release Therapy
I wanted to write about this because I get asked very often about what I do and the meaning of Myofascial release and the differences between this treatment method and your typical deep tissue or swedish massage.
Usually when people ask me what is it that I do I say “soft tissue therapy” rather than “massage” and even though this causes confusion and is usually followed by “what is that?” I try to stick with it and go through the process of explaining what it is as good as I can. The reason behind it is because the term “massage therapist” doesn’t really represent what me and other professionals alike do.
We all know what a “massage” is and that’s the problem. If I say to you “massage” you probably imagine a specific feeling or a specific series of strokes typical of a swedish or deep tissue massage, even a conventional sports massage.
This is not representative of all soft tissue therapy. The word “massage” has such a weight through history that it’s almost too rigid in our minds, like the word “God” for example (hard not to think of a bearded man in my case).
Something similar happens with massage. The problem is, massage has many forms and it’s dynamic and constantly evolving still now a days with new advances in science, but the word isn’t evolving in most people’s head, the concept is evolving much slower than the new reality it refers to.
Usually “massage” is meant to refer to the treatment of the soft tissue, so why would another term (soft tissue therapy) be necessary to refer to the same thing? Well I personally think that “massage therapy” and “soft tissue therapy” should be two separate professions.
This is a sensitive area for many therapists but I believe it’s necessary to educate the general population in order to make both options more clear and also more accessible. How is people going to know about all soft tissue therapy options if what we do is hidden behind the old umbrella term “massage”.
Massage vs soft tissue therapy
It’s not an easy task trying to explain the difference I see. I’ll do my best to make it as clear as possible.
The widespread term “massage” usually refers to a series of strokes with the intention of releasing muscle tension or increase relaxation. This usually involves a very predictable pattern that doesn’t really change much, if at all, from client to client.
With the term “soft tissue therapy” I’m referring to a treatment that is specifically designed around the person’s needs, it involves a thorough consultation, often postural assessment and it focuses on measurable outcomes. The therapist is usually highly trained in anatomy and different advanced soft tissue release techniques that they expertly combine to achieve the best possible outcome in each individual.
Usually a soft tissue therapy session is more healing and deeper than a conventional “massage” session. It’s also specialised and with a stronger focus on a desired treatment outcome (treatment of musculoskeletal pain, increasing range of motion or treatment of postural imbalance between others).
A soft tissue therapy session might feel a bit alien to most people, it is a very different experience than that felt during a widespread “massage” session and most people have never experienced it before.
It is important to know what you want and what you book yourself for in order to avoid being disappointed.
Many soft tissue therapists mean different therapies
Here is the thing, massage and therefore soft tissue therapy is an unregulated profession which means that every professional is doing their own thing, each one has their different knowledge and studied a different path into where they are at today.
This has both positives and negatives.
Positives? The profession is up to date, it evolves quickly with science unlike other hands-on healing professions (physiontherapy, chiropractic care, osteopathy). Its evolution is dynamic because it’s not subjected to protocols. A good example of how protocol can cause problems is our current NHS, we all know it’s outdated and needs to focus more in prevention for example but changing it would require a lot of undoing, where do you start? That doesn’t happen with soft tissue therapy because it was never made into a rigid system to begin with.
Negatives? It’s chaos. Everyone followed different paths to get to what they’re doing and offering. Individuals with none to very low qualification in soft tissue techniques and highly trained professionals fall under the same umbrella term “massage” or even “soft tissue therapists” so it’s very difficult for the client to first know that there is a specialised option that provides effective measurable results and second, finding these professionals.
It often means that highly trained soft tissue therapists find it hard to reach out to the right client and once they do their professionalism is to be proved, so we’re constantly having to prove ourselves, very often dealing with unrealistic client’s expectations.
The lack of regulation and specificity on the title often means that clients have to try before they know wether it can help. This makes things difficult, it decreases the reach of the therapist which is bad for both therapist and people that need them that don’t know where to find them.
Wether it should or shouldn’t be regulated it’s open to debate!
Myofascial release as our solid soft tissue therapy choice
I mentioned above that there are many soft tissue therapy techniques, therefore soft tissue therapy takes on many forms and every therapist is unique.
Even when taking the same anatomy classes and the same assessment classes, touch is touch, it’s always going to be very personal and individual.
That’s one of the things I love the most about this profession; at the end of the day, regardless of theoretical knowledge, it all comes down to something as meaningful and as ancient as touch, something we’ve been doing since we’ve stepped foot on Earth and something you can’t study from an anatomy book.
The skills of a therapists involve much more than those coming from any skillset book or science book.
In my own experience, good therapists are rare.
At INSIDE I do my best to be one of those rare therapists. Shoot for the stars and you might land on the moon, right?
Our choice of treatment is a combination of different advanced techniques into a single session. The main one for us is Myofascial release therapy and or myofascial trigger point therapy.
What is Myofascial Release
Myofascial release focuses on the treatment of the fascia, a spider web-like tissue in our body that is found pretty much everywhere in the body, from the membranes of the brain, to muscles, ligaments and tendons all the way down to the cellular level.
This tissue is extremely adaptable and sensitive, it can adopt different composition (it can be gluey in some areas and very structural in others) and it has more nerve endings that the skin itself, making it extremely reactive to the environment that surrounds it.
The fascia is a system that is alive and ever changing. It responds to both chemical and pressure changes, that is enzymes and posture between other things. This makes it extremely sensitive to stress, which is one of its bigger irritants and repetitive postural or mechanical patterns, like sitting at a desc for hours on end or playing violin, to mention two examples.
New research in cellular biology shows that cells react to the energy field around them. With the fascial being such a sensitive system one is inclined to think it’s no exception to this.
This means that the impact the therapist can cause is so much deeper and powerful than what we might have thought? Open to debate, based in both my knowledge and experience both in life and in clinic, I believe so. We’re just at the tip the iceberg in our journey into understanding life and the human body.
Dysfunctions on the Myofascial tissue are the main cause for musculoskeletal pain, below is a list of the most common conditions we treat in the clinic.
What us Myofascial release good for
Back pain/Lower back pain
Headaches/Migraines
Pain in Neck and Shoulders
TMJ Disfunction (Related symptoms – headaches, anxiety, jaw pain, neck stiffness/pain, ear pain/ear ringing)
Pain down the arms, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Sciatica, Leg pain/Tingling
Numbness/Tingling
Hip Pain, Pelvic floor Pain or Conditions
Knee pain
Stress, Anxiety and Wellbeing
In conclusion, “massage” and “soft tissue therapy” are the same but different 🙂 I hope this post was informative and helpful.
References:
- The biology of belief, Bruce H. Lipton, Ph.D., 2005
About the author
Rocio Santiago
MA in Nursing, Dip. Soft Tissue Therapy
Ro initially began her career as a nurse. Following this and after a difficult time in her life that resulted in a career change, Ro went on to train at one of the leading soft tissue therapy schools in Europe, completing a 3 year degree level course and specialising in effective soft tissue manipulation for the treatment of musculoskeletal pain.
The treatment method Ro uses consists of a combined approach using different specialised techniques, myofascial release and trigger point work among others, with the intention and focus on providing effective results in the least possible amount of time.
Combining her training, science background and life experience, her treatment method is based in science and built using a whole body approach, where mind and body are addressed as one.
Ro has been seeing clients as a soft tissue therapist for 8 years, successfully treating a wide range of conditions.