How does piezoelectricity effect Massage Therapy?
A. Both inorganic and organic substances have the ability to generate electrical potential in response to pure mechanical deformation. This is referred to as the piezoelectrical phenomenon. During the performance of massage therapy, we are deforming the tissues, cells, and molecules thereby generating/creating piezoelectrical charges. In massage, the main cause of piezoelectric phenomenon is the deformation of collagen molecules. One should remember that elastin and keratin also carry piezoelectric properties. As we know, our molecules are surrounded by large amounts of extracellular fluid (at least 70-75% of our body is water). By performing massage therapy we not only generate electrical impulses that travel thru peripheral nerves, which conduct their way to the central nervous system, but also piezoelectrical charges of electricity. These piezoelectric charges move out in all directions, thru extracellular fluid and other molecular structures, creating streaming potentials that trav
