The fascia in our bodies is an intricate web of connective tissue that connects us from head to toe, front to back. Fascia is what supports us and gives us our shape.  It holds our skin onto our bodies and holds our organs in place. This fascia is supposed to slide and move easily within the body.  But through trauma--whether it's dehydration, not eating the right foods, an accident, or emotional trauma, the fascia reacts: it thickens and tightens up to protect us.

In an ideal world we would re-hydrate, eat better quickly, go through the pain of the accident or emotional trauma so that our fascia can then release the tension and melt back to it's normal state.  But all too often we continue with bad habits, stuff down emotions, numb our pain with pain killers, alcohol, TV, or some other activity instead of dealing with what has hurt us.  So the fascia stays in a protective state and ends up causing physical pain.

To make matters worse, fascia has not been fully explored by western medicine.  It is something that doctors-in-training just cut away when they study the structures of the body.  Besides that, fascia in a cadaver is very different than the fascia in a living person that has life force running through it.  In a living person it is a fiber optic network using light to create a super fast communication network within the body.

Because of this lack of awareness by the larger medical community there currently are no tests that identify issues with fascia.  So many patients endure pain that the doctors can't diagnose or treat effectively because they aren't looking at the right thing.  They aren't seeing or feeling the fascia.

Myofascial Release is about feeling the fascia to find the place of thickening or tightening--the area we call restricted.  Sinking gently into the restrictions and applying a light tension to the area.  Then time is needed for the magic to happen!  the fascia responds to gentle pressure and tension.  The pressure is turned into electricity in the body and you can feel the fascia melt back to it's original gel state--ready to slide and move again.

Who Benefits from Myofascial Release

Anyone can benefit from Myofascial Release.  But you may find it especially helpful for these problems:

About your session

A myofascial release session is a bit different than your typical massage session.  Come wearing (or change into) shorts and a sports bra or swimsuit.  Typically you are not draped because we use different stretching positions to get the fascial release and there is often movement as the fascia unwinds or melts.

We'll do an assessment before and after the session to see where you are out of alignment and how the treatment has shifted your body and how you feel.

Because the fascia is so interconnected sometimes where you feel the pain is not where the problem originates.  Imagine a sweater.  If you pull the bottom left corner of the sweater you'll see tension in multiple places including the right shoulder of the sweater.  This is how your fascial system works.  You may feel pain and tension in the right shoulder, but it could be caused by your left hip.  Treatment may start by treating the symptom, but often turns into an exploration to find the root cause of the problem.

Schedule your Myofascial Release Massage Therapy session today!