With terms constantly being thrown around such as ligaments and tendons it is easy to overlook the fact that much of the soft tissue of our body is connected by a vast network known as fascia. We have learned much about fascia in the last few years, but with all that we currently know about it it is still a criminally understudied field. Researchers and other individuals are coming forward all the time with new studies / information to show just how involved fascia is in so many voluntary and involuntary processes of our body.

 

 

Myo meaning muscle; Fascia – a type of dense connective tissue. Myofascial Release then is impacting the fascial network, but more specifically with how it relates to our muscles.

Our favourite (but too simplified) way to describe fascia is to use the orange analogy: think about any type of orange.. you have the peel / rind with that white fibrous tissue on the underside; the orange proper (the portion you eat) – which can also have some of that same white fibrous tissue attached here and there on the outside; and finally snaking through the orange and around each portion that you eat is a spider webbing membrane. Both this membrane and that white fibrous tissue are what you would call fascia.

And yes, that does mean that there are different types of fascia. This is also why sometimes you will hear people refer to it as the fascial network, but for brevity fascia is what we will use from here on out.

 

What This Form of Bodywork Can Help With:

— resting muscle tension

— postural concerns

— soft tissue dysfunction

-> abnormal connective tissue density

-> skin tightness

-> superficial and deep fascial restrictions

— adhesions / scarring

— range of motion concerns

— impaired muscle performance (strength, power, endurance)

— impaired joints (integrity, mobility, and the joint capsule as a whole)

— pain management

— stress

— depression

— impaired breathing

— poor circulation

— poor sleep patterns / habits

 

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Principles:

Fascia is comprised of three main components:

1. elastin (elastic component)
2. collagen (plastic component)
3. ground substance / matrix (gelatinous base)

This structure makes fascia ridiculously tough (think 2,000 pounds per square inch). Fascia envelopes and intersects essentially every structure of our body aside from your respiratory and digestive systems. If you were to magically make everything else in your body disappear except this vast fascial network, you would still have something that looks wholly like yourself.

Knowing this now.. another analogy you could use, is to compare this network to that of a shirt. If you pull on one portion it will send ripples throughout and effect other areas.

Fascial restrictions are caused by:

— direct trauma

— inflammation

— both physical & emotional pain

All of these affect your posture, but I want to actually highlight the emotional pain part. Think about anytime you are feeling down, lethargic, or upset. Your posture is one of the biggest things affected. Usually people collapse in on themselves, flexing their shoulders and head forward. This will stimulate hormone production in stress hormones and also decrease production in other hormones that would otherwise elevate your mood / state of mind. As a direct result this will effect your well-being.

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Movements / techniques:

Cross-hand release techniques usually start off myofascial work. This targets ground substance which has hardened and subsequently lost its gelatinous consistency. Initially the elastic components are engaged (they have a springy feel), and gently stretched. At a certain point the stretching will stop and this indicates that the collagenous components have been engaged.

 

[Will update with Direct + In-direct fascial techniques in the next couple days]

 

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Process:

Collagen is very strong and cannot be physically forced to release. The gentle pressure of the cross hand release impacts the crystalline arrangement of fascia by creating an electrical charge using the Piezo-electric effect. This attracts water molecules and re-hydrates the ground substance while affecting the nervous system in a sedative way. Once the ground substance is hydrated, softening of the entwined collagen fibers will be facilitated.

It is now that you can alternate in-direct or direct fascial release movements or techniques. Just keep in mind that pure myofascial treatments are not too common.

As you now know, much remodeling of tissues takes place with these specific techniques. Because of this, it is imperative to use other modalities to both open and close the treatment as well as each individual area. Whether this means with hydrotherapy / heat (i.e. with a moist heating pad), with certain swedish massage techniques, or some combination of both. This will create a synergistic effect and will lead to better and longer lasting results.

 

What Next?

Most people notice immediate results that will only improve over time – especially with postural issues. An additional treatment is usually beneficial as we find myofascial work to compound the effects. But it is all situational with what was causing your issue in the first place, your overall health, and if you are doing any other things for the issue as well.

Depending on what other modalities were used during an MFR treatment you may also notice post treatment soreness and even a level of restriction. Sometimes this restriction can be an actual part of the healing process that certain researchers or therapists call a ‘healing crisis’. What this means is that sometimes your issue will get a marginally worse before rebounding to be infinitely better. If you do notice this, it should last around 48 hours.

Following a myofascial treatment, and much like swedish massage techniques or hydrotherapy, you should try to maintain movement in a pain-free range. This is especially true with regards to a healing crisis as outlined above. What this helps with is to bring in plenty of fresh oxygen (by way of your circulation), and help retrain areas of your body to know that it does indeed have some restored mobility or extra freedom than it has been used to using.