Anatomy and Muscle Terms for Massage Clients

How a Muscle Is Built

A whole skeletal muscle is an organ made of muscle tissue, connective tissue, nerve tissue and blood vessels. [3] Each skeletal muscle fiber is a single cylindrical muscle cell, and a muscle can contain hundreds or thousands of fibers bundled together. [3] The fibers are wrapped in layers of connective tissue, and the outer wrap of the whole muscle is called the epimysium. [3]

The same source says connective tissue outside the epimysium, called fascia, surrounds and separates the muscles. [3] Muscles have an abundant supply of blood vessels and nerves, and a fiber must receive a nerve impulse before it can contract. [3]

Tendon, Belly and Joint

The fleshy part of a muscle is called the belly. [3] Its connective tissue coverings extend beyond the belly to form a thick, ropelike tendon or a broad, flat sheet called an aponeurosis. [3] Typically a muscle spans a joint and is attached to bones by tendons at both ends. [3]

This is why a therapist may talk about working "the muscle" and "near the joint" differently. New York State guidance for massage therapists says that, around a swollen joint, massage of the surrounding muscles can be appropriate but direct pressure to the joint itself should be avoided. [4]

What "Fascia" Means (and Why It Is Confusing)

Researchers themselves say fascia is a widely used but indistinctly defined term. [5] It has been applied to soft collagenous connective tissue, to distinct sections of membranous tissue, and to a connective tissue system that runs through the body. [5] The Fascia Research Society set up a nomenclature committee to clarify the terms. [5]

When a website or practitioner says massage "releases" or "breaks up" fascia, treat that as a claim to check, not an established fact. See muscles, fascia and connective tissue basics and myofascial release.

Trigger Points

A trigger point is a term some practitioners use for a tender spot in a muscle that they look for by touch. A systematic review of studies on whether different examiners find the same trigger points concluded that the methodological quality of most of those studies was generally poor. [6] Only a few findings were reproducible: local tenderness of the trapezius and pain referral of the gluteus medius and quadratus lumborum. [6] The authors urged more high-quality studies. [6]

So: the idea is widely used, but how reliably it can be found by touch is not well settled. See trigger-point therapy.

Muscle Names

The review above names the trapezius, gluteus medius and quadratus lumborum. [6] Therapists use many other Latin names. Proper evidence not found on this page for a locations map: we tried to read an anatomy reference for muscle locations, but the page was blocked by a robot check and we did not bypass it. Ask your therapist to point to the area in plain words, or use a printed anatomy chart from a source you trust.

Words About Areas to Avoid

The New York State precautions for massage therapists list local sites to avoid, including unstable fractures, open wounds, hematomas (collections of blood from a bruise), varicosities (enlarged veins), recently healed scars, burns, and foreign bodies or implanted hardware. [4] See massage and varicose veins and massage and skin conditions, infections and wounds.