Myofascial Release

An Amazing Breakthrough in Pain Relief

Myofascial Release is a relatively new addition to the techniques of the physical therapist. Because it is somewhat different from traditional physical therapy, many people are unaware of what it is and how it works.

Myofascial Release (MFR) works on releasing the restrictions in the connective tissue called fascia. Fascia runs head to toe in a continuous sheath and surrounds every muscle, organ, nerve, cell, and blood vessel of our body. Restrictions can occur in the fascial system from trauma, surgery, poor posture and stress. When these restrictions occur, they can pull with forces of greater than 2000 pounds per square inch. Such tension acts like a “straight Jacket” and can lead to decreased range of motion, pain, headaches, poor posture and lack of mobility.

For many years, therapists have ignored the importance of the fascial system. This omission is now being recognized as the missing link to effective and lasting results in physical therapy.   The effects are profound throughout the body because the fascial system is ingrained in all of our bodily tissues.

When fascia scars and hardens in one area (following injury, inflammation, disease, surgery, etc.), it may create tension on adjacent pain-sensitive structures as well as on structures in far-away areas.  Often, medical professionals find that their clients have bizarre pain symptoms that appear to be unrelated to their original injury or to their primary complaint.  For, many, these symptoms can now often be understood as arising in the fascial system. Because this fascia of the body is all interconnected, a restriction in one region can theoretically put a “drag” on the fascia in any other direction.

During MFR treatments, a client may be treated in areas unrelated to their condition.  The physical therapist has a thorough understanding of the fascial system and will release the fascia in areas that she knows have a strong “drag” on the area of injury.  This is, therefore, a whole body approach to treatment.  A good example is the chronic low back pain patient: although the low back is primarily involved, the patient may also have a significant discomfort in the neck.  This is due to the gradual tightening of the muscles and especially of the fascia, as this tightness has crept its way up the back, eventually creating neck and head pain.  Experience shows that optimal resolution of the low back pain requires release of the fascia of both the head and neck; if the neck tightness is not also released it will continue to apply a “drag” in the downward direction until fascial restriction and pain has again returned to the low back.

Often remarkable improvement is noted immediately during or after a treatment.  Sometimes pain in new areas will be experienced.  There is sometimes a feeling of light-headedness or nausea, and at times a patient experiences a temporary emotional change.  Occasionally, a client may report a temporary increase in their discomfort followed by tremendous relief.  All of these are normal reactions of the body to the profound, but positive, changes that have occurred by releasing fascial restrictions. In general, acute cases will resolve with a few treatments.  The longer the problem has been present, generally the longer it will take to resolve the problem.

It is felt that release of tight tissue is accompanied by release of trapped metabolic waste products in the surrounding tissue and blood stream.  It is highly recommend that clients “flush their system” by drinking a lot of fluid during the course of their treatments, so that reactions like nausea and light-headedness will remain minimal.

Myofascial release can greatly help reduce headaches, neck and back pain, shoulder pain, pelvic and hip pain. Besides pain, MFR can help lengthen muscles to gain increased power. It is useful for restoring poor range of motion. Clients with poor posture can also gain amazing results from this technique. Lastly, MFR feels great and leaves a client with restored energy. It is a wonderful form of body work to receive instead of a traditional massage due to the lasting effects which are created. Many clients have regular Myofascial sessions to prevent dysfunctions. Others may come in for minor Tune-ups.

Orthopedic Massage

Orthopedic Rehabilitative Massage is an advanced form of bodywork in the current mainstream health care community. This type of massage is indicated for post-surgery, chronic pain, overuse, and repetitive stress injuries. It is indicated for people of all ages and body types. This deeper (more pressure, deeper layers) type of massage is very useful when patients/clients are in some sort of discomfort or pain and is useful (and in some cases more results with) as preventative medicine, which seems more important in this day and age. It compliments treatments by physical therapists, chiropractors, acupuncturists, osteopaths, and medical doctors.

This advanced style of bodywork requires more training from therapists specifically in the areas of anatomy, physiology, and pathology of injury. This work can be applies to any body part ranging from the neck all the way down to the feet. You will find practitioners of this work in multiple work settings, whether it is in a physical therapy or chiropractic clinic or day or resort spa. But if you decide to receive this type of therapy, please do your research. Not every massage therapist is qualified or for that matter good. So do your homework, find out the massage therapist’s history, education, and experience in body work. At North Tahoe Physical Therapy we are constantly increasing our understanding of how to address pathology, as continuing education is required for all licensed therapists.

Orthopedic Massage is a form of manual therapy that specializes in the treatment of musculoskeletal pain and dysfunction. In addition to the benefits of traditional massage such as relaxation and increased circulation, orthopedic massage has several other treatment goals. These include increasing the range of motion, decreasing and managing pain, and normalizing musculoskeletal function. The therapist works to dissolve adhesions in muscle and connective tissue, lengthen connective tissue, balance muscle function by strengthening weak muscles and releasing tight ones, as well as normalize the position of soft tissue, restore joint function, release entrapped nerves, and facilitate normal neurological function.

What to expect from Orthopedic Massage

You may ask, why a deeper more rehabilitative massage as opposed to your traditional Swedish massage? I prefer to label what I do as body work as opposed to massage. For a few reasons; when people think of massage they tend to correspond it to your every day Swedish massage, “which is nice to get”. Yes, I am doing tough “massage strokes”, but I am providing the body the therapy is desperately needs to return it to normal working order. I provide this type of work when everything else fails with traditional massage therapy and the pain and dysfunction persists. Also, I will incorporate other therapies such as Myofascial Release, myofascial stretches, manual traction, muscle energy techniques, and craniosacral therapy. So it is not necessarily massage strokes.

A session typically lasts from ½ hour to 1 hour. The work will be both gentle and deep. For lasting results, the therapist will want to see the patient 2-3 times a week initially, as frequency is the key. During the course of a session, the therapist will evaluate the entire body and address the body as a whole, to see how is responding to the injury. The therapist will then specifically address the area of trauma to increase the fluidity in the tissue and range of motion in the effected joints. This can be done by a postural evaluation, checking passive range of motion, or movement analysis.

-Brian Hrindo, MT

Myofascial Release Therapy - Breakthrough in Pain Relief

An Amazing Breakthrough in Pain Relief

Myofascial Release is a relatively new addition to the techniques of the physical therapist. Because it is somewhat different from traditional physical therapy, many people are unaware of what it is and how it works.

Myofascial Release (MFR) works on releasing the restrictions in the connective tissue called fascia. Fascia runs head to toe in a continuous sheath and surrounds every muscle, organ, nerve, cell, and blood vessel of our body. Restrictions can occur in the fascial system from trauma, surgery, poor posture and stress. When these restrictions occur, they can pull with forces of greater than 2000 pounds per square inch. Such tension acts like a “straight Jacket” and can lead to decreased range of motion, pain, headaches, poor posture and lack of mobility.

For many years, therapists have ignored the importance of the fascial system. This omission is now being recognized as the missing link to effective and lasting results in physical therapy.   The effects are profound throughout the body because the fascial system is ingrained in all of our bodily tissues.

When fascia scars and hardens in one area (following injury, inflammation, disease, surgery, etc.), it may create tension on adjacent pain-sensitive structures as well as on structures in far-away areas.  Often, medical professionals find that their clients have bizarre pain symptoms that appear to be unrelated to their original injury or to their primary complaint.  For, many, these symptoms can now often be understood as arising in the fascial system. Because this fascia of the body is all interconnected, a restriction in one region can theoretically put a “drag” on the fascia in any other direction.

During MFR treatments, a client may be treated in areas unrelated to their condition.  The physical therapist has a thorough understanding of the fascial system and will release the fascia in areas that she knows have a strong “drag” on the area of injury.  This is, therefore, a whole body approach to treatment.  For example, the chronic low back pain patient: although the low back is primarily involved, the patient may also have a significant discomfort in the neck.  This is due to the gradual tightening of the muscles and especially of the fascia, as this tightness has crept its way up the back, eventually creating neck and head pain.  Experience shows that optimal resolution of the low back pain requires release of the fascia of both the head and neck; if the neck tightness is not also released it will continue to apply a “drag” in the downward direction until fascial restriction and pain has again returned to the low back.

Often remarkable improvement is noted immediately during or after a treatment.  Sometimes new pains in new areas will be experienced.  At times, there’s a feeling of light-headedness or nausea, and at times a patient experiences a temporary emotional change.  Occasionally, a client may report a temporary increase in their discomfort followed by tremendous relief.  All of these are normal reactions of the body to the profound, but positive, changes that have occurred by releasing fascial restrictions. In general, acute cases will resolve with a few treatments.  The longer the problem has been present, generally the longer it will take to resolve the problem.

It is felt that release of tight tissue is accompanied by release of trapped metabolic waste products in the surrounding tissue and blood stream.  It is highly recommend that clients “flush their system” by drinking a lot of fluid during the course of their treatments, so that reactions like nausea and light-headedness will remain minimal.

Myofascial release can greatly help reduce headaches, neck and back pain, shoulder pain, pelvic and hip pain. Besides pain, MFR can help lengthen muscles to gain increased power. It is useful for restoring poor range of motion. Clients with poor posture can also gain amazing results from this technique. Lastly, MFR feels great and leaves a client with restored energy. It is a wonderful form of body work to receive instead of a traditional massage due to the lasting effects which are created. Many clients have regular Myofascial sessions to prevent dysfunctions. Info on minor Therapeutic Tune-ups.