Myofascial Release

Myofascial release is a natural therapy based on applying hand massages and pressure on key body areas. The practice aims to improve fluid circulation.

Myofascial release is a therapy for preventing pain and limited movement. Its objectives are straight-forward: maintaining the tissue, fascia, that cover muscles, and other body structures.

The stress that results from modern-day, exhausting lifestyles can have negative consequences on our bodies. Pain, tension, stiffness and limited movements are some of the common problems.

Keeping a positive mindset and healthy lifestyle habits are important but sometimes, they aren’t enough. When they fail, you need to turn to a professional for help and trained technicians to restore balance.

Myofascial release is a great solution. Among its main characteristics, it improves the circulation of certain body fluids to promote overall well-being. In short, it aims to eliminate the fascial restrictions that you encounter in certain life phases. It also helps joint movement.

Myofascial release: what is fascia?

Fascia is tissue that’s made up of collagen and it covers muscle fibers. Fascia also protects organs, nerves, blood, and lymphatic vessels. In addition, it also connects ligaments, tendons, and joint capsules.

Fascia works to connect the different systems in the body so that they can work as one. The tissue sheet starts at the deepest layer of skin and wraps everything in your body.

This important tissue is responsible for various functions, including not-so-obvious ones such as helping your lungs expand with each breath. Thus, any kind of damage to your fascia can risk cardiovascular, respiratory or nerve problems.

In its normal state, fascia is stretched out and relaxed. If it suffers damage, trauma, incorrect positions or sickness, it contracts. Stress and anxiety can do a great deal of damage and can even limit mobility and cause pain.

A great way to keep your fascia healthy is by following a healthy diet and staying hydrated. By the way, though collagen composes the tissue, taking collagen supplements are no help.

Physical therapy key

The first studies on the fascial system emerged in the first half of the 19th century. However, it wasn’t until the 80s when myofascial release broke through and became an interest for further studies. Today, myofascial release is a key treatment in physical therapy. It’s become a basic routine for trauma and sports treatments.

The feared trigger points

When muscles suffer changes in length or build, tension and pain follow– it’s known as myofascial pain syndrome and requires physical therapy.

In these cases, patients suffer trigger points or myofascial areas that result from a muscle contraction. These nodes, or fascial restrictions, provoke an intense pain that can spread out to nearby zones as well. These trigger points can also appear in other body structures as well, yielding the same complications.

These areas can lead to harmful posture changes. Thus, you need to find a specialist to treat your case.

But what does myofascial release do?

Myofascial release is a treatment that uses hand movements and sustained pressure on the entire fascial system. These massages aim to eliminate fascial restrictions to improve the circulation of fluids in your body tissues.

In addition, it also aims to relieve overworked muscles. Myofascial release is often recommended for quad, hamstring, calf, dorsal and tensor fascia lata injuries.

In short, myofascial release is a therapy that can truly benefit fibromyalgia and muscular and tendon treatments. Not to mention, it also helps reduce post-traumatic and post-surgical scarring.

This therapy helps to restore the balance in the body’s musculoskeletal system, eliminate pain, recover joints and part of the locomotor system.

Myofascial release: fewer toxins and liquid retention

Myofascial release also helps to eliminate built-up toxins from the fascial layers. On top of that, it helps reduce liquid retention, improves blood circulation and reduces the visibility of cellulite as well.

The treatment basically balances the movements of your body tissues, which benefits overall well-being.

This physical therapy treatment can also treat the problems that result from poor posture. In addition, the myofascial release makes up a part of the treatment plan for conditions such as scleroderma, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, and fibromyalgia.

As we mentioned above, only professionals and physical therapists should offer this treatment. In addition, it’s not recommended for patients who are pregnant or those who have tumors, infectious diseases, aneurysms, fevers or fractures.

In summary, fascia is a crucial tissue and you have to keep it in optimal condition. Myofascial release aims to maintain it by eliminating trigger spots or nodes that can affect your everyday life.