Massage Therapy

Prenatal massage shares many of the goals of regular massage – to relax tense muscles, ease sore spots, improve circulation and mobility, and just make you feel good. But it’s also tailored specifically to the needs of pregnant women and their changing bodies. Therapists who are trained in prenatal massage adjust their techniques accordingly. Talk to your therapist if your breasts are too tender or you’re suffering from nausea or congestion. You may prefer a side-lying position.

The jaw, or temporomandibular joint (TMJ), is a major target for an array of joint disorders. Massage therapy is an ideal modality to relieve TMJ pain by focusing on the reduction of tension in the masticatory muscles, releasing tension in fascia, and elimination of trigger points.

Temporomandibular joint disorders, more commonly known as TMJ disorders, are usually the result of inflamed and painful chewing muscles around your jaw. For some, it’s a once-in-a-while issue that can come from too much chewing, like indulging in a piece of gum all afternoon. For others, however, TMJ disorder can be a chronic issue that results in constant pain and discomfort.

The cause for this chronic condition is relatively subjective, but may be linked to stress fractures, an imperfect bite, tooth grinding, or tooth clenching related to stress. Luckily, a TMJ massage can act as an effective, non-medicinal way to deal with TMJ pain. Here are three specific therapies that can help you address the underlying issues no matter what the cause.

Swedish massage therapy is the modality that comes to mind when most people think about massage.

As the best-known type of bodywork performed today, one of the primary goals of the Swedish massage technique is to relax the entire body. This is accomplished by rubbing the muscles with long gliding strokes in the direction of blood returning to the heart.

But Swedish massage therapy goes beyond relaxation. Swedish massage is exceptionally beneficial for increasing the level of oxygen in the blood, decreasing muscle toxins, and improving circulation and flexibility while easing tension.

A soft tissue manual therapy technique used to treat areas with decreased blood flow, trigger points, nerve entrapment and/or compression, and postural dysfunction. The goal of NMT is to achieve a balance between the nervous and musculoskeletal systems, resulting in decreased pain and dysfunction.

Myofascial release is a technique used to treat restrictions or specific areas in myofascial connective tissue. This may be the result of pain derived from trauma, inflammation or dysfunction. The term “fascia” refers to the connective tissue that connects all of our muscles, tendons, ligaments, bones, joints, organs, and central nervous system. The release of adhesions or tension in the fascia reduces physical or trauma-based pain.

Trigger point therapy is a bodywork technique that involves the application of pressure to tender muscle tissue in order to relieve pain and dysfunction in other parts of the body. It may also be called myofascial (myo meaning muscle and fascial meaning connective tissue) trigger point therapy. Trigger point therapy is sometimes part of a group of treatment approaches called neuromuscular therapy, or NMT.

Active Release Techniques (ART), is a patented soft-tissue treatment system that treats problems associated with muscles, tendons, ligaments, fascia, and nerves.

This non-invasive, hands-on technique can simultaneously locate and break up scar tissue, vastly improving overuse and strain/sprain injuries. By breaking and releasing restrictive adhesions, ART can restore mobility, increasing circulatory function and neurological function.