Deep Muscle Massage and Pfrimmer Deep Muscle Therapy

In his book, The American Holistic Health Associations Complete Guide to Alternative Medicine, William Collinge, M.P.H., PhD. classifies deep tissue massage as a Contemporary Western massage type. Contemporary Western massage includes methods based primarily on modern Western concepts of human function, anatomy, and physiology, using a wide variety of manipulative techniques.

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These may include broad applications for personal growth, emotional release, and balance of mind-body-spirit in addition to traditional applications. These approaches go beyond the original framework or intention of Swedish massage.

Deep Tissue Massage is used to release chronic patterns of muscular tension using slow strokes, direct pressure, or friction usually on a focused problem area. Often the movements are directed across the grain of the muscles (cross-fiber) using the fingers, thumbs, or elbows. This is applied with greater pressure and at deeper layers of the muscle than Swedish massage and that is why it is called deep tissue. Deep Tissue Massage is a technique used in Sports Massage and will be discussed further in the future article on Sports Massage.

"Deep" doesn't necessarily mean "hard." With the proper technique, muscles deep in the body can be reached with a minimum of pressure.

Pfrimmer Deep Muscle Therapy® (PDMT), also referred to as Canadian Massage, was created by Therese Pfrimmer in the 1940's and led to the reversal of her own paralysis. It is an exacting series of cross-fiber movements employing principles of muscular restoration. It works across the muscles manipulating deep tissues, stimulating circulation and regenerating lymphatic flow, thus promoting detoxification and oxygenation of stagnant tissues. PDMT is designed to bring fluids into the cell, stimulating corrective changes on a cellular level. PDMT releases adherent and fibrous muscle conditions existing in deep layers of muscle and actually corrects muscles and other tissues which have become damaged. PDMT has a synergistic relationship with chiropractic and osteopathic. Treatment of damaged muscles aids chiropractic and osteopathic adjustments to the skeletal system.

Pfrimmer Deep Muscle Therapy® works for the correction and prevention of serious muscle conditions such as ALS, Multiple Sclerosis, Muscular Dystrophy, Parkinson's, Cerebral Palsy, brain injury and stroke. It has also been effective in alleviating sports injuries, trauma, occupational stresses, arthritis, fibrositis, backache, neck tension, chronic fatigue syndrome, constipation and circulatory problems, to name a few. Combined with traditional treatments of these conditions, it offers an added edge that can speed recovery or promote maximum improvement where traditional treatments leave off.

Resources used to reseach this article:

Web Sites
Pfrimmer Deep Muscle Therapy®

Books:
The American Holistic Health Associations Complete Guide to Alternative Medicine, William Collinge, M.P.H., PhD.

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