Maria Pali our Massage Therapist and Well-being Practitioner who offers a range of in-clinic massage treatments from Clinical and Sports massage to holistic therapies such as Reflexology, has written a blog post for us. Read on to find out about Soft Tissue Therapy.

When a Massage was just a Massage

Once upon a time, a massage was a massage. You asked for it to be firm or soft. You asked
the therapist to work on the bit of your body that felt tense or sore. Maybe you just got a
massage for some ‘me time’ to help with stress and to relax.

Most of us still want that.

Many body therapists now refer to themselves as ‘Soft Tissue Therapists’ so what does this
new term mean and how does this make them different from a regular masseuse?

Firstly, what are soft tissues?

In body work this generally refers to the parts of our body that are malleable and include
muscles, tendons, ligaments, skin and most importantly fascia.

Fascia is a kind of connective tissue which runs throughout our body like a 3d spiders web.
Myofascia refers to the fascia that surrounds and connects muscles. Fascia is important to
help with posture, movement, flexibility and strength. In a healthy state it is soft and flexible
and moves easily. Trauma, poor posture, surgery or overuse from repetitive tasks or
exercise can make this connective tissue hard, brittle and weak and can lead to pain or injury.

Soft Tissue Therapists are highly trained and skilled and physically work with these tissues to
smooth out adhesions, stretch out tight areas and encourage repair of damaged tissue.
Massage Therapists such as Deep Tissue or Sports, Remedial or Clinical and Myofascial
Release Specialists are all in fact Soft Tissue Therapists. However, a highly trained therapist
will have a much greater level of knowledge and skill than a regular masseuse. They will
advise you on rehab and exercise if needed.

How can Soft Tissue Therapy help you?

Well, for starters, it feels great. Sometimes there is some discomfort as stuck tissues release
but a good therapist will always work with you so that you never go beyond a threshold that
you are comfortable with. Forget the ‘no pain, no gain’ trend. Any discomfort should feel
therapeutic and, in many cases, the lightest of pressure can yield the greatest release.
Soft Tissue Therapy is a great way to maintain your body. It encourages you to stay loose
and flexible. If you have tight muscles or chronic pain from sitting at a desk all day or are
feeling the strain from your sports training program, then it’s a soft tissue therapist you
should see.

Maria Pali is one of our massage therapists and offers Soft Tissue Therapy. She trained at the
renowned Jing Massage School and has been practising for 9 years. Please visit her website
on mariapali.co.uk to book one of the Soft Tissue Therapies she offers (Deep Tissue,
Clinical or Sports Massage) Or call Maria on 07789 465941 to discuss which treatments will suit you best.