| Myofascial
Release is a highly specialized stretching technique used
by our therapists and Dr. Cady 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 therapist finds the area of tightness. A light stretch
is applied to the tight area. The 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 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.
Who
can benefit from Myofascial Release?
Myofascial
Release requires intense one-on-one treatment time. More
traditional therapy treatments which are less labor intensive
should always be tried first to avoid over-treatment.
Myofascial
Release is highly effective in treating patients with the
following diagnoses:
- Back
strain, chronic back pain, low back pain, thoracic back
pain
- Carpal
tunnel syndrome
- Chronic
cervical pain
- Complex
pain complaints
- Dizziness,
vertigo
- Fibromyalgia
- Fibrositis
- Headache
- Myofascial
pain dysfunction
- Plantar
Fascitis
- Post-Polio
symptoms
- Thoracic
outlet syndrome
- TMJ
dysfunction
- Trigger
points, tender points *
- Whiplash
Trigger
Points and tender points cause different types of pain.
For example, a Trigger Point in the neck muscles can cause
headaches, the sensation of your throat closing or eye pain.
Pressure on a Trigger Point causes increased pain at the
site and radiating pain in other apparently unrelated parts
of the body. Pressure on a tender point causes increased
pain only at the tender point itself.
Your
part of the treatment is very simple. You must drink an
additional gallon of fluid -- that's right, a gallon! --
above and beyond your normal intake, both on the day of
treatment and for one to two days afterward. This helps
to prevent excessive soreness. If you feel like you're coming
down with the flu or if you feel nauseated, you haven't
had enough to drink.
While
you're being treated with Myofascial Release, your improvement
won't progress in a straight line. Rather, your progress
will zigzag; for some, it's more like riding a roller coaster.
Although you may feel like you're taking two steps forward
and one step back, you will be making progress. Don't get
discouraged -- you will improve! This zigzag progress happens
because your brain takes time to accept changes in the posture
and muscle tension that it recognizes as "normal"
for you. As your muscle tension and posture are changed
by treatment, your brain will gradually accept these changes
as your "new normal."
Call
us today at 408-739-2273 for a great massage!
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