Myofascial Release Therapy (MFR) for treating compression and pain

@gba Hello Berk. I think the only way to know if MFR can help you is to try it. Chris @artscaping can share her experience of how MFR has helped her with neuropathy. Have you checked out other discussions on neuropathy? John, @johnbishop may have some ideas for you too.

Jennifer

Hi Berk @gba, The Foundation for Peripheral Neuropathy had a webinar recently on alternative therapies that enhance balance, it's now available on their YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFdUk_U-9AM. It might provide some different things to try. I also have balance problems that I think are a combination of things including the numbness from my neuropathy. I did get a few exercises from a PT session setup by my primary care doctor which included the ones shown here that hopefully will help if I keep doing them regularly - https://www.athletico.com/2019/10/16/5-exercises-to-improve-your-balance/.

Hello, the access to training and rehab site is being blocked, how can I view this link? Thank you in advance.

@snowmass The old website was trainingandrehabilitation.com (no longer functional) and they changed their name and website to be https://mskneurology.com/ All the same content is there and new material added. Under the Articles menu, you'll have lots of topics and can chose from a side menu. https://mskneurology.com/articles/

You can also find the author on facebook under his name that you'll see on the articles and he posts about various cases he is treating.

Thanks John, I will continue with exercises, however, with no feeling and not knowing where the feet, feeling like bricks, are going, its tough.

A great wealth of information here @jenniferhunter! thank you for assembling it! Is there a list of practitioners somewhere? ( I am in North County San Diego) Maybe I overlooked it - or maybe its within some of the links you posted. Thank you!

@loriesco Thank you for your kind words, and you're welcome! You'll find a provider search for MFR practitioners at http://mfrtherapists.com/

I can't recommend this type of fascial stretching enough. I personally have benefited a lot from doing this, and I continue to self treat at home with what I know how to do from my therapist.

There is also a book you can find called "Myofascial Stretching, A Guide to Self Treatment" by Jill Stedronsky and Brenda Pardy that has a lot of photos and descriptions on various MFR stretching you can do at home using balls to create the pressure for the stretch in place of the therapists hands. I usually do some stretching at night when I get in bed and I can lay on a ball placing it where it gets tight.

@jenniferhunter and others - does anyone feel like they ever RECOVER from their trigger point areas? Or are we just providing ourselves with temporary comfort? I have done about everything I can think of over 30 years. It seems like I would have to give up my passions (or at least cut back substantially) in order to relax the muscles that have developed their own muscle memory at age 67. I started experiencing muscles which go into tightness at 37/38 in areas which I heavily rely on to do artwork and live my daily routines. With all my surgeries to correct underlying bone disorders/degeneration, the muscles still do what they do!
Yes, I have altered what I do as a result. But with all of that, it still feels like I will need to "suffer" for my art! Just wondering if older people (67) can expect to work without pain. Today I go again for MFR but a couple days ago I was suffering and it hasn't been but 2 weeks since the last visit. (I have been painting!) the muscle relaxers worked GREAT (tizanidine) to get me thru to todays visit.

I live in Ontario , Canada and have had a Total Knee Repalcement but old and new scar tissue is causing issues so I am hoping I find a therapist experienced in MRT. and it doesn't cost too much money.

@loriesco I'm an artist too, and I also ride my horse and carry the heavy saddle which is really good for my core strength. If I over do with heavy lifting, it will cause spasms in my neck and I need to do my stretching and MFR stretches at home. Ask your physical therapist to show you how to treat at home between your visits. You can't do everything because you can't always get your hands in places where your PT can. There are various things I use as tools to aid my home stretches such as balls, a Davinci tool, a Cranio Cradle, foam roller, and some various massage type things I have found at discount stores. What matters is that you can create a shearing motion and push and hold at the barrier. I do this by feel and I can feel when it releases. When you learn enough from your PT, you can start inventing new ways to stretch. I do this to maintain and not loose ground. If you keep your muscles loose and supple, it helps to avoid the stiffness that people associate with aging. Your body has a pattern based on your habits and past injuries, and you PT can make suggestions based on that.

It's all about releasing the pressure and tension. I work on my leg because of a past serious ankle fracture and because of that injury, some parts of the lower leg are weaker and in compensating, some muscles get too tight, and there is the surgical scar tissue. I have figured out that by doing MFR to release any tension, I can get the ankle tendons to stop hurting. Yesterday, I could hardly walk on my ankle, it felt like a bad sprain because of walking in unstable sand. I worked on my leg, an I walk without pain today. I do have to keep tweaking this, and I hope in time, I will build enough muscle strength that it will become more normal. I also pay attention. If my knee hurts, I check my pelvic alignment, then do what my PT tells me, and MFR on anything that is tight or hard or tender. This is how you prevent further injury and reduce wear and tear on your body. p.s. I don't think of 67 as old, and we are close in age. Good for you for painting! I will be painting at a plein air event in a few weeks. I do have to stretch because of whet I do with painting. It is hard to support the weight of your arm outstretched and do it all day. Also ask your PT about stretching surgical scar tissue. that can make a huge difference, and it tends to re tighten itself.