Connective Tissue Massage (CTM)
Connective tissue massage (CTM) is a manipulative technique that facilitates the diagnosis and treatment of a wide range of pathologies. Observation and subsequent manipulation of the skin and subcutaneous tissues can have a beneficial effect upon tissues remote from the area of treatment. These effects appear to be mediated by neural reflexes that cause an increase in blood flow to the affected region together with suppression of pain. CTM is becoming accepted more widely as research confirms the claims of an expanding population of practitioners.

Connective Tissue Massage provides you with immediate relief from pain without using excessive force.
CTM gives you:
- Relief from chronic tension and pain.
- Increased ease of movement and flexibility.
- Improved posture.
- Enhanced self-awareness.
- Overall peace throughout your body.
- Lingering Pain. Due to the pressurized techniques used in a deep tissue massage, some people have suffered from some version of pain during and/or after their therapy session.
- Headaches/Migraines. …
- Fatigue or Sleepiness. …
- Inflammation. …
- Nausea.
- Stress Relief. Deep tissue massage is a great stress reliever. …
- Reduces Pain. …
- Lowers Blood Pressure and Heart Rate. …
- Breaks Up Scar Tissue & Makes Movement Easier. …
- Reduces Arthritis Symptoms. …
- Rehabilitates Injured Muscles. …
- Helps With Labor and Delivery.



…
Cartilage
- Hyaline cartilage – most represented type. …
- Elastic cartilage – has many elastic fibers. …
- Fibrocartilage – has many collagen I molecules.


More on Connective Tissue
Connective tissue is made out of cells, fiber, and water. It is situated between the blood vessels and the nerves and it has a supporting function. Healthy connective tissue is smooth and stretchy.
Age, stress, an unhealthy lifestyle, and heredity (unfortunately) deteriorate the connective tissue. Your blood flow will decrease and your body will build up tension. On the outside, you can notice a bad blood flow by acne for example, or wrinkles and skin relaxation.
You can avoid this by doing sports, yoga for example, but also by eating vegetables and legumes, drinking enough water (at least 2 liters per day), and undergoing connective tissue massages. This probably is the anti-aging treatment of the moment!
The connective tissue massage stimulates the blood flow, improves your skin structure, breaks apart the adhesion, reduces tightness in your muscles, and strengthens and tightens the connective tissue of your skin.
The word massage might be misleading, while in contrast to a normal massage, relaxation is not really what we aim at with this treatment. We can also call it deep tissue therapy. During the session, the therapist will exercise manual pressure on your skin. He or she might use their hands, fingertips, knuckles, forearms, or elbows. He or she will start with pulling and pinching your skin on the zones where you will be treated. If you have a problem zone, with a muscle strain, for example, the treatment might hurt some more in this zone.
The massage activates your blood flow in the connective tissue, which results in the production of elastin and collagen fibers. If your blood flow is good, your skin will be more capable of taking in the nutrients.
The session will be adapted to your personal needs and problem zones. Also, the level of pressure can be adapted from person to person, so feel free to indicate to your massage therapist what your comfort level is. It will always hurt a little, but you should not be screaming because you’re suffering too much! And as they don’t feel what you feel, you’ll have to tell your therapist.
Overall, connective tissue massage has the following benefits:
- Better skin condition
- Improvement of the nutrients take-in
- Reducing the subcutaneous adhesion
- Stimulation of the blood flow
- Strengthen and creating of new connective tissue
- Finer pores
- Positive effect on acne
- Improvement of skin structure and skin tone
- Reducing wrinkles, crow’s feet, and scars
- More elastic skin
- It relieves chronic pain
Who Will Benefit By A Deep Tissue Massage?
The following types of people should experience benefits from deep tissue therapy.
– Office workers or people that spend much time in their car. They tend to have stiff necks and shoulders and suffer from back pains because they spend long times if the same position. A deep tissue therapy would do them good!
– Athletes who require endurance and physical efforts on a regular basis from their bodies and who might suffer from muscle strains.
– People with recovered injuries. As the massage works on the healing process of the scars, this might be very beneficial for breaking up the scar tissue.
- Skin relaxation
- Bags under your eyes
- Reduction of the nasal lips fold
- Bad blood circulation and/or rosacea
- Gray skin or smoker’s skin
- Wrinkles or crow’s feet
- Adhesions
- Scars
more info at:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1478845/pdf/brjsmed00027-0021.pdf

*Disclaimer: This information is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease without consulting with a qualified healthcare provider.
Please consult your healthcare provider with any questions or concerns you may have regarding your condition.
The information provided is for educational purposes only and is not intended as a diagnosis, treatment, or prescription of any kind. The decision to use, or not to use, any information is the sole responsibility of the reader. These statements are not expressions of legal opinion relative to the scope of practice, medical diagnosis, or medical advice, nor do they represent an endorsement of any product, company, or specific massage therapy technique, modality, or approach. All trademarks, registered trademarks, brand names, registered brand names, logos, and company logos referenced in this post are the property of their owners.