Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Included below are answers to some of my clients’ most frequently asked questions. Give me a call or use my contact form to reach out if the answer to your question is not found here. I’m available to help!
“What is the difference between Swedish, Deep Tissue and Therapeutic Massage?”
Swedish massage is most often a relaxing, gentle massage. This massage is performed with lighter pressure. A Swedish massage activates the parasympathetic “rest and digest” nervous system. This type of massage is most likely performed for a full body experience with not much focus on any one body structure.
Deep Tissue Massage is a massage which focuses and aims on the deeper tissue and structures rather than whose which are superficial. A deep tissue massage will be more pressure and a bit more focused on certain areas of discomfort.
Therapeutic Massage does not necessarily mean painful or extreme pressure. A therapeutic massage will work with all structures around the area of discomfort. For example if you are experiencing low back pain, a therapeutic massage will include mid-back, low back, glutes and hamstrings.
What is the purpose of Cupping?
Modern Cupping is a descent of ancient Chinese methods of relieving pain. In order to understand cupping, you first need to understand the function of lymph in the body. Our body produces fluid called lymph. Lymph is a clear fluid which is everywhere in our body. It cushions organs, allows muscles and other tissue to glide over each smoothly, and perhaps most importantly, it carries white blood cells to areas of trauma. The lymph system does not include a pump system (i.e. heart) to move the lymph around the body.
Lymph travels via muscle contraction and gravity. If you are experiencing muscle tightness, the lymph stays stagnate in that particular area. It cannot navigate without the proper function of the muscle. This is where cupping comes in! Placing cups in an area of muscle tightness, we can create space between muscles and tissue. This space is created when the tissue is suctioned up into the cup. Once space is created, fresh, oxygenated blood can rush into the space to help muscle recovery and bring in fresh lymph.
Why do I have marks after cupping?
When the tissue is suctioned up into the cups allowing fresh, oxygenated blood to rush in, the stagnated lymph needs to go somewhere. It is pulled superficially towards the surface layer of the skin, resulting in circular or oval colored shapes.
Are the cupping marks bruises?
No, properly placed cups do not bruise the skin. Bruises indicate trauma to the skin which is the opposite of the technique of cupping. Some cupping marks will be darker than others. The darker the marks, the more stagnation the lymph was in the area. They should disappear in 24 hours to perhaps up to 4 days, depending on the level of stagnation of the lymph. Plenty of extra water will help those marks disappear quicker.
Does cupping hurt?
I’ve asked all my new cupping patients what it feels like to have cupping done. Most say it’s hard to describe but definitely doesn’t hurt. It’s more of a pinching feeling when the cups are first applied to the skin. Once the cups have been placed it takes 30-60 seconds for the tissue in the cups to become numb. Then there is no feeling produced by the cups.
What is Lymph?
Our body produces fluid called lymph. Fun fact: Blood is made up over 55% lymph! Lymph is a clear fluid which is everywhere in our body. It cushions organs, allows muscles and other tissue to glide over each other smoothly, and perhaps most importantly, it carries white blood cells to areas of trauma. The lymph system does not include a pump (i.e. heart) to move the lymph around the body.
Lymph travels via muscle contraction and gravity. If you are experiencing muscle tightness, the lymph stays stagnate in that particular area. It cannot navigate without the proper function of the muscle. This is where cupping comes in! Placing cups in an area of muscle tightness, we create space between muscles and tissue. This space is created when the tissue is suctioned up into the cup. Once space is created, fresh, oxygenated blood can rush into the space to help muscle recovery and bring in fresh lymph.
When a body experiences trauma (i.e. accident, surgery, health condition), lymph plays an important role in protecting the area and aids in the recovery process. Trauma creates many reactions within the body including excess lymph to the area of the trauma. This excess lymph is called edema. Edema results in a swollen and “squishy” feeling.
What is Manual Lymph Drain, (MLD)?
MLD is a technique whereby you are creating a suction, so to speak, to navigate lymph into the lymph nodes. MLD is not massage; however, many people refer to it as such. Fun fact: We have over 600 lymph nodes in our body. They are located everywhere!
Lymph nodes are small, kidney bean shaped, structures which filter lymph and deliver it back into the blood stream or out our body. When lymph is stagnated on its journey to the nodes, either due to trauma or muscle tightness, we can manually direct and navigate it using MLD.
Does MLD hurt?
MLD should NEVER hurt. We utilize MLD when edema is present. MLD is used to navigate and direct superficial lymph to the lymph nodes. It is a very light touch. If the pressure is not light, MLD is not effective.
Who should get MLD?
Anyone who has swelling around an area of trauma is definitely a candidate for MLD. This trauma can be in the form of pre-surgery, post-surgery, a sustained injury or dysfunction in an area. MLD is also very good for decongesting the body. If you’ve been ill (i.e. covid, cold, flu) and have an “icky” feeling or a feeling of being bloated, MLD is definitely for you.
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