Deep Tissue Massage Therapy

Deep tissue is a somewhat generic term, as there are many ways of doing deep massage. A common myth is that deep massage has to be painful. IT DOES NOT! Skilled deep tissue is about working with your body to reach deeper levels, not plowing through no matter what. Sometimes it can be uncomfortable or intense, depending on your body's condition, but a good massage should not cause you a lot of pain.

Deep Tissue Massage: A Visual Guide to Techniques offers the following deep massage principles to massage therapists:

• Never strain.
• Use little oil.
• Work slowly.
• Use oblique pressure.
• Work tendinous insertion of muscles in addition to the belly of muscles.
• Have a clear intention of what you want to accomplish.
• Direct attention to the layer of the body at which you want to work.
• Let the body react and stabilize before moving on.
• Use proper body mechanics. Avoid using your thumbs.