Chattanooga Massage

Therapeutic and Medical Massage

When most people think of massage, one word comes to mind: relaxation. While it is true that a massage is relaxing, there are specific healing properties involved in massage as well. In the long history of Traditional Chinese Medicine, massage has played an integral role. For the human body to function efficiently and comfortably muscles and bones need to be in the right places; massage helps make that happen.

There are lots of types of massage, but really they all come down to using touch to manipulate energy and muscle. Wayne has been trained in many types of massage, with extensive training in Deep Tissue, Trigger Points, Acupressure, Neuromuscular Therapy and Tui Na. He has taken the best from each of those specialties to develop his own powerful massage technique.

To help you understand the components that make up Wayne’s unique massage technique, here are the basics of each of the types of massage he incorporates:

Deep Tissue

Chronic pain, injury recovery, fibromyalgia and a host of other specific conditions are treatable with deep tissue massage. Unlike forms of massage that are given primarily for relaxation, deep tissue massage is focused work. It is to help patients find relief from a specific problem.

Deep tissue massage focuses on the underlying layers of muscle, tendons and fascia. Many people report feeling sore the day after a deep tissue massage. It is an intense and effective treatment.

Trigger Points

Trigger points are nodules, or especially tender, spots in bands of muscle. These sensitive points can cause pain locally – the trigger point itself hurts – and they can cause referred pain – a different spot hurts because of the trigger point. During a trigger point massage, the massage therapist uses finger pressure to release the tension causing pain.

Bad habits are often the cause of trigger point pain, so correcting poor posture, or learning to do a frequently performed task differently, or some other re-training is necessary. Additionally, sometimes it takes a few trigger point massage therapy sessions to achieve full relief from the pain.

Acupressure

As one of the oldest of the five branches of Traditional Chinese Medicine, acupressure has a long and carefully studied history. Acupressure and acupuncture use the same key points on the body’s 12 meridians, but with acupressure there are no needles. Acupressure triggers your body’s natural, self-healing tendencies.

Acupressure has been used successfully to help children relax before surgery, to reduce nausea in patients who have had major surgery and in many other instances when Western medicine has not been effective. It promotes healing, relaxation and energy and blood flow throughout the body.

Neuromuscular Therapy

If you combine trigger point massage with deep tissue massage, the result is going to be something very similar to neuromuscular therapy. Neuromuscular therapy is a modern, science based type of massage that focuses on pain relief. It is often used to alleviate neck and back pain, but can be used to treat other conditions as well.

Tui Na

Tui Na is Chinese orthopedic massage. As with all Traditional Chinese Medicine, the goal of Tui Na is to bring the body into balance, so it is not only used to treat conditions, but also to prevent ailments or painful conditions from developing to begin with. While some of the components of Tui Na resemble what you might think of as a “regular” massage, the practice goes much farther.

Tui Na could almost be thought of as a sort of cross between chiropractic and massage. It is also a method of diagnosis used by practitioners of Traditional Chinese Medicine. In other words, using his hands to palpitate and feel the energies of your body, Wayne could use Tui Na to diagnose your condition before deciding upon the proper treatment, which could consist of herbal formulas, acupuncture, massage, or a combination of the three.