Myofascial Release

Myofascial release works with fascia, the main connective tissue in the body. Compared with muscle, fascia contains higher percentages of both collagen and water, and this causes it to respond differently to therapeutic touch.

Working slowly and gently with the natural qualities of fascia, myofascial release creates movement and change, until the tissues ‘melt’ and release. These myofascial releases take the pressure off pain-sensitive structures such as nerves and blood vessels, and restore alignment and mobility to muscles and joints.

Because fascia forms a three-dimensional web running throughout the body, the effect of myofascial release on any area is amplified to surrounding areas and deep into layers of tissue, so the effects of a myofascial treatment tend to be more profound and longer-lasting than working with just muscle or bone.

MFR gains its efficacy by addressing the fascia, not as just a tissue, but as a system. Restrictions in the fascial system go unnoticed by allopathic medical testing such as x-ray, CAT scans and MRIs. Facial restriction can most effectively be detected by the trained Myofascial Release Therapist.

Once these restrictions are noted, specialized techniques are used to slowly release these fascial restrictions until it changes from a hardened glue-like consistency to that of a gel. If these restrictions are not addressed, then pain, decreased range of motion and distorting postural imbalances result.

The majority of clients that finally discover MFR have been through multiple tests, procedures and physical therapy programs with little or short-lasting results while drug after drug has been used to address the symptoms. Myofascial Release addresses the cause. Therefore, healing may ensue instead of chasing symptoms from session to session.

Your MFR Therapist will be looking for postural imbalances and other clues to determine the best course of treatment. To best do that, wearing minimal clothing while still protecting your modesty is necessary. In addition, the client needs to be free to move and stretch during sessions without being bound by tight clothing.

We recommend women bring a sports bra and loose-fitting shorts or a two-piece bathing suit. Men need to bring a pair of loose-fitting shorts. Most treatments are done with these treatment clothes on but if you don’t have them your therapist will either treat in your street clothes or step out of the treatment area, allow you to undress to your comfort level and have you covered with a sheet throughout the duration of the session.

A client can never be guaranteed that an issue will be resolved in a specific number of sessions because every person is different. Factors that can govern recovery and healing include: the length of time the condition has been present, how often the client attends therapy (especially in the acute phase), how well the client follows his/her home flexibility program and how committed the client is to letting go of patterns that are not serving him/her.

• Relaxation and sense of ease
• Warmth, and tingling sensations
• Feeling accepted
• A sense of harmony and peace
• A feeling of letting go
• Feeling balanced
• Increased energy
• Feeling more fully alive
• Seeing different colours and patterns
• Remembering past events
• Getting in touch with emotions
• Connecting with a sense of spirit
• Deepening self - and body - awareness

This depends on how long restrictions have been present, the degree to which symptoms are affecting your daily living and what kind of results you want to see. Your therapist will be better able to answer this question during your first session. However, it can be said that no matter who you are, if you are experiencing pain (especially in chronic pain or recurring pain situations) it has been a process for you to get to a place of pain and it will be a process, not an event, to allow your body to release the holding patterns that are causing your pain.

Our goal is to empower you in your process and not keep you dependent on coming to us every week. Throughout your time with us we will continue to reassess your treatment goals and needs. In all cases, client follow-through with their home self treatment routine greatly increases their progress.

Malfunction of the fascial system due to trauma, posture, or inflammation can create restrictions in the fascia resulting in abnormal pressure on nerves, muscles, bones and/or organs. This can create pain or malfunction throughout the body, sometimes with bizarre side effects and seemingly unrelated symptoms throughout the body.

Myofascial Release can release the pressures created by the fascial system and create the possibility of returning each individual to her or his full, pain-free capacity.

My typical client has had problems for five, ten, fifteen and sometimes twenty-plus years, has seen numerous health care professionals and has often exhausted medical benefits and financial resources by the time they make it to my treatment facility.

Once the fascial system is addressed these same clients begin to make progress and, in a matter of weeks with intensive Myofascial Release treatment, are on their way to a pain-free, active lifestyle again.

In addition to this the client often gains a new relationship and understanding of what their body needs in order to feel well as they move forward in life and have more tools so they can feel empowered and be pro-active in their care.

Fascia, as a tissue, is composed of elastin, collagen and a polysaccharide complex called ground substance. A tough yet flexible connective tissue matrix that resembles a spider web is formed with these components, providing a contiguous connection from muscle to bone, bone to bone and organs to their supporting structures. Fascia is present even at the cellular level and should be thought of as a complex living system.

Restrictions in this system can be created through physical injury, emotional trauma, inflammation, and postural imbalances. As restrictions are formed in the fascial system, pain, reduced ROM, local dysfunction, systemic dysfunction, postural imbalances and fatigue may begin to occur. These symptoms can occur locally or in areas remote from the original restriction because of the 3-dimensional structure and ubiquity of the fascial system.

During a Myofascial Release technique, the minimum length of time the release should be held is between :30 secs to - 3 minutes and may last as long as 5-10 minutes for a complete softening of the restriction.

This allows the fascial restriction to gently change its viscosity so that function and length can be returned to its normal state. All MFR techniques are manual and machinery is not used.

Rolfing is quite different from Myofascial Release. They may both be thought of as “structural” works that intend to realign the body but that’s where the similarities end. MFR Therapists have MFR Maxims that govern our hands-on approach. But most importantly, we approach each person as an individual and do not address our clients with a protocol or prescribe a certain number of sessions to accomplish results.