#Myofascialrelease is a manual therapy used to treat pain, tension and dysfunction. "Myo" means muscle and "fascia" is the connective tissue network that runs throughout the whole body.
What is fascia?
#Fascia is a real, live system that is often overlooked when it comes to rehabilitation, and the recovery phase of athletes or injury. It is a fibrous tissue that connects every cell in our body. This connective tissue forms a web throughout our body extending from our head to our toes. Fascia surrounds and infuses every muscle,
bone, nerve and organ in our body. It is a network that is in constant tension and compression in order to retain function and balance.
Like #muscle, fascia has the ability to contract and relax but, unlike muscle, fascial restrictions creep throughout the entire network affecting the #tension and function of many anatomical structures, eventually creating the pain that we call symptoms. These symptoms include #muscularstrains, #triggerpoints and #jointdysfunction.
Myofascial release offers the same benefits as #massage but also goes beyond and targets structural imbalances within the #fascialnetwork.
Some myofascial therapies treat certain aspects of the fascial strain pattern in order to obtain change within the entire network. #Triggerpointtherapy is one of these approaches, as it targets the #fibrousbuildup in the #softtissue that creates the #referredpain pattern. However, a trigger point manifests due to fascial strain, therefore just deactivating the trigger point will produce limited results unless the entire network is treated.
Benefits of myofascial release
In releasing fascial strain patterns, muscle can relax, bones can realign, attitudes can change and structural balance and function can return.
Fascia is predominantly made of the protein, collagen, which means glue producer so therapists should feel for this glue-like texture which, when dense, thick or hard, defines a fascial restriction. True myofascial release is very different to that of massaging muscles, #tendons and the #ligaments of the #body. Therapists are patient, waiting for the fascia to yield and release, allowing their hands to be fluid in applying the pressure and to slowly move though each and every fascial restriction. The time element is a vital factor; fascia cannot be forced, as it will naturally meet that force in return. Therefore, the therapist provides a sustained, gentle pressure for a minimum of 90 to 120 seconds, allowing the fascia to elongate naturally and return to its normal resting length, restoring health, and providing results that are both measurable and functional.