Myofascial release

What is myofascial release?

Myofascial Release is a safe and very effective hands-on technique that involves applying gentle sustained pressure into the Myofascial connective tissue restrictions to eliminate pain and restore motion. This essential “time element” has to do with the viscous flow and the piezoelectric phenomenon: a low load (gentle pressure) applied slowly will allow a viscoelastic medium (fascia) to elongate.

Myofascial release is a hands-on approach to managing pain and discomfort. Now don’t expect a gentle massage with aromatherapy and pan flute music. Instead, myofascial release can be an intense experience. During a session, a physical therapist, chiropractor or even massage therapist will massage, knead and gently stretch the muscles and fascia to work out knots. This bodywork technique also involves applying pressure to tight or sore areas to get them to relax. The pressure is applied with the therapist’s hands, elbows or a massage tool like a foam roller or a ball. You might feel sore afterward, but when the soreness subsides, you’ll feel a lot looser than you did before. 

Myofascial release is a form of bodywork that takes into account the whole body. The word Myo is latin for muscle and fascia is the connective tissue that surrounds, connects and blends our whole body together in a unified web. Fascia intertwines not just through our muscles but through our whole body including the organs, nerves, spinal cord, skin and bones. It is the only system in the body that touches all of the other systems.

If you have pain in one area of the body the cause may be coming from a myofascial dysfunction in another area of the body along that myofascial connecting line called a meridian. The practitioner will discover these dysfunctions and use specific techniques to free up the glued up area and allow healing and movement in these tissues to reduce and eliminate pain and restore proper function.

 

What conditions can myofascial release treat?

Myofascial release is the most useful and safest form of treatment for conditions such as: joint sprains, muscle strains or pulls, tight muscles, aching muscles, limited movement, headaches, jaw pain, back pain including disc injuries, neck pain, shoulder injuries and many more.

 

What are the benefits of myofascial release?

There are many health benefits associated with myofascial release. These include:

When done regularly, you can:

  • Improve your range of motion
  • Reduce soreness and help assist the tissue recovery process
  • Help the body relax overall
  • Improve circulation
  • Release tension, knots and even stress