Massage and the Protective Layers
The skin is an incredible organ (your body’s largest one in fact) which covers the entire outside of the body, and is filled with nerve endings, sensors, capillaries, glands, fat and connective tissue. There are three layers of skin. First, the epidermis acts as your bodies first defense. It has sublayers beginning with the top layer called the stratum corneum (dead skin cells) and finishing with the stratum basale where new skin cells are produced and moved outward. The next layer, the dermis, has two main zones: the papillary dermis and the denser reticular dermis. The papillary dermis is rich in blood vessels and provides nutrition to the epidermis layers. It also contains the nerve structure and provides thermoregulation to the underlying structures. The reticular dermis provides strength and elasticity to the skin layers and houses hair follicles as well as sweat and sebaceous glands. The final layer is the hypodermis which is a network of adipose, or fat, tissue designed to cushion and insulate underlying structures.
When receiving massage modalities where oils or creams are used in tandem with friction work, exfoliation and the removal of dead skin will take place. It accelerates an exchange at the cellular level within the skin that promotes remodeling of the skin matrix via the production of collagen. Collagen is a key protein for maintaining skin elasticity and strength.
Techniques such as squeezing, pressing and stretching of the skin causes the deeper sebaceous glands to be stimulated. The stimulation of these glands is beneficial for the lubrication of hair follicles which leads to better hydration of the skin. This third step is crucial in keeping the newly exposed skin cells fresher, longer preventing dullness and giving your skin a healthy glow. This hydration also increases the efficacy of additional hydrating products applied to the skin, either through at home care or during the massage service.
The body naturally produces a stress hormone called cortisol. This hormone can hinder the natural process of cell production and increase the likelihood of inflammation in various areas of the body, particularly the skin layer. The stress relieving nature of therapeutic touch will engage the parasympathetic nervous system and slow the production of cortisol, allowing the body to metabolize it more quickly and reduce its negative effects.
The next layer of protection is fascia. Fascia is a type of connective tissue that surrounds and supports muscles, bones, and organs in the body. It is a fibrous, three-dimensional network of collagen fibers and other proteins that provides structural support and helps to distribute forces throughout the body. Your fascia is one continuous structure, connected to each body part in some way. If there’s a snag in the tissue in one part of your body, it can cause pain in another part.
There are several layers of fascia in the body, including superficial fascia (located just beneath the skin), deep fascia (surrounding muscles), and visceral fascia (surrounding internal organs). Fascia also contains nerves and blood vessels that supply the tissues it surrounds.
Normally, fascia is flexible and stretchy, able to move without any restrictions. When the body experiences any kind of trauma, your fascia loses its flexibility causing it to become tight and more rigid. Tightness and rigidity will cause pain, muscle fatigue and decreased range of motion.
Releasing tightness in the fascia is a different process than releasing tension from muscle tissue. In this technique, the therapist finds a tight area, gives weight with compression to encourage blood flow to the area, and waits to feel the tissue “let go.” When appropriate, movement through these tight areas can be very useful in literally pulling the tissue out of contraction and restriction.
When restricted fascia affects a small area, it is often referred to as a trigger point. The most obvious characteristic of a trigger point is when the client feels the pain radiating through the affected tissue to another location. In these cases, pinpoint compression can be useful in overwhelming the pain sensors of those tissues in an attempt to force them to release. Sustained pressure on such a specific point can be a challenge for the therapist so they may utilize other techniques to achieve this goal. Kneading or friction of the tissue will encourage renewed blood flow and alter the way the brain perceives the signals from this area of tissue. Resetting or re-patterning the sensory receptors can be very useful in relieving pain.
