All memos tagged #deep-tissue-lexicon

Post-session soreness is a day or two of mild ache after deep work that fades on its own; sharp or lasting pain is not expected. In Deep Tissue Massage a worked region can feel used, like a hill...

Guarding is the reflex tightening that happens when pressure or pace exceeds what the body accepts. The muscle pushes back, the breath stops, or the person flinches. In Deep Tissue Massage that...

Depth is how far into the layers a stroke reaches, increased only after the surface has warmed. In Deep Tissue Massage depth is earned. A first pass stays superficial; later passes sink as the tissue...

Deep is the layer being worked, not how hard the practitioner pushes. In Deep Tissue Massage the word locates a plane under the surface — a muscle belly, a septum, a place that will not glide — not a...

Layering is working the superficial layers before the deeper ones. In Deep Tissue Massage the order is the method: warm the surface, then sink. Skipping a layer to "get in" is what makes the body...

Effleurage is long gliding strokes used to warm tissue at the start and close a region at the end. The hands travel the length of a muscle or a limb with even contact. In Deep Tissue Massage this is...

Broadening is spreading muscle fibers sideways with the palm or forearm to widen a bunched muscle. The stroke goes across the belly rather than along it, asking a packed muscle to take up more width....

Kneading is lifting and rolling muscle between the hands, also called petrissage. The tissue is picked up, squeezed, and rolled rather than pressed straight down. In Deep Tissue Massage it warms a...

Fiber direction is the grain of a muscle, which strokes follow to lengthen and cross to loosen. Along the grain, a slow stroke asks the muscle to take length. Across it, a short stroke asks packed...

Elbow work is using the forearm or the point of the elbow for slow, deep pressure over large muscles. The tool is broader than a thumb and smaller than a palm, so a quadriceps, a glute, or a back can...

Lengthening stroke is a slow stroke along the muscle from one end toward the other to encourage length. The hands follow the grain, not across it. In Deep Tissue Massage this is how a shortened belly...

Stripping is a slow, deep stroke along the full length of a muscle. The contact follows the grain from one end toward the other, sinking as the tissue allows. In Deep Tissue Massage it is a working...

Pressure scale is the 1-to-10 language used to keep pressure inside the client's range, typically staying at or below a 7. In Deep Tissue Massage the person names the number; the practitioner...

Slow tempo is the pace that lets deep layers accept pressure, since speed triggers guarding. In Deep Tissue Massage time is the other half of depth. A heavy stroke that moves quickly never arrives;...

Warm-up is the lighter strokes that prepare tissue before depth; skipping it is what makes deep work painful. In Deep Tissue Massage effleurage, kneading, and easy compression are the gate, not...

Working range is the pressure and depth a given area accepts on a given day. It changes with sleep, stress, load, and last session. In Deep Tissue Massage the practitioner finds that range rather...

The Deep Tissue Massage Glossary collects the terms used when Deep Tissue Massage appears in a Somatic Realignment Therapy session note, defined in plain language for clients. Glossary A Adhesion — a...