Myofascial Release is a highly specialized
stretching technique used by physical therapists to treat patients with
a variety of soft tissue problems.
To understand what Myofascial Release is and why it works, you have
to understand a little about fascia. Fascia is a thin tissue that
covers
all the organs of the body. This tissue covers every muscle and every
fiber within each muscle. All muscle stretching, then, is actually
stretching of the fascia and the muscle, the myofascial unit. When
muscle fibers
are injured, the fibers and the fascia which surrounds it become
short and tight. This uneven stress can be transmitted through the
fascia to
other parts of the body, causing pain and a variety of other
symptoms in areas you often wouldn't expect. Myofascial Release treats these symptoms
by releasing the uneven tightness in injured fascia.
In other words, Myofascial Release is stretching of the fascia. The stretch
is guided by feedback the therapist feels from the patient's body. This
feedback tells the therapist how much force to use, the direction of
the stretch and how long to stretch. Small areas of muscle are stretched
at a time. Sometimes the therapist uses only two fingers to stretch a
small part of a muscle. The feedback the therapist feels determines which
muscles are stretched and in what order.
Each Myofascial Release technique contains the same components. The physical
therapist finds the area of tightness. A light stretch is applied to
the tight area. The physical therapist waits for the tissue to relax
and then increases the stretch. The process is repeated until the area
is fully relaxed. Then, the next area is stretched.
The therapist will be able to find sore spots just by feel. Often, patients
are unable to pinpoint some sore spots or have grown used to them until
the physical therapist finds them. The size and sensitivity of these
sore spots, called Myofascial Trigger Points, will decrease with treatment.
Most patients are surprised by how gentle Myofascial Release is. Some
patients fall asleep during treatment. Others later go home and take
a nap. Most patients find Myofascial Release to be a very relaxing form
of treatment.
Myofascial Release is not massage. Myofascial Release is used to equalize
muscle tension throughout the body. Unequal muscle tension can compress
nerves and muscles causing pain. Progress is measured by a decrease in
the patient's pain and by an improvement in overall posture.
