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Myaofascial massage

May 20 2025

Massage Therapy Santa Cruz – Quality Massage Near Santa Cruz

Tom Back Pain, Benefits of Deep Tissue Massage, Chronic Pain, Massage Benefits, Myaofascial massage deep tissue massage, massage therapy, Pain Relief

Massage Therapy Santa Cruz – How To Get Quality Massage Near Santa Cruz

If you are looking for an excellent massage therapy Santa Cruz, I’ll give you the inside story on “who’s who” and how they rate! Also, I’ll give you a comprehensive view on different types of massage and how to find what you specifically are looking for. So, 1st off, let’s dive into the different types of massage [including massage therapy].

Massage is perhaps one of the oldest healing traditions used by many ancient peoples. This includes the Ancient Greeks, Chinese, and Indians who used massage to treat a variety of ailments. In the massage industry of the United States, massage can be broken down into 2 basic categories: Relaxation and Therapeutic.

Relaxation massage is kinda self explanatory. It’s gentle, soothing and aims to relieve muscle tension, increase circulation, and promote a relaxed state. People who get relaxation massage usually don’t have any specific kind of issues that need specific attention. But, this type of massage is very relaxing and relieves muscle tension.

Therapeutic massage, on the other hand, does address problem areas of the body. People seeking this massage style are usually wanting to focus on an ailment. It can be simply stress build up, low back pain, knee tightness, etc. I do orthopedic bodywork – see below for more info about me and the strategies I use to resolve pain and dysfunction in your body.

Examples of Relaxation vs Therapeutic – Massage Therapy Santa Cruz

Examples of Relaxation massage: Swedish, pre-natal, reflexology, aromatherapy, hot stone, Shiatsu, Thai, hot stone, loom loom, and chair massage. These styles of massage are really for relaxation, tension relief, stress reduction and resetting your nervous system toward calmness.

Examples of Therapeutic massage: orthopedic [what I do], deep tissue, sports, lymphatic, myofascial, craniosacral, oncology, abhyanga, and trigger point massage. Therapeutic massage directly addresses problem areas in your body that you’d like to make better! It can also be relaxing despite what you may think – and it will def help you feel better in the long run!

What I Do – Massage Therapy Santa Cruz

I specialize in Orthopedic Massage (OM), a focused form of therapeutic bodywork designed to identify and treat the root causes of pain and dysfunction. While traditional massages often prioritize relaxation—something OM also provides—this approach goes deeper to tackle the underlying issues behind discomfort. When a client comes to me with an injury or bodily imbalance, I begin with a detailed assessment. By using orthopedic tests, I identify the true source of the problem and rule out any conditions. This ensures that your treatments are precise and tailored to your needs!

My whole process starts by addressing your immediate pain or discomfort, which can often be alleviated within a session or two. Once this initial relief is achieved, deeper issues usually surface. You can use ANY of these ways to contact me: My Website; tpett.ortho.massage@gmail.com 831.818.6916

At this stage, I’ll work closely with you to address these underlying problems, carefully peeling back the layers to uncover and resolve the root cause. Achieving lasting relief and balance takes time, but the results are deeply rewarding. This will give you a renewed sense of comfort and ease in your body.

Rating Other Massage Therapists near Santa Cruz

There are a lot of good massage therapists! Here’s my breakdown based on my experience with them: 1] Maria Fernandez, bodyworkbymariaf@gmail.com; 2] Shawna Ristic, shawna@shawnaristic.com; 3] Don Grey, 4] https://www.healingwaveswellness.com/massage/ 5] Durga Erskine, info@durgaom.com

And, a bit further away, in Aptos: 1] you can contact me for massage therapy Santa Cruz; visit my website where you can learn more about me as well as my contact info: www.tompettengill.com 2] email me directly without browsing my website – tpett,ortho.massage@gmail.com; 3] visit my Yelp page and read the reviews: https://www.yelp.com/biz/tom-pettengill-massage-santa-cruz-17?osq=Massage+Therapy

Also, in the Aptos/Capitola area: 1] Jennifer Yamaguchi is really good – she’s worked on me a lot with wonderful results! Jen.moonmountain@mail.com; 2] Meghan Robinson, rmeghanis@gmail.com. Here’s a link [from Yelp] about the ranking of Massage Therapists in the Santa Cruz area.

Strategies I Use For Bodywork

For massage therapy Santa Cruz, I use certain massage techniques to ease your body’s discomfort. If you have pain that is acute [just happened recently and is more than a minor pain], massage has to be gentle so it doesn’t make things worse. A technique I use is called MET is perfect in this case.

Working with chronic pain, the best technique is to slowly unravel it. That means taking the time to “unpeel the onion.” I specifically don’t go too deep at the beginning because the outer layers may be too tight to let go. I believe that this particular strategy is much more effective by allowing your body to adjust to the changes and then integrate those corrections. One-step-at-a-time is the best strategy!

How To Find What You’re Looking For

Above, in this blog, are names of practitioners who know massage therapy Santa Cruz. I would be honored to discuss your particular issue[s] and talk about the best approach for you to get better! There are also several other therapists noted above who can do quality work – especially Maria Fernandez and Shawna Ristic. If you need immediate bodywork and they are too busy, my schedule is usually open in a few days!

Otherwise, how to find a quality practitioner for massage therapy Santa Cruz? THE BEST WAY is to ask a friend. Or, you can look on Yelp . . . tho the most common way is to Google massage therapy Santa Cruz. When you find someone, read their reviews but also check out their website to see if you feel in tine with who they are!

How To Contact Me

If you want to discuss your situation and talk about your specific issues, please call me directly – and I will gladly talk to you for free: This initial discussion won’t cost you anything but will give you more info about what I do and who I am – especially how I approach bodywork in an effective way: 831.818.6916

May 8 2024

Benefits of Myofascial Massage – Working With The Fascia Around Muscles is Where The Real Progress Happens!

Tom Myaofascial massage deep tissue massage, effective massage, myofascial massage

Myofascial massage has many benefits – and very important ones! But 1st, here’s a definition of the myofascia in the body: it refers to the fascia that surrounds muscles. OK but what is fascia and why does is surround muscles? Since the early 2000’s, fascia has been the buzz of the manual therapy community – it has become probably the most studied aspect of massage, osteopathy, chiropractic, PT, etc.
We’re going to go deeply into the benefits of myofascial massage but it will make more sense if we grasp the knowledge of what fascia is and how it relates to muscles.

What is Fascia?

In the old days, everyone thought fascia was simply the soft flexible covering of muscles. In fact, early dissection techniques focused only on muscles – and therefore, the fascia was cut away, pushed to the side and not considered at all. Everyone was looking at the muscles and what they do. Well, a lot of what they do is dependent on fascia!!
Fascia is the soft, thin, stringy tissue that connects . . . connects everything in the body! Yes, EVERYTHING! It not only surrounds muscles but also the organs, bones, nerves, blood vessels and even cells! So, it’s obvious that fascia is very important when getting a massage. A skilled practitioner knows how to treat fascia correctly. For more information about fascia work, contact me: tpett.ortho.massage@gmail.com

But Why is Fascia so important?

Because fascia connects sooooo many tissues in the body, a massage practitioner has to know that working on 1 part of the body will affect the other parts also. The effect may be small or it can be extensive – but it’s there. Massage practitioners must have knowledge of how fascia exists in the body and that it affects the whole body – in order for the bodywork to be successful and powerful.
Fascia can be compared to a spider web. Because the web is completely connected, a spider on 1 part can feel when a fly lands on another part. The human body’s fascia is similar – we get affected when 1 part changes. Sometimes we don’t recognize or feel the shift but it’s there!

How Does the Change in Our Fascia Affect Us?

I’m going to talk about the benefits of myofascial massage in a minute but . . . 1st, more about fascia!! When fascia changes inside our bodies, it pulls on other parts of itself in the body. That changes things and that effect is called compensation. It means that the body is adjusting to the revision made to it. But, if the body shifts, how does that affect us?
Every change makes some kind of response within the body’s structure. If a proficient bodyworker knows what this compensation is and can continue the work to advance structural integration for the synthesis of the whole body, s/he can work with the fascia to continue the global integration of the body! This is by far the best benefit of myofascial massage you can get!

Benefits of Myofascial Massage

Well, the main benefit is that your body will be more in tune with its best performance! Fascia work will bring the body back into a more optimal state of function. But, without fascia work, do we still feel OK? Yes, kinda that’s right – but the reason we do is because the body has such an incredible ability to adjust/compensate to every “bump in the road.” We can feel OK/pretty good even if we are feeling less than our optimal.

Here are some benefits of myofascial massage:

less pain
better mobility
reduction of soreness and increased muscular recovery after exercise
decreases overall stress in the body
positive attitude in life
a greater knowledge of what’s happening in the body
better sense of psychological freedom.

What You Can Do to Keep Fascia Healthy

It’s important to keep fascia healthy because it’s such an influential part of the body. The benefits of myofascial massage are many but we can take an active role in maintaining those benefits – by doing this:

stay physically active; fascia benefits greatly from movement to keep its elastic quality
stretch frequently; again, this keeps fascia pliable and resilient, so very important!
maintain good posture; when we slump or bend forward for a longer period of time, fascia takes on that shape – then it’s harder to correct.

To work with fascia from a therapeutic approach, a massage practitioner needs to have experience as well as a thorough knowledge of human anatomy. Affecting fascia in 1 area will affect it in another . . . like the spider web concept mentioned above [in the heading “Why is Fascia so Important”]. You can contact me and we can discuss more details: 831-818-6916 tpett.ortho.massage@gmail.com. Or fill out a contact form on my website.

More Benefits of Myofascial Massage

The most obvious benefit is that you will feel better!! And . . .

reduced stress
quicker recovery from aggravating conditions
reduced soreness
better relaxation

Also, myofascial bodywork usually doesn’t hurt – moving fascia can actually be harmful if done too vigorously. A skilled practitioner knows how to stretch fascia to get the best benefit.

Fascia can be compared to food wrap, that thin elastic wrap we use for food. If the wrap is stretched too hard or too far, it doesn’t “come back,” it gets permanently stretched. Fascia can do the same with lack of experience.
Now that you know the benefits of myofascial massage, please contact me and we can talk further about your situation. And if you want to have a session and see the benefits, that will give you a lot of experience of my work. You can also get $20 off by booking on my online scheduler.

Here’s a good article about fascia: What to Know About Myofascial Release Therapy