What is myofascial release?

As a student of Jing, I am a ‘dedicated follower of fascia.’ But what is fascia and why would you want it released?

What is fascia?

Fascia is the soft tissue component of the connective tissue system.

It surrounds the muscles, organs and bones, connecting one to the other in one interconnected silken spiders web.

Apparently, if we were to magically dissolve everything in the body except the fascia, we would still be left with a complete 3D representation of the body.

And of course it’s not just an external wrapping but there are multiple layers and cross fibres that connect between skin, muscles and bones.

If we imagine the fascia is like a full silken body suit, covering us from head to toe, and from superficial to deep structures, and we give a little pull in one area – we’re going to see the ripple effects of that across the body suit.

And what’s its relationship to pain?

Fascia is highly innervated – there are 10 times more nerve receptors in fascia than in red muscles.

Fascial dysfunction may result from slowly evolving trauma (disuse, overuse of misuse) or sudden injury (abuse) leading to inflammation and potentially scarring or development of fibrosis.

Microtearing and inflammation of the fascia can be direct a source of pain, for example in low back pain.

Individuals with chronic low back pain showed a 25% greater thickness of the thoracolumbar fascia (TLF) than individuals without low back pain.

The gliding potential between fascial layers was also shown to be significantly reduced in these individuals. (Langevin et al., 2011)

Inflammation of the fascia could also be a source of peripheral pain that leads to central sensitisation in conditions such as fibromyalgia, plantar fasciitis, and lateral epicondylitis (tennis elbow).

How can myofascial release help?

Research has shown that the different degrees, durations and directions of pressure (load to tissue) may influence the neural structures within fascia – potentially modifying pain responses (Standley & Meltzer, 2008).

It also has the potential to reduce fascial stiffness, inflammation and density and improve fascial function (Kuchera, 2007; Kumka & Bonar, 2012; Pohl, 2010).

There are multiple different ways in which load is applied to the body and these are generally categorised into two main myofascial release techniques: direct and indirect.

Direct techniques

In the direct method there is a clear concept of where we want the fascia to go to produce a certain effect.

This is used in Rolfing and Structural Integration techniques where deep work with the fists, knuckles and elbows are used to work fascial layers, directly releasing adhesions and restrictions.

Techniques include:

• Pressure/compression: heavy and deep; slow or rapid, following a particular pathway through the tissue
• Skin rolling: picking up and gentle pulling away from underlying structures, rolling the skin in a continuous motion and clear direction
• J stroking: useful for scar tissue, small rapid strokes in a ‘J’ shape to break up fascial adhesions
• Stretching during contraction: as client contracts and relaxes the particular body part, pressure is applied in a single direction, moving over the tissue

Indirect techniques

Indirect release is the term applied to releases in which the practitioner follows the direction of ease in the client’s tissues rather than forcing a particular direction.

This is similar to releasing a jammed drawer – sometimes pushing the drawer in first (direction of ease) works better than trying to pull it out directly.

Techniques include:

• Cross hand stretch: a slow (3-5 minute) stretch of the tissue by maintaining a light to moderate touch, waiting for a release
• Focussed fascial stretches: similar to the cross hand stretch but performed with fingers/thumbs and used in smaller areas
• Limb pulls: applying a light pull to a limb and waiting for release
• Fascial torquing: a cross hand stretch in 3D! Putting the tissues on a twist

Both techniques are useful in different types of situations.

For example, the direct techniques can be great in sporting injuries, where mobilisation of the tissue under tension is great for reducing pain and improving range of movement.

And the indirect techniques are excellent for chronic pain clients, like those suffering with fibromyalgia, where slow, light work helps to desensitize the tissues.

How can I receive a myofascial release treatment?

The easiest way to arrange a myofascial release treatment at Bodyworks Massage and Movement Studio is to book in for a Clinical Massage here or call us on 07572 381928.

Alternatively if you have any questions please feel free to contact me at louise@bodyworksstudio.co.uk