Fascia and Myofascial Release Therapy

A thing called FASCIA…

Integrated Myofascial Release Therapy - as said earlier, MFR has quite different effects and results from massage. While massage primarily cares for the skin, muscles, tendons, and ligaments, Integrated Myofascial Release Therapy - MFR works with the body-wide fascial system, which automatically includes all these structures as fascia wraps, infiltrates and connects them.

Fascia is crucial for our body shape, posture, movement, force transmission, cellular exchange and protection. 

Our fascial system supports our bodies, spreading force, stabilising, strengthening, moving, balancing, and allowing glide between all our body structures. It is totally fascinating how this system sustains us. 

Fascia is one dynamic 3D system without a beginning or an end, extending from the skin's surface to the cell's nucleus. Fascia is our primary connective tissue, our largest sensory organ, and an incredible communicator that interacts with all body parts.

Imagine a network of thin and lubricated fibres with a gel-like substance in between. Information is sent through the fascia network, which continuously adapts the fibres by reconnecting, moving, and gliding them, as well as thickening and thinning the gel. These actions are independent of the nervous system with every movement, pulsation, vibration, peristalsis, and pressure. Its purpose is to support movements, maintain posture, and protect from injury.

Its independence from the nervous system doesn't mean it's senseless. The fascial system has more sensory nerve endings than any other part of the body. It is sensitive and responsive to pressure, touch, temperature, and movement. The receptors deliver that information to the brain via the nervous system. A skilful, sensitive touch signals to the brain that the body is safe, reducing cortisol secretion and increasing oxytocin levels, which helps to down-regulate the body's stress response.

Factors like inflammation, lifestyle, malnutrition, toxins, stress, poor posture, overuse, underuse, and many others can cause the facial fibres (collagen and elastic) to stick together. This decreases cellular exchange and causes a build-up of toxins in the fascia. 

If this 'load’ continues for a prolonged period, fascia adapts to its circumstances, basically trying to help you. When one body part adapts, others may too, as tight fascia can create a 'pull'. 'Overloading' the body for too long, there may be a point where this fascial support becomes dysfunctional, and symptoms like reduced mobility, pain, fatigue, stress, anxiety, or disease may present themself. 

Surprisingly, the fascial system's remarkable ability to sense, communicate, connect, and transform has been overlooked for a long time. Working with the fascial system is essential for improving movement and health. 

Understanding that any restriction can impact other systems and body parts and vice versa is the essence of Integrated Myofascial Release Therapy (iMFR). This is why iMFR is a body-wide approach, and there are many techniques that can be applied to any restricted body area.

By better understanding the fascial system, one may appreciate how Integrated Myofascial Release Therapy (MFR) can help improve dysfunction, restore equilibrium, and enhance health. 

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A whole-body approach

A whole-person approach -including brain function- helps better understand musculoskeletal pain and dysfunction. This approach differs from a conventional approach of dividing and treating the body into individual body systems. With this all-encompassing approach, we can often reverse the cause of the issue. Practices such as mental and physical (body-mind) exercises and hands-on movement reeducation are geared towards improving awareness and correcting problematic movement patterns. These methods provide an opportunity to prevent or even reverse tissue irregularities and reduce pain.

The body has an innate ability to adapt to overuse, underuse, and injury through fascial plasticity. Where there is too much 'load' for too long, this can lead to fascial dysfunction. With fascial dysfunction, there is reduced fluid flow, loss of function, increased collagen production, restricted movement, asymmetry, and high energy consumption. Factors like physical and emotional trauma, inflammatory processes, poor nutrition, or habitual poor posture can cause tissue densification (plasticity), fascial dysfunction, poor health, and eventually disease. 

By offering a safe space and skilful, sensitive touch, we mindfully pay attention to what’s happening inside your body, working through restrictions and helping you connect, feel, and soften to restore balance and function.

Integrated Myofascial Release Therapy - MFR

There are many Integrated Myofascial Release Therapy techniques with unique uses. Some are applied directly to a muscle, others with gentle, sustained pressure, and several are applied with finger-light touch. All of these make the body and brain feel safe and initiate a relaxed response. Restrictive patterns can be removed by applying slow, sustained pressure for over 3 minutes throughout the body into areas of tightness, restriction, or pain, and the fascial system can soften and reset. This is also where emotions or memories may resurface, which may further help to downregulate the nervous response. When stress is reduced, so are restrictions and the experience of pain, anxiety, and fatigue.

Tissue barriers will not be pushed. We wait until the tissue softens and undergoes changes to reorganise itself. Led by the body to a new tissue barrier, this will also be held until it softens. After a few 'releases', the local tissues have become softer and more pliable, affecting other body parts as well. 

You will be able to feel the difference, and often, a reduction in stress, restriction and pain is felt.

Myofascial Unwinding 

Spontaneous body movement may occur during an iMFT (MFR) session. It's a natural response and the body's way to down-regulate the stress response. It comes from a primitive part of the brain and the autonomic nervous system that is not under conscious control. 

John F. Barnes on myofascial unwinding;

"Myofascial unwinding is a subtle motion that comes from the client’s subconscious. The beauty and power of myofascial unwinding are that it finds positions of past traumas that are somehow embedded in the fascial system. When these positions are found, the subconscious holding patterns start to release their iron grip on our clients, and the straitjacket of fascial restrictions begins to soften, melt, rehydrate and glide". It's the body's way of self-correction through the motion of the subconscious.

Myofascial Rebounding

Inducing rocking waves to move stagnated fluids and energy through our body. The gentle waves start to soften and undo tight, restricted areas, holding patterns, stress and, possibly, trauma.

 
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Of course, there are other techniques that complement an Integrated Myofascial Release Therapy treatment session:

Soft Tissue Release (STR) This pin-and-stretch technique is used in massage to restore the natural stretchability of a muscle and the ligaments. It is beneficial for tense and shortened muscles. Soft Tissue Release uses local pressure combined with active or passive stretching. Pressure will be applied temporarily to 'lock' and 'shorten' the muscle length. Then the body part is actively moved to create a local muscle lengthening. 

Post-Isometric Relaxation (PIR) is a form of muscle energy technique (MET) to lengthen both acute and chronically shortened muscles and improve musculoskeletal function. It reduces muscle tension and pain and improves circulation and lymphatic flow. The post-isometric relaxation technique begins by placing the muscle in a stretched position. Then an isometric contraction is exerted against minimal resistance. Relaxation and then a gentle stretch follow as the muscle releases.

Muscle energy technique (MET) is another neuromuscular technique that can be used to cause relaxation and lengthening of the muscles and improve the range of motion in joints. It requires the contraction of a muscle contraction in a controlled direction against the therapist's counterforce. The contraction (20-30% of one's capacity) is performed away from the first barrier found and held for 7-10 seconds. This will be performed 2 to 3 times, allowing the joint to be moved further into the restricted range of motion.

The integrated neuromuscular inhibition technique (INIT) is an integrated treatment sequence developed to deactivate myofascial trigger points (TrP). 

• The sequence is as follows: - the TrP is identified - pressure is applied - the tissue is placed into a position of ease for 20 sec - local isometric contraction at 20% - local stretch (C or S) - whole muscle contraction - whole muscle stretch. This combination of methods has been shown to be more effective in deactivating TrPs than single methods used alone. A trigger point describes a hyperirritable spot, a palpable nodule, in the taut bands of the muscles and fascia. Trigger points are painful when touched and can cause referral pain (pain felt in other parts of the body than the TrPs). Trigger points often cause a decreased range of motion. Deactivating the Trp breaks the pain-spasm-pain cycle and restores function.