Massage Therapy
Massage Therapy in general focuses on the manipulation of soft tissue. Target tissues include muscles, tendons, ligaments, skin and joints.
Joint Mobilization
Joint mobilization consists of small passive movements, applied either as a series of gentle stretches in a smooth, rhythmic fashion or as a sustained gentle stretch to an individual joint. A bone is slowly moved in a specific direction, relative to its adjacent joint surface. There’s no fast thrusting, no sudden moves. Slower movement allows the joint to be taken further, to stretch and massage the connective tissue in and around the joint. This can facilitate a deep release, and lasting change.
Myofascial Release
Fascia is a fibrous connective tissue. It lines the skin and interpenetrates and envelops muscles, bones, organs, nerves, blood vessels–nearly everything in the body. It is an uninterrupted, three-dimensional web of tissue that extends from head to toe, front to back, interior to exterior. Oftentimes, adhesions or restrictions in this connective tissue can be the source of pain and dysfunction in the body. “Myofascial release” addresses these restrictions in effort to increase slide and glide between structures, restoring range of motion, blood supply and innervation to tissues throughout the body.
Trigger Point Release
Trigger points are hyperirritable points in skeletal muscle tissue that are associated with palpable nodules in taut bands of muscle fibers. These may be described as “knots” (although aren’t the exclusive source of such nodules). They are a very common cause of myofascial pain. Compression or activation of a trigger point may elicit point tenderness or referred pain. Trigger point release acts to “melt” these nodules to restore function and blood supply and to decrease pain. Sometimes lasting results are immediate, but it may also take several treatments to completely restore function.
These are some examples of techniques that Sarah commonly uses in her treatments. If you have any questions about specific techniques (listed or otherwise), or would like to find out more, please feel free to fire an email.
