Your muscles can get tight from repeated use — even from something less active like sitting, driving or hunching over your laptop. Deep tissue massage gets into your muscles and tendons to release that tightness. It’s good for people with injuries, general muscle tightness and chronic muscle pain.

Sports massages are similar to deep-tissue massages, but they zero in on the muscles that take a beating when you play sports or do another repetitive physical activity. “Athletes and dancers use their bodies differently than the average person. A massage therapist with experience in sports massage can get in there to break up muscle tightness and address sports injuries.

A knot in your neck or a tight spot in your back is known as a trigger point. A trigger point is a tiny muscle spasm or tight spot in the tissue. In a trigger-point massage, the massage therapist uses focused and direct pressure to target those spots. This increases blood flow to the areas, helping them release. This type of massage can also be helpful for people with chronic pain.

The fascia is a web of connective tissue under the skin. It supports the muscles and allows us to move freely. When you get a myofascial release, your massage therapist will knead and stretch the muscles and fascia to work out tension and tightness. It’s a form of deep stretching often used together with other therapeutic massage techniques. It’s great for opening up tightness in your neck, shoulders and your upper and lower back.