National Massage Therapy Awareness Week: More Than Relaxation

October 25th-31st is the 30th Annual National Massage Therapy Awareness Week® (NMTAW).

Massage therapy is more than just relaxation. At Sparkle Health, we offer targeted therapies that work with different systems in your body.

Lymphatic System

Manual lymphatic drainage is a very light, specialized massage that uses gentle stretching of the skin to help move extra fluid and waste out of your tissues and toward your lymph nodes.

What to Expect During Your Session

• The pressure is very soft — like the weight of a nickel — because heavier pressure can bypass delicate lymph vessels.
• No lotion or cream is used during this session.
• Light stretching of your skin: You will feel a mild, rhythmic pulling or stretching sensation on the surface of your skin, not deep muscle compression.
• No pain or friction: The treatment should never hurt, pinch, or cause skin redness.
• Deep relaxation: The slow movements often calm your nervous system, making you feel deeply rested, sleepy, or serene.
• A sense of movement: You might feel a gentle internal shifting sensation as fluid drains away from swollen areas.

What to Expect After the Session

• Lighter feeling: You may notice that swollen areas feel softer, looser, or less heavy.
• Need to use the restroom: You will likely need to urinate more often or in larger amounts. This is normal because your body is flushing out the extra fluid.
• Mild tiredness: Some people feel a little bit tired or relaxed for the rest of the day as the body processes the waste removal.
• Deep calm: Your body stays in a “rest and digest” state, leaving you feeling very peaceful.

Nervous System

Neuromuscular Technique (NMT) is a specialized form of massage that focuses on finding and releasing hidden trigger points and muscle spasms. It balances the relationship between your nervous system and your muscular system to relieve chronic pain, improve posture, and help your body function smoothly.

Instead of just rubbing the surface of the muscle, NMT targets the exact spots where nerve communication gets “glitched” or restricted, usually due to stress, repetitive movement, or old injuries.

How Your Nervous System Will React

Although we also are impacting your Muscular system, your nervous system is the main target of NMT. Right now, your body is likely stuck in a “neuromuscular pain loop”—your muscles are tight, which cuts off blood flow, which causes pain, which makes the nervous system tighten the muscle even more.

NMT breaks this loop in two ways:

• The Reset Button: The steady pressure acts as a biological “reset button” for your muscle receptors. It interrupts the panic signals being sent to your brain and forces the nervous system to drop its defenses.
• Shifting Out of Fight-or-Flight: NMT helps shift your autonomic nervous system away from stress (sympathetic state) and into your rest-and-digest mode (parasympathetic state). You might notice your breathing deepen, your stomach rumble, or a sudden wave of calm wash over you during the session.

What to Expect During the Session

• Focused, steady pressure: For this technique, I am primarily using my thumbs to apply precise, static pressure to specific tight spots (trigger points). Pressure varies and depends on your desired result.
• “Good pain” sensation: As pressure is applied, you will likely feel a deep, intense ache. Clients often describe this as a “satisfying” or “productive” discomfort because it feels like the therapist is hitting the exact source of the pain.
• Referred sensation: When certain points are pressed, you might feel a dull ache or tingling travel to another part of your body. For example, pressing a knot in your shoulder might send a sensation up into your neck or down your arm. This is completely normal and tells us we are on the right track.

What to Expect After the Session

• Immediate relief and openness: You will likely notice a significant increase in your range of motion right away. The area will feel lighter, looser, and less restricted.
• Temporary fatigue: Because NMT deeply affects your nervous system, you might feel deeply relaxed or slightly tired after your appointment. Listen to your body, you may enjoy a mid day nap later in the day.
• Increased thirst: Your body will be flushing out metabolic waste released from the tight muscles, so drinking plenty of water afterward is highly recommended.

Muscular System

Clinical massage is a targeted, result based approach to resolve a specific dysfunction/condition, soft tissue injury or pain pattern. This is not a relaxing massage, rather it is a combination of Trigger Point Therapy, Myofascial, Deep Tissue and Neuromuscular Therapy to achieve a desired result.

What to Expect During a Session

• Variable pressure is used during these sessions, but it should never get to the point of being intolerable. Described as therapeutic pain, some call it a “good hurt”.
• Communication is critical during these sessions so I don’t use a pressure that causes you any additional pain.

What to Expect to Feel After the Session

• Mild tenderness: It is normal to feel some mild muscle soreness or tenderness the next day, similar to a light workout.
• Looser movement: You should notice an improved range of motion or a decrease in your specific ache over the next few days.
• Temporary fatigue: Some clients feel tired or thirsty as the body recovers; drinking extra water helps.
• In the days following you will notice decreased pain, a noticeable increase in your range of motion and improved posture.

A typical Massage session at Sparkle Health will utilize one of these approaches, many sessions will include several of them. It is not unusual to come in for work on a specific area and I would use both a Clinical massage approach to resolve a chronic pain pattern and will finish up with lymphatic drainage to reduce swelling. It is also common to come in for a relaxation massage and the session will either start or end with a little nervous system work. Each session is customized for what you need that day.

To enhance your Massage treatment, consider adding a session on our PEMF mat or in our Infrared Sauna. Either or both can be added to your massage for an additional charge.