Massage therapists and their clients are at times unclear about the definition of massage therapy, which creates challenges for the profession. Massage is generally defined as manipulation of soft tissue, whereas massage therapy is the systematic application of massage to enhance health and well-being. It is common practice to use the terms “massage” and “massage therapy” interchangeably when, in fact, they are two separate concepts. Let’s investigate the current definition t

Posture and Your Muscles Poor posture shifts the body weight unevenly to some muscles, making them chronically tight and sore, while others get weak from under-use. Imbalanced muscles create an un-even pull on the bones of the spine, shoulders and hips, causing misalignment and in some cases, spinal nerve stress. That nerve stress leads to even tighter muscles, and the vicious cycle goes on and on. This is a common pattern in people with fibromyalgia, headaches, shoulder pain