Engaging Muscles Massage

With twenty-seven years of experience as a licensed massage therapist and thousands of one-on-one hours as a nationally certified personal trainer, I recognize that tight muscles are a symptom of instability. That wasn't always the case, though. It took seven years to realize that tight muscles are the brain's way of protecting us from ourselves. I released muscles and recommended stretches for the first seven years of providing massage therapy. That's what was taught in massage school, after all. When clients repeatedly came in with tight muscles, I realized our brains are hard-wired to protect. See, beyond our conscious awareness, muscles tighten to protect us from going into positions our brains perceive to be vulnerable to an injury. So when we stretch, foam roll, or have licensed professionals release muscles with deep tissue, muscles tighten up within twenty-four hours, rinse, repeat. It's a vicious cycle. At Engaging Muscles Massage, I ignore the tight muscles and fascia. To get to the root cause, I address the muscles that are neurologically incapable of performing their role to the best of their ability. After addressing the tendinous attachments of the underperforming muscles with a deep tissue sports massage technique, the underperforming muscles are fully capable of pulling their weight. Within seconds, the brain recognizes the increased stability at the joints where the range of motion was restricted. When the brain recognizes it no longer needs to protect, the tight muscles relax because they no longer have to compensate for the neurologically inhibited muscles.