Most types of massage have benefits for your body and your overall wellbeing. Any good massage is going to increase circulation of both blood and lymph, help regulate blood sugar and blood pressure and increase your overall sense of wellbeing. Swedish massage does this through a series of long, flowing strokes at a rate and rhythm that are designed to help sedate the central nervous system and provide stress relief and relaxation. The practitioner can adjust pressure from light to hard, but it is a general full body massage. This type of massage does not tend to focus on one specific area but treats the whole body and is effective at targeting general stress and tension from everyday work and life issues. Neuromuscular Therapy is an advanced form of Deep Tissue massage that is clinical in nature and has a very specific purpose. The essence of Neuromuscular massage is manipulation of the muscle in very specific ways using advanced modalities in order to reestablish healthy functioning, range of motion and pain relief. Even though the therapist is working very deeply (to the attachments of the muscle on the bone), this is done gently and slowly in order to provide an experience that does not require clenching your teeth and breathing exercises to make it through the treatment. A Neuromuscular Therapist typically offers an integrated massage. Especially in your first session it is important to do a full body massage. As an example, not all shoulder pain originates in your shoulder. Most people who complain of pain and tension in their neck and shoulders have very tight chest muscles. Overtreatment of neck and shoulders can make you feel better in the short term, but will not make the problem any better, in fact, it may make it worse. A good therapist will need to evaluate your entire musculoskeletal system in order to provide optimal results. This will include a postural assessment pre-massage and evaluation of muscle tone while on the table. Analysing and addressing the root of the problem is the key to longterm relief. Because your Neuromuscular Therapist is assessing and addressing both the short tight muscles (those that are hypertonic) and those that are long and weak, they are able to instruct you in the best way to participate in your own rehabilitation. You should feel empowered after your massage and understand what you can do to improve your health.
If you feel like you are ready to experience the healing and long lasting effects of neuromuscular therapy, be sure to push the "book now" button and schedule your appointment. If you have questions about whether or not this is the right therapy for you, we are always just a phone call away.