Commonly people seek to get a massage when experiencing symptoms such as muscle fatigue , tightness or pain Although all of these symptoms are actually as a result of what are called myofascial trigger points present in the musculoskeletal system. Unfortunately for those seeking relief from a massage therapist will not achieve the results that you are hoping for.
Being that the physical pathology of the muscular system are myofascial trigger points, ultimately causing the symptoms of muscle fatigue, tightness and pain. The specialists that deal with the muscular system are known as Clinical Myotherapists. Myotherapy utilises a broad range of specific natural treatment options to restore the musculoskeletal system by specifically releasing these trigger points. To discover more about these trigger points, read this article…
If we think about how we take care of our musculoskeletal system the same way we look after our teeth. We can brush our teeth, floss our teeth and use mouth wash to prevent cavities, the same way we can stretch our muscles, exercise or utilise prevenative treatments such as using a spa, recieving a massage or using a foam roller or something similar to promote oxygenated blood flow to remove the biproducts of the muscle, along with delivering the muscles fuel so that the muscle can metabolise. At the same time temporarily desensitising the area worked on that can provide temporary relief. But with all these benefits, it still doesn’t unfortuately release the trigger points and thus does not provide the long term outcome that you had hoped for, therfore you feel the symptoms again and that is why you don’t need a massage. You actually need more and the only way to receive more is to expect more, from the right type of therapist.
As most people seek massage to deal with symptoms that a massage won’t correct. It’s essentially like trying to brush away a cavity, despite what toothpaste you use or what type of toothbrush you use, you ultimately need to go to the dentist to fix the cavity. The same principle is such for the musculoskeletal system, as its still a good idea to do the preventative care, Although if you want long term relief from the symptoms that muscles produce, you need to see a Clinical Myotherapist.
Massage therapists do a wonderful job at what they do, I’m not discrediting the effectiveness of massage I’m actually promoting it in the correct context and assisting people to understand when massage is effective.
My intention is to assist in people’s understanding and expectation of massage for when it’s beneficial and when what you need is more than what a massage can provide.
When a muscle is massaged with trigger points it can actually aggravate the area without taking away the cause of the fatigue, tightness and pain. People can commonly have the misconception that more pain produces more gain, this isn’t true. Muscles will contract to protect themselves when they experience pain.
if you stretch a muscle with trigger points, it feels as though you hit a wall as the muscle will not respond to the stretch, instead it can aggravate the area by initiating the stretch reflex within the muscle, causing it to contract further.
Imagine if you had a rope with a knot in it pulling at it will just tighten the knot further as opposed to releasing it, muscles require specific attention to release the cause of the tightness by releasing the trigger points.
When we exercise muscles with trigger points present, our body has to adapt around the dysfunctional area and this puts additional load on other muscles increasing the probability for further trigger points developing. This is why it’s so important to restore the body before rehabilitating it with exercise.
As most people are reactive thus only seeking help from somebody else when the symptoms progress, commonly to the point of pain. This article is to help deepen people’s understanding of their body and direct them where they can find the solutions to their symptoms. Therefore seeing a clinical Myotherapist that can release the trigger points, restore your body, help you to understand how the body got into the state it is in and prevent the symptoms from returning by addressing the cause is what Myotherapy Bayside specialises in, providing a natural holistic solution to pain and injury.