Myofascial release and pain relief

Myofascial Release is a therapy aimed at releasing restrictions in the fascia. Fascia is the connective tissue that surrounds muscles and muscle fibers. It is both superficial, running just under the skin, surrounding the entire muscle, and deep, surrounding each individual muscle fiber.

It is made up of three components, which give it a combination of elasticity and resistance, as well as shock absorption. It helps support muscles, as well as serving as a conduit for nerves and blood vessels. That is, nerves and blood vessels are found within this connective tissue.

As a result of injury, trauma, poor posture, and inflammation, the fascia can become clogged, putting too much pressure on muscles, bones, nerves, and blood vessels. Pressure that can cause pain. Myofascial release seeks to relieve this pain or tension by releasing restrictions in the fascia.

Because fascia is three-dimensional and located throughout the body, a restriction in one area could cause a problem in another area. If one area of ​​the body is restricted in its movement, then the muscles above or below that point, or on the other side, can take over, working more than they should.

I have worked on more than one person with hip or back pain on one side who had as much or more tension on the other side. This is because the side that is now in pain has been compensating for the lack of movement on the other side. And over time, the muscles that were compensating became overused, creating additional pain or dysfunction.

The release takes shape through a low-force, long-duration stretch. Very light pressure is used in combination with a stretch that lasts anywhere from 90 seconds to about 3 minutes or more. The theory is that this long duration, low force stretch will cause the restrictions to gradually relax, restoring this connective tissue to its normal length.

So one of the advantages of this job is the lack of pain involved. Deep tissue massage and ART can be quite painful at times. With chronic injuries, some form of deep tissue work is usually done prior to this stretch, to help break up adhesions in the elastic fibers and/or release tension in the body’s nervous system.

The theory is that the restrictions are too strong to completely break with deep tissue work and need this prolonged stretch to completely change the fascia. One of the main developers of this technique is physical therapist John Barnes, who has been working with this technique for more than 30 years.

I have used this technique with people in clinical settings and have used it elsewhere with good results. Using it with those who suffer from headaches, I have had very good success. Since most headaches are the result of too much tension in the neck and shoulders, using it after a massage to relax the muscles often works.

For those currently suffering from a major headache, such as an 8 or 9 on a pain scale of 1-10, it may not work. For most others, the headache goes away or is significantly reduced within 5 to 10 minutes. It also works in other areas of the body.

Used by some physical therapists and massage therapists, it also works well with a chiropractic adjustment. In a chiropractic clinic where I worked, I worked with a man whose neck was twisted to one side and very stiff, with some uncontrollable tremors. She went to a regional hospital and a nationally known clinic, who tried different things with little success.

The first time I worked on him, his neck felt like brick, without the soft tissue sensation that a normal person would have. By combining deep tissue work with myofascial release and adjustments, he gradually made changes to his neck. This took some time and more exercise to work better. It’s not perfect, but definitely better than before.

So if you have a high pain tolerance and don’t have a lot of patience, you can try active release (ART) or go with myofascial release, which may take a bit longer, but is also very effective. Myofascial release can be done with acute injuries (that have occurred recently) as well as with the elderly, using less pressure. Active release is intended for chronic injuries.

It should not be used by people with an aneurysm, acute rheumatoid arthritis, uncontrolled diabetes, open wounds, or broken bones.

It is intended to be used with exercise and other forms of therapy for optimal results. A very nice supplement is joint mobility training.