So what is all this myofascial release really about?
There was a time, not too long ago, when I would introduce myself as a myofascial release therapist and the response was often “do you do facials?”. No, I don’t put masks on your face or clean your pores. Fortunately, that’s not so much the case anymore. But there is still a long way to go before myofascial release (MFR) is as common a therapy as massage therapy or chiropractic care. However, myofascial release is gaining credibility among the medical community and the general public as an effective healthcare therapy in the treatment of chronic pain such as fibromyalgia, low back and neck pain, and headaches. chronic head, to name a few. It is also very effective in the treatment of acute pain, injuries and for the post-treatment of surgeries.
fascial tissue
To talk about treating both chronic pain and acute pain caused by fascial restrictions, it is necessary to talk about what fascial tissue is. Once thought to be just the covering that surrounded muscle tissue, thus defining each muscle, fascial tissue is now known to be a much more complex system in our body. Fascial tissue is a connective tissue in the body. It surrounds and permeates everything throughout our entire body, including muscles, bones, organs, circulatory tissue, nervous tissue, brain matter, and all between. Fascial tissue has even been found at the cellular level. It can be visualized as a complex three-dimensional web (or web) connected from the top of the head to the bottom of the feet.
Fascial tissue is so integrated into our body that when one area of the fascial system changes, it can have a profound effect on the entire fascial system. Imagine a connected three-dimensional web that has no beginning or end running through our entire body. Imagine pulling a single rope of the net, let’s say on your shoulder. Go ahead, visualize for a moment, I’ll wait… Got it? Well, as you pull on that string, can you see the attached, immediate surrounding strings? They are feeling the effect of that pull. What about what’s going on with the secondary strings? So the strings attached to those strings? And then the ones that are attached to those… Well, you can see where I’m going with this. This is exactly what happens in our body’s fascial system every minute of every day. Where these fascial restrictions attract the body is highly unpredictable, but once a restriction has been established, it can tighten around very pain-sensitive areas and throw the body’s structures out of balance causing acute pain symptoms that, if left untreated, they will become chronic pain.
fascial restrictions
There are several different causes for restrictions in the fascial tissue to occur, including inflammation processes, injury, trauma to the body, and clamping patterns. These restrictions cannot be seen on any of the standard medical tests, such as X-rays, MRIs, CT scans, or PET scans. Because of this, symptoms due to fascial restrictions have often been misdiagnosed, mistreated, or worse, the patient has been told that no one really knows what is wrong and there is nothing that can be done. However, a trained myofascial release therapist can help you unravel and loosen these restrictions, thereby freeing you from the pain these restrictions cause.
myofascial release treatment
Like the proverbial bucket that fills one small drop of water at a time, the body develops fascial restrictions one cell at a time. If the bucket is not observed, it appears that over a long period of time it has magically filled with water once you notice it again. So too, the body develops restrictions in the fascial system. We may notice the “water droplets” in our fascial system contracting and from time to time we say things like “boy I’m getting older and stiffer” or “I can’t seem to move like I used to”. “. Then when the “bucket” is full, it’s either “I tore my rotator cuff and all I did was pick up a bag of groceries” or “I just bent down to pick up a book and threw my back.” By the way, these are actual quotes from my clients.
Myofascial release treatments have been described as a long, deep, deep stretch that can be very relaxing. It is important to realize that although it is very effective, you are beginning to see that MFR therapies are slow and take time to facilitate. It didn’t take you an hour to put yourself in the situation you’re in. It won’t take an hour to get you out of there. Each person is individual, so each session will be different depending on what is happening with her body at the time of the session. Some sessions will take you to different levels of relaxation and some sessions will be very active. Some sessions will leave you feeling like a big change with a resolution of your symptoms and others will leave you wondering if something happened. Due to the unpredictable nature of fascial tissue, no promises can be made about that changes it will happen with each session only that There will be changes. Therefore, it is important to see this therapy in the big picture. Over time, myofascial release therapy will help relieve symptoms of acute pain and chronic pain, such as low back pain, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, knee pain, foot pain, to name just a few. .