Pain Relief Therapy in Chester Country, PA
Myofascial Release Massage Therapy – Postural Connective Tissue Therapy
Myofascial Release is a form of soft tissue massage therapy used to treat connective tissue and associated muscle structures. Connective tissue, also known as fascia, is the most abundant tissue in your body connecting your bones, muscles, and organs together by wrapping and infusing every single part of you. In fact, it is said if you could remove everything but the connective tissue, you would retain your shape! You are connected from head to toe by one single unit of fascia. It has no beginning and no end. It is in your skin, bones, muscles, even your blood cells!
Myofascia refers to muscle (myo) and connective tissue (fascia). Muscle is intimately connected to fascia which infuses and wraps each muscle and muscle fiber,connecting it to bones, ligaments, and tendons. Healthy fascia is moist and pliable. Healthy fascia enables muscles and other structures to glide and move independently. Fascia can become congested and dehydrated over time, resulting in ‘fascial gluing’. When fascia becomes glued, it sticks to adjacent structures and no longer fulfills its gliding function. Muscles and other structures stick together and function as a unit instead of individually as they were designed. Fascial gluing often happens as we age, resulting in stiffness, inflexibility and areas of pain. Trauma from sports, accidents, injury or surgery can also cause fascial gluing.
Restricted myofascia results in unnatural tension and pulling on adjacent structures in the body. This causes postural distortion, restricted motion, and pain. One example of this is an adherence of fascia in the outer leg muscles. This could be causing the pelvis to rotate, resulting in a pull on the opposite shoulder which then tries to compensate for the twisted pelvis. All of this could be causing neck pain!
If I were to apply massage therapy techniques to your neck muscles only, your neck may feel better temporarily but the pain would soon return because we didn’t address the cause - the glued fascia in your leg. The body is one large interconnected structure with an intricate web of fascia running throughout it. It takes a precise knowledge of the body to be able to accurately assess the cause of your pain and to effectively eliminate your pain. This is why physical therapy and general massage often do not create lasting pain relief.
Scar tissue is another huge culprit in postural distortion. Scar tissue creates major restriction in the myofascia and must be released to resolve postural distortion. Over time even a small amount of scar tissue can cause structural imbalances and pain in distant areas of the body. Myofascial release addresses scar tissue in addition to other types of fascial restriction.
By applying appropriate types of direct and indirect pressure to restricted myofascial structures, fibers become realigned creating flexibility and improved functioning. Flexibility is increased, blood flow and oxygen are restored, and pain is relieved with this effective massage therapy specialization.
To schedule your own Myofascial Release Massage Therapy / Postural Connective Tissue Therapy session, please contact me.
What is a Myofascial Release Massage Therapy session like?
In a myofascial release session, I will assess your posture for distortions that may be contributing to your pain. I will palpate (feel the tissue) for pliability and motion. By paying special attention to the fascial restrictions that may be causing postural distortion, I can determine the underlying cause of pain. Armed with this essential information I am then able to perform myofascial release massage therapy techniques on your fascial restrictions to lengthen shortened structures and bring your posture to balance. Lengthening shortened myofascia and eliminating fascial adhesions allows your body to move more freely. Releasing shortened myofascia eliminates pulling from distant structures. This realigns your posture and eliminates the root cause of your pain.
Myofascial Release takes place on the massage table, either wearing underwear, shorts or a bathing suit. Myofascial Release is performed without any lubrication as direct contact with the skin is required to move adhered fascia or scar tissue. Proper draping techniques are always used according to standard massage therapy protocol. I will apply Myofascial massage therapy techniques using various degrees of sustained pressure from gentle to deep depending on the area of the body and your particular needs. Shortened or adhered myofascial structures will be slowly stretched to elongate and mobilize tissue. Myofascial unwinding may occur during myofascial release. This is a natural bodily response to releasing fascial restriction and may include spontaneous movements of the tissue or limbs as they 'unwind' tension to release fascial restriction.
Trigger Points - the Cause of Your Pain
A trigger point is a contracted area within a band of muscle that is painful when touched or refers pain to a distant area when stimulated. Muscles that are chronically contracted due to overuse or poor posture become starved of oxygen and blood flow resulting in the development of trigger points. Waste products that are not flushed out of the tissue accumulate. These irritate trigger points which then send out pain signals to areas near the trigger point.
Trigger points are the primary cause of pain in 75% of patients presenting with pain according to Travell and Simons, authors of Myofascial Pain and Dysfunction: The Trigger Point Manual. Therefore it is a mistake to only massage ‘where it hurts’ without examining the potential trigger points that may be contributing to the pain.
Many headaches are caused by trigger points in the neck and upper back. Sciatic symptoms are often due to referred pain from shortened gluteal and hip musculature. These often occur when people have a ‘short leg’. (True leg length discrepancy is uncommon and is usually due to an imbalanced pelvis.) Even functional disturbances can have trigger points at their root.
An example of a functional disturbance would be vertigo or dizziness. It can be caused by trigger points in the neck when they refer into the ear. (see picture). This is because the balance center is located deep within the ear. Areas of referred pain receive less blood flow. If the area of referral is responsible for a bodily function, in this case balance, it can become disturbed and cause a decrease or loss of function. Dysfunction in your balance center creates dizziness or vertigo.
Trigger points can be released through specific massage therapy techniques using correct pressure and timing. Shortened muscles from chronic trigger points can then be lengthened through resisted stretching techniques. Overstretched and weak muscles are prone to develop trigger points and must be treated with different massage therapy techniques. As a trained St. John Neuromuscular Therapist I am able to assess the muscle imbalances and apply the appropriate massage therapy treatment for maximum pain relief in less time.
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Contact Inner Light Wellness today for fast and effective pain relief!
