Stress Threshold, Stress Awareness, and Migraines

Here are some thoughts about how we deal with stress daily, hourly, and even down to the second. Every little thing adds up so you have to be mindful of your personal "Stress Threshold" and what triggers set you off, so you can prevent critical events like Migraines or Painful Flare-ups elsewhere in the body. 

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What's the Difference Between Sports Massage and Deep Tissue Massage?

Yesterday I had a couples massage on a regular client. Afterward, when washing up, the other therapist said that I had done one of the best "Sports Massages" she had ever seen. That compliment was funny to me, because I was doing much more rehab/injury type work than sports work. The client had been working with a Chiropractor daily for a week to resolve some severe lumbar pain and spasm. I was thinking way more about that challenge, than preparing him to get back to training for the half marathon he has coming up. His sedentary desk job was exacerbating the issue just as much as running would have.

I mention this, because I feel like there's a lot of confusion about "Sports Massage" and what that label means. To me, it is applying Myofascial Release, Neuromuscular Therapy, Structural/Postural Alignment, Stretching and/or Flushing Swedish techniques to a specific soft tissue imbalance, in a person who is doing something athletic. I can use this very same definition for "Deep Tissue Massage" except that the client may not be using his body for specifically sports or athletic training. Sitting at a computer several hours a day isn't "Athletic," but it is using the body repetitively. Which is the unifying theme- Repetition.

There's not a list of secret "Sports" techniques that only apply to athletes. I'm going to do whatever kind of massage the client needs for the specific problem area that day. Problem areas usually come from some kind of repetition mixed with imbalance. When the body is not used to doing a movement and is then forced to repeat the movement, you create strain. After strain comes compensation,  creating more imbalance. I'm going to look at any client who comes to me from that perspective; to unravel the compensation, imbalance and overuse to restore the optimal movement in the body. If you want to call that "Sports Massage," I'm happy to take the compliment. If you want to call that "Deep Tissue Massage," we are starting to speak the same language.

Fluid Movement

Something fascinating occurred to me, while studying the Urinary System in great detail during my Reflexology training. The fluid and mineral balance in the body is constantly changing and dynamic. This affects even the most rigid structures. We need to get away from the idea that the body has any truly hard, permanent, unchanging pieces. We're mostly made of salt water and our bones are like coral reefs- alive, growing, adapting to currents (habitual postural patterns) and interdependent with the sea water (blood) around them. 

I'm guilty too- I think about my body as being a solid mass of stuff that stopped growing after I got into my early 20's. The urinary system underlines the fact that I'm wrong. Water movement, filtration, and mineral exchange happens second by second. Hopefully, when properly hydrated, we should be peeing several times a day. A hard, rigid system, like a marble statue, would find itself highly stressed, if it had to convert marble to saltwater several times a day. We are not solid statues and thankfully, reflexology, massage, stretching and movement can promote healthy fluid and mineral exchange in a calming, balanced way, because our bodies are fluid and constantly adapting. 

What is Profound Therapies?

Let's start with some general definitions...

Profound- Having or showing great Knowledge or Insight, Demanding Deep Study or Thought, Extending to a Great Depth, Wise, Intelligent, Scholarly, Discerning, Perceptive, Thoughtful, Insightful.

Therapy- To Attend, do Service, Take Care of during a Remedial, Rehabilitating, or Curative Process; An act or task that Relieves Tension; a Healing Power or Quality.

As a Bodyworker (Licensed Massage Therapist, Certified Reflexologist, Certified Posture and Pain Specialist, Certified Personal Trainer) I have several core values that help shape how I can get the most "Profound" results for the clients and patients I see every day for Therapy.

Most people think of getting a Massage with a goal of having their Muscles Relax- and that's about it. Over years of experience and advanced training from many perspectives, I've learned that you cannot separate or isolate any specific system of the body. Each and every cell in the body is connected to Nerves, Fascia, and Blood flow. I cannot massage or stretch any specific muscle alone, and if I did, it would be meaningless taken out of context of the Holistic Body in the 3 Dimensional World.

The Brain is the director of everything that goes on in the body, using the nervous system to gather information from the world and then to distribute calls for action in response to that information.

Profound Therapies is built around respecting the Nervous System to benefit the Body as a Whole Structure. As a Therapist, I can communicate with the Brain in several ways- Massage, Reflexology, Stretching, Verbal Coaching, Functional Training, and Passive or Assisted Joint Movement.

So the biggest Core Value of Profound Therapies is that I approach Your Body on the Table with respect for Your Brain. You are the boss of what's going on. If your Brain thinks I'm attacking Your Body, it's going to put up walls and barriers against me, which is the opposite of the results we want. Walls are stiff and hard to move. You want to move better, with Less Restriction, right?

Ice

That's the difference between Deep Tissue Massage and Profound Therapy. You get to take advantage of my Thoughtful, Discerning, Knowledgeable, Scholarly training to get the Results you want, without being sore, bruised, and inflamed after the session. You shouldn't have to recover from a massage or training session. Brute Force does NOT benefit Your Brain or Your Body.