Massage therapists are trained to reach deep into the soft tissues, including the muscle and fascia. In a hurry to get through to these tissues, little attention is paid to the skin, the organ that therapists are in constant contact during treatment.
The skin is far more than what meets the eye. It is the largest largest organ of the body and in many areas, is an inch thick (yes, one inch!). It provides the sensory information of one of the six senses, touch (the others are seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, and balance).
There are a multitude of different sensory receptors in the skin that provide information about our external environment, including the quality of pressure on the skin (mechano-receptors); temperature (thermo-receptors); potentially harmful stimuli (noci-receptors); as well as an awareness of our body in space (proprio-receptors). All these receptors represent nerve endings, which relay information to the brain continuously.
Dermo-Neuro-Modualtion takes into consideration the effect that touch and movement of the skin alone have on reducing pain and soreness felt in the underlying tissues.