18/11/2025
This amazing article by a really wise person(Shaun Brewster)is showing us the latest evidence in how massage really integrates within us. ✨
"Old school manual therapy education told us that we press into tissues and that causes mechanical changes in the properties of that tissue.
“Breaking up adhesions”, “lengthening fibres” — that sort of thing.
We’ve come a long way since those ideas were considered truth.
Now we have a much more realistic and evidence-informed understanding of what happens when we apply manual therapy for our patients.
Yes, there are changes that occur in the tissue, though we are not forcing structural change with our hands like we once thought.
It is far more a case of changes in the chemical environment due to alterations to blood vessel size, and also due to the wide range of sensory input we create with our touch.
Beyond the tissue, we also generate neurological input that drives to the spinal cord, which in turn will: follow the link for the rest which is so interesting.
If you’ve sat in a class room with me, you’ve most likely heard me talk about four levels of effect when it comes to manual therapies.
