Massage Therapist Practice Exam

Answer: D The mechanical physiological effect of massage includes how the tissue responds to what the therapist is manually doing to the tissue such as pulling, lifting, broadening, separating, etc. With the mechanical effect, the therapist can see or feel the difference they are making in the tissue when they apply their strokes. An example of a mechanical effect is that you can feel the tension release in the muscle that you are working on. The reflexive effect is how the nervous system responds to the strokes such as calming or stimulating the client. The reflexive response of the nervous system is not something the therapist can usually see or feel.