Chronic pain affects the whole person. It drains you physically from the constant, chronic pain and discomfort. You feel mentally exhausted because you either can’t move or you can’t find a comfortable position. Eventually you can feel hopeless because it seems that this will go on forever.
And going to physicians can unfortunately have you feeling hopeless again because there is nothing left for the medical community to do for you.
But there may still be hope in relieving your pain. And that solution is Myofascial Release.
What is fascia?
Myofascia is the fascia of the muscles. It’s a type of connective tissue that wraps around every cell in the body.
Fascia is a network that supports the body and takes on many different shapes and properties. As a type of connective tissue it connects every bone, muscle, organ, nerve, blood vessel and cell. For the purposes of clarity, it is like the clear, glossy sac that wraps around chicken, and it’s extremely pervasive in the body.
If there were a method to remove everything in the body and leave only the fascia, it would be still possible to see the shape of every muscle, organ, and bone.
Restrictions From Fascia
When we have an injury, a trauma, or perform repetitive actions, this fascia can be negatively affected and may need to be released. It can become like plastic wraps that gets stuck together and needs to be opened up.
John Barnes, a PT who developed a particular approach to myofascial release, says that fascia can become like a straightjacket. These restrictions can cause pressure, discomfort, and pain in structures in the body that are sensitive. When fascia become restricted it can cause pressure at a rate of 2000 pounds per square inch (J. Barnes). This is the body’s inflammatory response. Slowly it becomes more difficult to move easily. We lose flexibility because the internal freedom of movement has been reduced as a result of these restrictions.
Relief From Restrictions
How can someone get relief from these restrictions? Many people in our society most naturally turn to the physicians for help in this regard. Unfortunately, there can come a time when the doctor’s says, ” there is nothing I can do” or “you are going to have to learn to live with this”. This is where finding a practitioner of myofascial release can help.
Myofascial practitioners work with the tissues on many levels to return the tissues to balance. By making contact with the skin the practitioner gently puts in a stretch which connects with the fascial system. As the practitioner maintains the stretch, she will wait for those tissues to slowly start to open and create more space. That space is the fascial system opening and releasing. When the fascia is truly opening at times it can feel a slight burning sensation on the skin. As those tissues release and open, it allows the stretch to move to deeper layers in the system.
Myofascial release is a wonderful option for people who have tried other avenues without any result. However, it certainly is not a “one size fits all” approach. If you are interested in receiving myofascial release work, make sure you check with your physician for any issues that would make receiving this work unadvisable. To find a therapist in your area, click here.
Photo by Sarah G. some rights reserved
Paula Jilanis has been involved in wellness and holistic health for the past 20 years. She is a graduate of the College of Notre of Maryland, now Notre Dame of Maryland University. Her areas of education include psychology and theology. Paula has a master in arts in Applied Healing Arts from the Tai Sophia Institute, now Maryland University of Integrative Health. Since 2000 she has been the director of the Massage Therapy program at Allegany College of Maryland in Cumberland, Maryland. She is the author of A Guide to Creating Your Wellness Center.
Massage Therapy at Allegany College of Maryland 