Relieves tension and pain, relaxes deep tissues, and breaks down scar tissue.
What is Myofasical Release?
Fascia is the band or sheet of connective tissue that surrounds all structures in your body, including muscles, nerves, blood vessels, and bones. Fascia works with muscles to support your body and facilitate movement. The myofascial release technique is used to relieve tension and pain, relax deep tissues, and break down scar tissue by releasing and lengthening both muscles and fascia to provide relief for chronic pain and limited movement.
Myofascial release therapy involves identifying your myofascial connective tissue restrictions using light manual pressure. These connective tissue restrictions can limit your muscle and joint movement, which contribute to widespread muscle pain. Focused, sustained manual pressure and stretching loosen restricted movement to reduce pain.
How does it help patients?
The goal of myofascial release therapy is to stretch and loosen fascia so muscles and fascia can move more freely, and motion is restored. This gentle, hands-on technique is designed to release restrictions such a trigger points, muscle tightness, and soft tissue dysfunctions that may cause pain and limit motion.
Benefits you may realize from myofascial release technique include:
- Increased flexibility, range of motion, and strength
- Reduced pain
- Decreased muscle and fascial tension
- Reduced muscle spasms
- Improved circulation and breathing
- Better balance
- Released scar tissue and associated physical restrictions
- Interrupt the cycle of chronic pain
What conditions does it treat?
Myofascial release technique is effective in relieving and eliminating acute and chronic pain, improving posture, and increasing comfortable movement. By addressing pain at its source, myofascial release therapy has helped many people who have not found relief with traditional forms of therapy.
Other conditions treated by myofascial release therapy include:
- Headaches, including migraines and TMJ disorder
- Neck pain and stiffness
- Whiplash
- Shoulder injuries
- Frozen shoulder
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
- Arthritic conditions
- Disc problems, scoliosis, and sciatica
- Sports injuries (repetitive strain injuries, muscular imbalances, improper pelvic alignment, etc.)
- Chronic fatigue syndrome
- Fibromyalgia
- Plantar fasciitis
- Pelvic pain and pelvic floor dysfunction
- Women’s health issues
- Scar tissue and adhesions
- Conditions being treated with Functional Medicine
How is Myofasical Release Performed?
Sustained guided pressure is applied into fascial restrictions, enabling fascia to relax and elongate. Most myofascial release work consists of gentle pressure, but sometimes deeper pressure is required.
Specific releases vary for different parts of your body. The motion is usually very fluid. At other times, we may hold your limbs in a light stretch.