Myofascial treatment

[Benevolent One]

I started "Indirect myofascial release" treatment the other day. Has anybody else in here had this done or even heard of it? My wife has had this done for a while and swears by it. I had my first treatment the other day and it was not what I expected, but I think it will help.

The following is from Wikkipedia, so it's accuracy is suspect, but here it is anyway.


Indirect myofascial release

The indirect method involves a gentle stretch, with only a few grams of pressure, which allows the fascia to 'unwind' itself. The dysfunctional tissues are guided along the path of least resistance until free movement is achieved.[1] The gentle traction applied to the restricted fascia will result in heat and increased blood flow in the area. This allows the body's inherent ability for self correction to return, thus eliminating pain and restoring the optimum performance of the body.
The indirect technique originated in osteopathy schools and is also popular in physiotherapy. According to Robert C. Ward, myofascial release originated from the concept by Andrew Taylor Still, the founder of osteopathic medicine in the late 19th century. The concepts and techniques were subsequently developed by his successor.[vague] Robert Ward further suggested that the term Myofascial Release as a technique was coined in 1981 when it was used as a course title at Michigan State University. It was popularized and taught to physical therapists, massage therapists, occupational therapists and physicians by John F. Barnes, PT, LMT, NCTMB through his Myofascial release seminar series.[4]
Carol Manheim PT summarized the principles of myofascial release:

• Fascia covers all organs of the body, muscle and fascia cannot be separated.
• All muscle stretching is myofascial stretching.
• Myofascial stretching in one area of the body can be felt in and will affect the other body areas.
• Release of myofascial restrictions can affect other body organs through a release of tension in the whole fascia system.
• Myofascial release techniques work even though the exact mechanism is not yet fully understood.

The indirect myofascial release technique, according to John Barnes, is as follows:

• Lightly contact the fascia with relaxed hands.
• Slowly stretch the fascia until reaching a barrier/restriction.
• Maintain a light pressure to stretch the barrier for approximately 3–5 minutes.
• Prior to release, the therapist will feel a therapeutic pulse (e.g., heat).
• As the barrier releases, the hand will feel the motion and softening of the tissue.
• The key is sustained pressure over time.

 

[Clutch]

What exactly is Fascia?

 

[Benevolent One]

What exactly is Fascia?

Good question. I am just begining to understand it myself. Here is some info they gave me about it.

The fascia is a normal soft tissue structure under the skin which forms a very large continuous three dimensional web from head to toe. In some places it is very thick and tough and in others, it is thinner than the thread in a spider web. We used to think of the fascia as something that surrounds the muscles but we now know that is is so pervasive that it even penetrates the muscle down to the cellular level. A system this large would have to move freely as you go through your daily routine. At times, and for many reasons, the fascia becomes restricted and does not move freely. When this happens, pain can occur. Restrictions anywhere in the body can cause pain in seemingly unconnected parts of the body. Imagine sitting on the tail of a shirt and trying to raise your arm. You would have a difficult time raising your arm not because of a problem in your arm, but because the shirt could not move freely because it is tethered by your seat. The same effect occurs when the fascia is restricted anywhere in the body. The goal of myofascial treatment is to release the fascial restrictions which are causing the pain which limits you.

 

[mike honcho]

That's kinda the same thing that tape does that these sports players are using.Seen football players and volleyball players in the Olympics using it.It separates the skin layers from the muscle so they move more freely and the muscles recover faster.