Soft Tissue Treatments

I use a few different methods to directly address soft tissue problems such as tight muscles, trigger points (“muscle knots”), scar tissue, tendinitis, and sprains and strains.

Percussive Massage – One tool that I’ve found to be extremely effective for soft tissue conditions is my “Vibracussor” percussive massager, which provides a deep vibration through the tissues being treated.

Most massagers use either a side to side or elliptical motion against the skin, but percussive massagers deliver vibration perpendicular to the area of treatment.

This results in a much more penetrating wave of vibration that allows for treatment of deep structures that would be out of reach of manual massage techniques.

In recent years, there’s been a lot of home percussive massagers from different makers hitting the market.

While the vibration is not as smooth nor as quiet as what my professional grade machine provides, these “massage guns” as they’re often called, are beneficial in most cases and are worth considering for home treatment for anyone with significant muscle or other soft tissue restrictions.

Just be careful and take it easy when you first start using such a machine, as overuse and/or pressing in too hard with the treatment head can result in major soreness and even inflammation in the area being treated.

Manual Soft Tissue Techniques – Although I use the percussive massager quite a bit, I also employ various manual soft tissue release techniques, such as deep massage, trigger point therapy, PNF / CRAC stretching, manual traction, and a combination of friction massage and assisted stretching.

Because oils and lotions tend to cause difficulties with performing chiropractic adjustments (my hands slide off the contact for the adjustments), I typically don’t use them as a massage therapist would, but instead apply techniques over clothing or on dry skin.

Deep Massage – I think this is fairly self-explanatory. I basically use my hands and/or elbows to produce very firm pressure on tight muscles.

Trigger Point Therapy – This method also uses deep pressure, but is applied to smaller, more focal areas of contraction.

Trigger point therapy alternates deep pressure with release of pressure to stimulate circulation through the point of contraction, which assists in releasing it.

PNF (Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation) and CRAC (Contract, Relax, Antagonist Contract) Stretching – These are forms of assisted stretching in which I put the tight muscle into a stretched position, have the patient actively push back against the stretch, then pause momentarily before stretching the muscle further.

The main difference between PNF and CRAC is that in CRAC, the patient actually moves into the stretch after the pause by contracting the muscles that work in opposition to the muscle being stretched.

Both PNF and CRAC use neurological reflexes to relax the muscle being stretched, allowing for a more thorough, and usually more comfortable stretch.

Manual Traction – I use different techniques to apply traction to the spine and other joints, depending on the area I’m working on, but they all involve pulling or pushing things apart to decompress the joints and surrounding tissues.

This can be helpful for tight muscles, symptoms caused by bulging or degenerated spinal discs, and “jammed” joints (for example, traction techniques can often help a stubbed toe – once the possibility of a fracture has been ruled out) .

The Combination of Friction Massage and Assisted Stretching – This is particularly useful for areas of chronic muscle knots, scar tissue, and other areas of soft tissue contraction.

Basically, I use a quick back and forth massage across the contracted area before stretching it. The massage begins to break up the contraction, allowing for a greater loosening effect during the stretch.

More In-Depth Soft Tissue Treatment – In most cases, the methods I use, particularly when combined with chiropractic adjustments, will provide good results fairly quickly.

There are situations though in which there is more contraction of the tissue than is practical for me to address in the usual time allotted for my appointments.

If I feel that you would benefit from more intensive soft tissue treatment sessions, I will typically recommend you see a massage therapist who specializes in deep tissue, or perhaps an Airrosti practitioner, depending on the nature of your problem.

Usually a few visits with such a practitioner will get you past the worst of your soft tissue problems and allow for a better overall outcome.