What is Myofascial Release
Myofascial Release is a technique used to relieve pain and improve physical functioning. It entails an understanding of the fascial system or “connective tissue”.
The fascia is a specialized system of the body that has an appearance similar to a spider’s web or wool sweater, it is very densely woven. It lines and covers nearly everything in our bodies. It surrounds every muscle bone, nerve, artery and vein as well as all of our internal organs including the heart, lungs, brain and spinal cord. The most interesting aspect about the fascial system is that it is actually one single fascial sheath that essentially has pockets, one for each structure. In this way you can begin to see that each part of the entire body is connected to every other part of the fascia, like the yarn in a sweater.
Fascia plays an important role in the support and structure of our bodies. It surrounds and attaches to all the structures within the body, functioning like the guide wires used to hold a tent up. The bones are actually passive structures in the support of our bodies. They would not be able to provide the stability that they do without the constant pull of the fascia upon them. To go back to the example of a tent pole, think of your bones as the tent poles and the fascia as the guide wires that help to keep the proper amount of tension which allows the tent, or your body, to remain upright with the proper equilibrium.
Healthy fascia is relaxed and wavy in configuration and has the ability to stretch and move without restriction. When we experience physical trauma, the fascia looses a little bit of its pliability. It becomes tight, restricted and a source of tension to the rest of the body. Trauma, from a fall, bump, whiplash, surgery or just habitual poor posture over time has a cumulative effect on our skeletal framework. These effects begin in our infancy and result in the fascial systems influence on our posture. They effect our flexibility and play a determining factor in our ability to withstand stress and strain in our normal everyday activities as well as when we are involved in strenuous activity or in an accident.
To understand how the fascial system may impact a seemingly unrelated part of our body, imagine the fascia as a wool sweater. If you were to attach a hook to the sweater at the hip and pull in a downward direction away from the body, you would feel the effect of the pull at the opposite shoulder.
The use of Myofascial Release allows us to look at each patient as a unique individual. Each person is evaluated in such a way as to allow the therapist to view the individual as the product of his or her cumulative experiences in life. The evaluation takes in to account your activity level, typical posture, past surgeries and recent/past traumatic events.
The techniques of Myofascial Release are then applied to decrease the fascial restrictions and restore motion, so that you feel less pain and have a greater ease of physical functioning. The therapist uses their hands to administer Myofascial Release. It is safe, non-traumatic and effective treatment. It is based on the application of gentle forces in a specified direction, for a specified length of time. With this technique, a release in the restricted portion of the fascial will occur and positive permanent structural change will result.
Myofascial Release is an exciting, dynamic process. It is an active, constantly evolving spectrum of techniques that allow the therapist and patient to work as an intimate, integrated team to achieve positive structural and functional changes which reduces pain and dramatically improves your physical functioning.
