Deep tissue massage for back pain - Here are some of the main effective techniques:
Myofascial Release
Myofascial release techniques involve slow strokes aimed at impacting the body’s “fascial layer.” This is a layer of connective tissues that lie between your visible skin layer and your muscles. It connects and weaves throughout our entire muscular system. Including tendons and ligaments. At a microscopic level, fascia is the “glue” that connects all of your body’s cells together.
This deep tissue massage technique uses slow and sustained pressure to open up your fascia. For most of you, this will reduce your pain and feelings of restrictions. Fascial release has the ability to restore lost range of motion. Myofascial release is usually performed either without lubricant or with smaller amounts than Swedish massage. As a result, your therapist is able to move very slowly, stretching the tissues apart.
The most commonly targeted muscles in the back for this technique are the spinal erectors. And the quadratus lumborum. Gluteal and posterior upper leg muscles can also contribute to back pain. In addition, anterior muscles such as abdominals, psoas, diaphragm, and pectorals are major players in back pain. They can all be massaged very effectively with myofascial release.
Trigger Point Therapy
Trigger Point Therapy is the most specific deep tissue massage technique. It uses only the area of a finger or thumb tip to apply pressure. Trigger points are considered tender areas in your soft tissue. They cause referred pain to other areas of the body. They are colloquially called “knots.” In reality there aren’t actual knots in muscles. Rather trigger points are highly contracted areas. Sort of like a tiny cramp. These points can generate very unpleasant sensations.
With trigger point therapy, the points are pressed and held for a sustained time. Pressure on the trigger point can often increase the referred pain. For a short period. Then the knots release and the pain goes away. Properly addressing trigger points can result in reduced pain and restriction. Trigger points in your sacral area, thoracolumbar fascia, gluteal muscles and posterior upper leg muscles can all contribute to back pain. Immense relief can be obtained by calming these down.
Cross-Fiber Friction
Cross-fiber friction is a technique of rubbing a muscles perpendicular to the direction of the muscle fibers. Issues such as tears, breaks, sprains, strains and other types of damage can affect muscles fibers, tendons and ligaments. When something like this happens, scar tissue forms. Scar tissue, unlike normal, healthy tissue, has collagen fibers that are not neatly arranged and aligned. The aim of this deep tissue massage technique is to help make this jumble of collagen fibers a little less messy. Additionally, it promotes circulation and reduces hypertonicity. Cross-fiber friction can also reduce muscle spasms that occur. It helps the central nervous system to stop relaying sensations of pain to the area.
This technique is frequently employed for targeting the spinal erector muscles running right along your vertebrae. These muscles are relatively thin, taut bands so cross-fiber friction works well because of the narrow perpendicular distance.
Muscle Stripping
Muscle stripping is a deep tissue massage technique which is applied along the length of a muscle. We move in the direction that the muscle fibers are oriented. Sometimes, this technique is also called longitudinal friction. Muscle stripping is ideal when the primary intention is to elongate muscle fibers. Particularly within a more concentrated area. Pressure can be adjusted by using forearm, fingers, thumb or elbow.
Similar to cross-fiber friction, the spinal erectors are a common area to apply muscle stripping to. It is also easily applied to wider back muscles. Since the direction of pressure is with grain of the muscle fibers. A good example would be the quadratus lumborum. Or other potentially involved muscles like the glutes or quads.
Pin and Stretch
The pin and stretch technique involves “pinning” down a portion of a muscle. While simultaneously moving the rest of the muscle away from the pinned area. The intention of this deep tissue massage technique is to provide a deep stretch. To the portion of muscle belly that lies between the pinned point and the attachment that is being moved. It allows a therapist to apply a more intense stretching sensation to a particular region of a muscle.
This technique can be either active or passive. When active, you will be contracting the targeted muscle and moving the attachment point. You will follow the therapist’s direction while moving a part of your body. When passive, the therapist will move your body for you. The main difference will be that the active approach requires you to engage their own muscles. This will be more intense and less relaxing. However, it will also have a greater effect on reprogramming your nervous system. The passive approach is less intense and more relaxing.
Great blog you have here but I was curious about if you knew of any community forums that cover
the same topics talked about here? I’d really like to be a part of group where I can get feed-back from
other experienced people that share the same interest.
If you have any recommendations, please let me know.
Many thanks!
Thanks! There is a great Facebook group called Massage Therapists of New York where you could find lots of discussion like this 🙂
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