Myofascial release is a hands-on treatment that uses slow, sustained pressure to ease tightness in the fascia, the connective tissue that wraps around your muscles. It's the center of how we treat at Premier Physical Therapy in Arlington, TX. Owner and physical therapist Eva Bertrand is an advanced myofascial release practitioner.
Fascia is a thin, strong web of tissue that surrounds every muscle, bone and organ and connects them to each other. When it's healthy, it slides and stretches as you move. After an injury, surgery, long periods of sitting or stress, it can tighten and stick. Because fascia is connected, tightness in one area can pull on another, which is why the place that hurts isn't always where the problem started.
A trigger point is a tight, tender knot in a muscle. Pressing on it can cause pain somewhere else, such as a knot in the shoulder that sends pain up into the head. Myofascial release can ease trigger points along with the tight fascia around them. Eva also looks at how your pelvis and hips are sitting and moving, because tightness there can affect your back, hips and legs.
Massage usually moves quickly over muscles with oil or lotion. Myofascial release is slower. Eva places her hands on the tight area and holds gentle, steady pressure, often for several minutes, waiting for the tissue to soften before following it into the next restriction. There's usually no lotion, so her hands don't slide.
Most people find myofascial release gentle and relaxing. You may feel a stretch, warmth, or a slow "melting" as the tissue lets go. You might feel sensations somewhere other than where Eva's hands are, which is normal because fascia is connected. Some people feel mildly sore or tired afterward. Drink water, move gently, and let us know how you felt at your next visit.
Myofascial release eases tightness so you can move more freely. Exercise and stretching help you keep that movement. Your plan will usually combine myofascial release with exercises in the clinic and at home, and may include other treatments such as manual therapy, low-level laser therapy or shockwave therapy.
At Premier Physical Therapy, we use myofascial release as part of care for neck pain, back pain, shoulder pain, headaches and migraines, fibromyalgia, chronic pain and pelvic pain.