Many people are intimidated by the idea of deep tissue massage. This is due to the commonly held belief that it will hurt them.
Now, it can hurt, even for a period of a few days after the deep tissue massage. This is due to tiny rips that will appear in the muscle and connective tissue.
When a client is already in pain for instance from muscle aches or strains, they should not have to dread being left in even greater pain than they had when they came in. For muscle aches or strains, a deeper form of massage is needed but it can done in ways that will not create more pain or tissue damage.
One method of this deeper form of massage is muscle energy technique (MET). Another is positional release therapy (PRT). "These two protocols are extremely effective in releasing muscle aches without pain using the body’s own physiology and innate wisdom to correct and heal itself."
http://www.sandpointwellnesscouncil.com/2010/06/deep-tissue-massage-should-not-leave-you-in-pain/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+SandpointWellnessCouncil+%28Sandpoint+Wellness+Council%29