What Is Myofascial Release Therapy?

You’ve survived a busy work period and finally in this sunny season, all you want to do is to get a good rest. But you just can’t get rid of the unbearable muscle pains you’ve been suffering for the last few weeks. Perhaps last week’s back soreness is now joined by a low back pain. Not to mention the sleep-depriving headaches...

Be careful! Cause beyond a simple crick, you might be experiencing myofascial tissue pain. In that case, you may need an approach that’s much more specific and targeted. Otherwise known as: the myofascial release therapy…

What is Myofascial Tissue?

Myofascial tissue is a flexible and dynamic neural tissue network that spans your entire body. Composed of collagen and elastin fibers, this tissue supports and connects your muscles and bones, and protects your organs. It ensures that your movements are balanced, synergetic and fluid. Your posture, movement and load capacity of your musculoskeletal system, and your breathing ability are closely linked to your myofascial tissue. Given its neural nature and intercellular communication function, it keeps “records” of all your bodily and mental memory. Even traumas that we inherited genetically or that we’d experienced in childhood and already forgotten are recorded in our fascial memory matrix.

In appearance, it can be compared to a soft and elastic net-like body-suit: the more it’s filled, the more it stretches and expands. That is, as long as it’s healthy of course...

It’s quite possible that our physical, mental and/or emotional traumas, whether have occurred suddenly or over time, or our reactions to them manifest themselves as chronic stiffness, adhesions or dryings in our myofascial system. This also disrupts our blood circulation, causing inflammation in the tissue and knots called “trigger points”. And as a result, we find ourselves exposed to chronic pain, motion stiffness and even physical, mental and spiritual problems such as breathing difficulties, depression and anxiety. And when they’re not treated properly, the negative effects we feel are pretty likely to escalate.

What is Myofascial Release?

The psychotherapeutic massage therapy developed to treat these pain disorders -called myofascial pain syndrome in medicine- and to alleviate their effects on our beings, is called myofascial release therapy.

You might be asking: “Why is myofascial release a special massage therapy? Are normal relaxing massages like Swedish massage not enough?” In that case, our answer would be “Quite possibly, it won’t be.”.

First of all, in order to release the myofascial tissue, it’s essential to find the trigger point, which is a little more complicated than detecting superficial skin and muscle pains... Because fascia spreads throughout our body, the pain can proceed accordingly and spread from the junction/intersection points of the musculoskeletal and/or disperse to different parts of our body. Moreover, myofascial release goes deeper than the upper tissue layers, targeting all three layers of the fascia, including the deepest layer. That also makes it easier to reach our myofascial matrix, which holds the memory of our unresolved traumas.

For the said reasons, myofascial release therapy is a special technique focusing on the myofascial tissue from a wider and deeper perspective than other massage therapies.

How Does It Work?

Myofascial release is applied with psychotherapeutic massage techniques. During the massage, the therapist concentrates on the myofascial tissue using their elbows, knuckles, and sometimes tools such as a foam roller or ball.

Myofascial tissue may become stiff/tense on the back, neck and arms; on the calves, quads, thighs and feet; on the head and jaw. At the beginning of the massage, the therapist will take some time to identify these stiff and tense areas and to understand the extent of the loss of motion/flexibility. S/he will then try to release tension by applying gentle pressures or continuous low-stretching movements based on the targeted areas.

Don’t be surprised if the massaged area is not where you feel the pain. Like we said, myofascial release targets the root source of your pain, whether physical, mental and/or mental, and the musculature affected by it, rather than where you feel the pain. And by relaxing the trigger points in your muscular system, the overall tension in your body is aimed to be reduced. This continues at the same trigger point until your therapist feels the myofascial tissue in the area soften and stretch, then proceeds with other trigger points and repeats.

Myofascial release therapy can be received from trained and experienced massage therapists and physical therapists, as well as osteopathic physicians and chiropractors. But it’s pretty important to get it from a trained professional who can identify and resolve the root source of the pain. Hence the requirement for a special training with high proficiency.

What are Its Benefits?

The therapy, when received from a trained and expert practitioner;

• stretches and releases the stiff/tight tissue that restricts blood flow to the area,
• regulates impaired blood circulation and lymphatic drainage and
• relieves pressure on nerves trapped at trigger points.

This, in turn, allows your chronic pain to be alleviated and your accumulated stress level to decrease. As the therapy reaches the deep source of your intense and accumulated feelings and mental processes that you’ve consciously or unconsciously “recorded” in your myofascial tissue, the spiritual and mental jams you experience begin to dissolve, which will facilitate your achievement of the level of “mindfulness” by returning you to the present.

Like other therapeutic approaches, myofascial release is a therapy that can reveal its effects with repeated applications based on individual needs. Therefore, expecting to achieve these benefits in the long term with a single massage might be a little too optimistic. Experts also recommend that you receive this therapy at regular intervals and in the amount recommended by your doctor/therapist.

Who Can Benefit From It?

Myofascial release therapy may be for you if, for instance, you feel loss of flexibility or function restricting the use of one of your arms or legs, or you experience intense pressure and pain in your head, lower back, or other muscle areas. Similarly, this therapy may be applied to patients with Temporo-Mandibular Joint disorder, venous insufficiency, carpal tunnel syndrome, fibromyalgia and chronic migraine pains.

As we said above, since your fascia is the recording matrix of body-mind memory, those who suffer from post-traumatic stress, depression, anxiety can also benefit from myofascial release therapy. In fact, there are already many specialist doctors who apply this therapy in their psychiatric treatments, also inspired by the myofascial release approach of the world-renowned P.T. John F. Barnes.

Does Scientific Research Support The Therapy?

Current scientific studies generally support that myofascial release therapy can help relieve pain such as chronic backaches, fibromyalgia pains, can restore the soft elasticity of myofascial tissue and reduce stress levels.

However, since the technique of myofascial therapy varies due to practitioner and the therapists used in one scientific study are not used in one other, even the similar findings usually cannot be integrable. Furthermore, as the level of myofascial pain syndrome, its main source/trigger point and the regions where it manifests may differ from person to person, it becomes quite difficult to give final recommendations about the frequency, amount and efficiency of therapy.

Still, we can say that current scientific studies mostly support the benefits of therapy.

What Are the Potential Risks of the Therapy?

Actually, myofascial release therapy poses relatively little risk. That’s why it’s recommended by doctors even for those in non-chronic pain, especially when they want to avoid surgery.

However, let us emphasize once again the significance of receiving this therapy from a skilled and certified practitioner. Myofascial release massage is inherently more intense and painful than other relaxing massages. But when it’s applied incorrectly, these pains may become unbearable, and your massage might lead to even more pain, internal bleeding and severe nerve damage to the tissue.

Also, especially if you’re;

• taking blood thinners,
• experiencing metabolic health problems,
• have open or healing wounds,
• have weak or broken bones,
• have problems with deep veins,

always consult with your doctor before starting myofascial release therapy.

All in all, myofascial release is a therapy you can consider, as it carries fewer risks than other medical modalities, especially for your chronic pains you wish to deal without or before operational treatment, and even short-term muscle pain affecting your daily life and well-being. But in any case, it is valuable to get pre-approval from your doctor…