Clinical Massage Therapy is a therapeutic  approach to bring the body back to its’ balanced state. When we sit, stand or lie for a long period of time in a position that unbalances muscles in our bodies, it can have detrimental effects on the rest of our body.

Muscles are attached to bones by tendons. Think about your body muscles as a giant rubber band; They stretch (lengthen) but they also contract (shorten). Every muscle has an opposite (antagonist) muscle. Muscles do not push, they only pull so when a muscle pulls, causing a bone to move in one direction.  The antagonist muscle has to pull in response to move the bone back to the opposite direction. For example, many people are familiar with the biceps (the muscle in the upper arm). The biceps pull the lower arm (below the elbow) closer to the upper arm. The triceps on the back of the upper arm, is the antagonist and must pull back to straighten the arm again. When a muscle contracts (shortens), the antagonist muscle cannot contract at the same time. This is why when a muscle spends too much time in a shortened position, the antagonist becomes weak, overstretched, and usually painful. Orthopedic massage puts the muscles back into balance by relaxing the contracted muscle and bringing the overworked muscle back into the normal resting position.