Myofascial Release Therapy (MFR) for treating compression and pain

@hotfooted Thank you so much! If you need to find a good MFR therapist, there is a provider finder on the MFR website, and you can also call "Therapy on the Rocks" in Sedona, AZ. That is the teaching practice of John Barnes who developed this therapy. They can give you names of therapists who have trained there. Not all of them pay for the web listing.

Healing the body and the mind spirit connection is so important for our physical and emotional health. I started MFR because of thoracic outlet syndrome and I have made steady progress with my physical therapist. A couple years ago, I had to take a break from therapy and had spine surgery on my neck at Mayo. Then after recovery, I started back at MFR. I self treat at home too because my therapist has taught me a lot. As a patient, I'm a poster child for wellness and for advocating for myself and I read a lot of medical literature. I have to work on my muscle strength too because I had lost a lot of muscle mass from the spine problem (cervical stenosis) and working with my horse sure helps a lot with that. He was part of my recovery and I had clearance to ride at 7 months post op. I just returned from a camping trip with my horse and the girls and feel physically stronger than when we left. My horse has also had MFR treatments recently that have helped him, and I've learned some of that and have worked on him in-between his sessions. He had some weakness in his hips, and after one of the MFR sessions, his pelvis (probably the SI joint) reset itself with a loud crack and his gaits got smoother. We just rode about 50 miles over 6 days through some beautiful wooded trails. He's doing some rehab too, and now I'm helping him. Thanks for your kind words.

wonderful that MFR is helping you. Can you say how it is different from trigger point therapy?and I am guessing the effects are temporary but need to use like one would engage in any other exercise routine. Thank-you

@helennicola Thanks for the question. I think trigger point therapy can mean 2 things. One is aggressive deep tissue massage to smash the hard spot in a muscle (which I have had done before), or it can mean an injection of something like Botox to try to stop the muscle from contracting. Trigger points form from overuse and cause dehydrated tissue that holds onto its waste products gluing it together. The body tends to react in a protective manner with aggressive work, so it might become a vicious cycle. When you stop moving because it hurts, you maintain the same pattern that causes the restriction in the first place. What is really different about myofascial release with the John Barnes methods is that it is gentle and very low pressure. It is like kneading bread dough in extreme slow motion. You sink in with your hands, apply a little pressure, go to where you feel he barrier and wait. The first time, it might take longer to start to move like maybe 15 minutes, but the tissue starts to slide. The fascia is in layers, and it will take time to work through them all. Scar tissue in the fascia from injuries or surgery causes restrictions too. The therapist can teach ways to self treat at home, and after you have body awareness and can feel the tissues opening up, you can figure out ways to work on that a home. MFR gets the body into better ergonomic alignment and can prevent arthritis problems caused by misalignment of joints. The bones are pulled into place by the muscles and fascia, and the muscles can't overcome the fascial net that contains them if the tissue is too tight and restricted and the restrictions can entrap nerves where they travel through some small spaces. Once you learn MFR, you can maintain it at home and see the therapist for touch ups. Yoga stretching is a form of fascial stretch that can maintain what you have gained.

I’m surprised that I never heard of it before now, having been to many P/T’s over the years but I guess there are always new trends in healthcare and everyone respond differently; I had plantar fasciitis 3 yrs. ago and was told by my foot dr. that the fascia had stretched due to overuse of an elliptical machine and that is what was causing the pain which after 1 yr. was resolved with a steroid injection.I also had gone to a “rolfer” in Ca. prior to a hip replacement which was quite painful but had excellent results lasting for almost 1month when I could not walk w/o pain prior. I found dry needling to be of no help, and trigger point therapy to work but again, too painful. I have found someone in my area who performs the MFR type of P/T and think he could be helpful to my husband who has back issues. Thanks again for your input.

@helennicola You're welcome. The John Barnes MFR has been around for 40 years. Sometimes health care is just slow to accept something that prevents problems and doesn't involve drugs. The medical community in the last few years announced a "discovery" of the new organ they called the "interstitium" which is the fascial system. It is a semi liquid that converts between solid and liquid and also conducts electricity and stores tissue memory. There can be an emotional release with the regained function and maybe that wasn't accepted because it isn't just a mechanical tissue. It's a net that stretches different ways like a Chinese finger game that locks around your finger. My physical therapist says that plantar fasciitis actually starts with tightness in the leg or hip that pulls down to the feet causing pain. Hammer toes happen that way too according to my mom's podiatrist from the tightness of the path of the connective tissue. I had plantar faciitis for about a year and did a lot of stretching and relieved it. It might be your hip replacement that was involved, and the scar tissue from the surgery tightened the fascia. I get tightness in my neck from my surgical scar for spine surgery and I keep loosening it. A lot of PTs hand off to assistants who work with the patient, but my PT is a hands on person who does all the manual work herself and I have sessions that are all manual therapy instead of prescribed exercise routines. I can do strengthening exercises myself at home, but I can't do all of the releases she does in the clinic by myself. It takes more time for a therapist to do this and they can't supervise multiple patients at the same time in the name of profit, but it's the good ones who work this way.

@jenniferhunter and everyone else who is experiencing or hoping to experience myofascial release therapy (MFR). I have some pretty astounding news to give you. For some time now I have been receiving MFR weekly. One of the reasons was to ensure that the numbness in my feet did not interfere with driving. l found that the MFR treatments also made me more stable and secure when walking. Now I have a new result which I just have to share. A few weeks ago, spring finally arrived and it was time to wear sandals and walk barefooted. Guess what? After the MFR sessions over the winter, I have been able to gain sensitivity in my feet to the extent that I can actually feel the insoles of my sandals as they touch my feet. That hasn't happened in a long time. And then, I walked across the carpet and lo and behold, I could feel the texture of the carpet on my instep. Halleluia!!! My feet have felt like the skin was leather for a long time. I was unstable because I didn't have any connection with my shoes. Now, we walk as one....my feet, my sandals. Most of the work on my feet was done by a student intern working under the guidance of an expert rated MFR therapist. We are all celebrating. I am bringing the champagne. There are joys to be had......results to be treasured and hope to be realized. Be safe, and free of suffering. Chris

This is an amazing description of what myofascial release does. I had a double knee replacement a year ago and have had a rough go of it. I’ve withstood a ton of pain in my life, but nothing like rehab for the surgery. With Months on end of no more than two hours sleep, constant pain, as well as aggressive Physical therapy that left me with PTSD, I finally found relief with alternative therapies. Acupuncture and myofascial release has been a god send and just makes sense. My physical pain is subsiding as well as the emotional pain that has been stored in my body. It’s giving me back my life!