Massage Therapy Business Cards

You have probably stumbled across the words “neuromuscular massage” or “neuromuscular therapy” in your research if you are like the thousands of other people in this world who have turned to massage therapy in an attempt to ease pain.

The two terms which has been used for several hundred years and refer to the same practice are therapy massage and interchangeable. Consists of focused, concentrated massage on one specific area of the body neuromuscular massage is an intense form of bodywork. Designed to alleviate tension that extends from a “trigger point” into an entire muscle, the pressure may continue for a period of up to thirty seconds at a time.

When a muscle spasms – due to one of any number of stimuli – it is not caused by a spasm in the entire muscle, but by a spasm in a very centralized area of the muscle, which may then reverberate to other areas of the muscle, causing pain. These are the theory behind neuromuscular massage.

Because the area that “triggers” pain in another area of the muscle, sometimes called referring or transferring, this small area is called a trigger point.

Blood flow to that area is severely decreased, sometimes ceasing altogether when a muscle (or trigger point) spasms in the body. Oxygen necessary for the muscle to work properly is also decreased, causing a buildup of lactic acid when the blood flow is diminished. This causes a sensation similar to the one felt after a long workout – muscle soreness.

The buildup of lactic acid combined with the body’s desire to compensate for the pain will inevitably lead to less blood flow, less oxygen, and the continued production of lactic acid because of the problem that this can turn into a vicious cycle of soreness and pain. This is why muscle soreness and pain can continue for years unabated.

Please also check out my other guide on massage therapy insurance and master massage tables