Massage therapy has a wide-ranging variety of techniques, one of which, as the name implies, involves working on the deeper tissues in the muscles. Having grasped the basic principals of massage and gained an understanding of human anatomy, the next step is to decide what type of massage you wish to do and what techniques are applicable in certain situations.

A good starting point to learn the basics of massage is to begin with Swedish massage, and then afterwards progress to learning deep tissue massage techniques. There are not radically different from Swedish massage techniques but are applied further into the muscles.

By and large, deep tissue massage is effective when used to treat chronic tension and muscle pain, and to treat clients who partake of strenuous physical activity – either athletic pursuits or heavy physical labor. My personal preference when using deep tissue techniques is to combine them with lighter Swedish strokes and Trager movement therapy. This combination helps flush the lymphatic system leaving less soreness afterwards and allows the client to reach a deeper state of relaxation. It also allows the practitioner to use a less strenuous technique in between periods of more strenuous effort.

The level of pressure that can be applied using deep tissue therapy can be quite considerable, and it is important to check in with the client regularly. If they are climbing into the table, you are probably applying too much pressure. Proper positioning of the table and good body mechanics is important, as it is easy to injure oneself if the client is positioned either too high or too low to allow you to comfortably work at higher pressures. The main aim of deep tissue massage is tension relief, and works by vigorously encouraging the muscle to let go.

Unlike Swedish massage it is not unusual to apply pressure using the elbow or forearm, and in some Eastern schools, even with the foot, standing on the client. There are a number of both eastern and western deep tissue methods – Shiatsu, Trigger Point therapy, and a number of others could realistically be called “deep tissue,” massage.

Generally deep tissue massage takes more effort on behalf of the practitioner and is a technique that it is difficult to use for hours on end, especially when using traditional western techniques i.e. applying pressure with their hands. A therapist using their hands attempting to do 10 deep tissue massages a day in a spa setting will likely burn out very quickly.