Deep tissue massage therapy isn’t just a Swedish massage with deeper strokes or harder pressure. Deep tissue massage uses firm pressure and slow strokes to massage deep layers of muscle and fascia, which is the connective tissue that surrounds your muscles.   Deep tissue massages are used to break up scar tissue and break down muscle adhesions (the “knots” that we feel in our muscles are muscle adhesions, which are bands of rigid and painful muscle tissue). Our circulation is impeded and we feel pain and inflammation due to these knots.