It’s 6 a.m., and you roll over to hit the alarm. You’ve barely had a chance to open your eyes when the pain starts. Maybe it’s your back, or perhaps a shoulder or hip. For some the pain is new, for others it’s just another morning with the same familiar aches. Many have turned to massage therapy over the years to ease their pain. The American Massage Therapy Association reports that 54 percent of Americans who have received massage in the last five years did so seeking pain relief.1

But where is that pain coming from? Most of the time we assume it comes from the muscles—we pulled something, slept funny or worked out too hard. Maybe it’s just bad posture. But what many don’t realize is that there are other tissues that may be causing your pain, and that a professionally trained massage therapist can help determine which tissues are affected and establish a treatment plan.

The tissues that people are most likely to associate with their pain are the muscles. There are three kinds of muscle: smooth muscle, which is involuntary muscle associated with the walls of visceral organs and blood vessels; cardiac or heart muscle, and skeletal muscle which is responsible for locomotion and postural control. Massage therapy primarily targets the skeletal muscles.

When skeletal muscles are subject to overuse, stress or injury, the result may be manifested as pain. If the muscle remains tight for too long, the posture begins to change.  The stress of the changing posture affects the rest of the body as it begins to compensate for the weakened area by working harder in others. This is how, over time, the entire body becomes affected by an injury to an isolated area. A skilled massage therapist can identify areas of tension and by application of appropriate techniques, may be able to release the points of tension. This relieves pain and allows the body to restore normal posture.

Tendons are connective tissues that link skeletal muscles to bones, and are another potential source of pain. When a tendon is overused, as often occurs in sports or occupations that involve repetitive motion, the tendon becomes inflamed. This condition is known as tendonitis. Symptoms may include mild to severe pain, tenderness and mild swelling. Moreover, age is a common risk factor; as people get older, tendons become less flexible and more susceptible to injury. Most forms of tendonitis respond well to skilled massage therapy, which reduces inflammation by increasing circulation to the site of injury.

Ligaments are bands of connective tissue connecting bone to bone. Unlike tendons, which are slightly elastic, ligaments are taut and inflexible. Stretching or tearing a ligament is commonly referred to as a sprain. While some ligament injuries such as a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) require surgery, mild ligament sprains respond well to massage therapy. As with tendonitis, there are specific massage techniques used to enhance circulation to the site of injury, speeding the healing process.

Binding all of these tissues is another form of connective tissue called fascia. A continuous membrane, it surrounds and permeates all aspects of the body from muscles, organs and bones to blood vessels and the nervous system. Like other connective tissues, fascial tightness and injury can create painful conditions. In some cases the fascia hardens and becomes scar tissue that can cause long-term pain. Myofascial release in particular reduces adhesions and enhances collagen remodeling during the healing cycle, resulting in pain reduction.

What you do to ease your pain is ultimately your decision. There are many paths to pain relief, both in traditional and alternative healthcare. It is important to choose what works for you. If massage therapy is among your choices for pain management, be sure to seek out a professionally trained practitioner. A therapist trained in assessment, anatomy and physiology, pathology, contraindications and hands-on therapeutic modalities will know how to differentiate the tissues of the body and determine the source of your pain. This increases your chance of an effective treatment plan that can bring you to days of waking up without pain.

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Sources:

1 www.amtamassage.org/research/2010-Massage-Therapy-Consumer-Survey-Fact-Sheet.html

		Julia C. Brunelle is a massage therapist at Creative Wellness in East Lansing. She is a graduate of Hope College and the Kalamazoo Center for the Healing Arts. She specializes in relaxation, neuromuscular therapy, myofascial release and reflexology.