I think it is more to the comfort of the practitioner. Whatever way allows you to apply the technique with the least stress to practitioner is best. Also depends on what kind of feel you get from tissue. I personally prefer my thumbs for small areas. I use multiple fingers if working something like pecs. Try more translation of tissue versus compression. To much compression causes too much inflammation and duplicates the I=NF/AR formula.
What do you folks think of deep tissue massage? It’s the only thing I ever had access to and it hurts like a bitch. Surely one would be exposed to some ART techniques when getting a deep tissue massage right?
No, not at all. Maybe Mort can go into explaining differences that exist, but they aren’t the same, though many therapists may incorporate elements of both without thinking about it if they have been exposed.
Both can be equally effective for removing scar tissue. The main thing comes down to the practitioner because there are crappy masseuses and crappy ART practitioners alike (and good ones for both), but ART does give you a sort of minimum standard of care
Was able to get in and see the therapist who treats the vikings football team. He didn’t treat my hamstring much but focused on other areas he thought that was causing the tightness in my hamstring, gonna try and go in Tuesday morning for another session. He was very surprise that I have run the times I have this season with the problems I had going on in my hips etc.
I am also a massage therapist or at least went to school and graduated number one in 2 schools. The main difference is ART uses tissue translation and not deep compression. It is a very precise tool in the hands of someone who is experienced. Deep tissue is great when done properly. I think many tissue problems can be fixed with good tissue work, ART is just another tool in a practitioners tool box. Guys like Mike Prebeg, Steve Radovich, Mark Scappaticci have all transcended to higher levels beyond just ART. I have watched Prebeg work in person and it was amazing.
Deep tissue only hurts if one goes too fast. When you go to a practitioner who is trying to treat a large area in 60minutes then often they are just plowing through tissue. If you go someone goes really slow and you can learn to relax, it shouldn’t have much discomfort.
For ART, you need to go deep first (with flat contacts), then translate.
Also, getting deep tissue work would generally not expose you to any ART methods. ART uses client movements in 99.9% of the protocols.
Firstly, you do not break apart scar tissue:
http://www.physicaltherapyjournal.org/cgi/reprint/69/12/1014
Massage can be a means to an end for treating dysfunction. Often though, massage by itself is a temporary solution.
Graston is 99% of the time is the result of a lazy practitioner. One of the few instances it is more beneficial is when you have a small practitioner working on a large patient. It helps give some extra leverage and allows extra force to be used. However, if this is a necessity, if available, it’s better to get a larger/stronger practitioner.
Just because it takes you a while to feel warmed up doesn’t mean you have hamstring issues.
How can you say the best method for the patient is what it is most comforting for the practitioner? Hand massage is not comfortable. It’s damn work. Just because moving specifically molded metal is a hell of a lot easier than using your hands does not at all mean it is better for the patient.
Also, if you have a practitioner working 8 hours a day what’s most comfortable for him/her at 9am is unlikely going to be most comfortable for him/her at 4:30pm. Yet, if the first client of the day and the last client of the idea have the same exact issues, what’s best for the patient has not changed.
How did he diagnose your hamstrings as tight? What issues at the hip did he state?
The only thing I am saying is that the practitioner better be capable of delivering top technique, while minimizing damage to themselves. I can guarantee that you will not find an experienced practitioner who uses objects to apply better force. If you work tissue fro a long time, your hands get absolutely wrecked. Many ART practitioners end up with hand issues. I don’t agree with Graston unless the practitioner is top notch. It can be far too damaging in the hands of the inexperienced.
20 year old research?..myofibril repair is far different with contractile tissue than the generic skin model.
As for graston, leave the civil war tools for the lazy practitioners.