JARROD FRITZ
Jarrod C. Fritz, Licensed Massage Therapist SC# 3692
By: Jarrod C. Fritz, LMT
A Functional Look at Massage
Anyone who has received a massage knows how relaxing and calming it can be to combat the stressors of life. There are many times massage is just associated with low lighting, ambient mellow music, and a gentle beneficial touch. Often times the additional benefits that therapeutic massage can have on posture and the functions of our bodies during our everyday lives get overlooked or never presented properly. Let’s take a moment to take a look at the additional and very important benefits of massage.
The human body is designed to provide movement to achieve activities necessary for survival and everyday life. The skeletal system’s role is to act as a foundation to anchor the muscles, but it’s the muscles themselves that supply proper movement. Before we get into the muscles and how they affect our posture, let’s get familiar with “connective tissue.” A good way to think of connective tissues is like a wetsuit that is between your muscles and skin that is one continuous tissue that envelopes every muscle, organ, and cell to properly maintain structure and optimize our functions.
When a muscle gets injured, overworked, or even underworked; the muscle will tighten up or become overstretched and bind to connective tissue for stability and support. When the muscles start binding to the connective tissue, it begins causing imbalances in our posture due to the fact that the bones where the muscles attached are being pulled out of proper form. These imbalances also cause distortions in the joints which can lead to pain and discomfort. In addition, since the connective tissue surrounds the organs as well as the muscles, when binding occurs there will be limited movement in the connective tissue that can have the potential to cause issues with the organs and therefore the normal functions of our bodies.
To avoid any of the issues associated with tight muscles causing postural distortions, you can research and visit a massage therapist who is well versed in identifying postural imbalances. The therapist can then utilize specific massage techniques to relieve the tension in the muscles as well as separate them from the connective tissue restrictions. Regular massage treatments can not only help you feel relaxed and reduce pain, but also maintain your body’s proper function.