Deep tissue uses slow strokes, deep pressure, and trigger point techniques, to work deeply into muscle fibers. Generally, with a deep tissue massage, your massage therapist is working to release tight, dense muscles that may be littered with trigger points. A good way to describe what a trigger point is, is that it is a knot in your muscle fiber (could be any muscle) that has the ability to refer pain to other areas of your body, generally along nerve pathways. When you overuse a muscle, it becomes continually contracted and doesn’t know how to stop contracting, therefore producing a trigger point in the muscle fiber. Your massage therapist will communicate with your muscle fibers through massage, to help release trigger points so the muscle can stop over firing and release the tension around the knot. When the trigger point is released, you will feel your pain lessen, have increased range of motion, and have more energy.