Myofascial Release Therapy (MFR) for treating compression and pain

Thanks, Chris for reminding me about this video that shows actual living fascial tissue and the way it moves and I thought we should add this to our MFR discussion. It does show live tissue from surgery and is very interesting. My therapist showed this to me a few years back.

I am considering MFR for my preteen daughter who has Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) Any recommendations for for a practitioner in the Jacksonville Beach / Intracoastal Areas?

Psoas muscle tightness

Fascial restrictions can affect anything in the body and I think it's always worth asking the question of my physical therapist anytime something changes. MFR can prevent health problems that would be caused by compression of something. If you compress a nerve enough there is pain, but eventually as the nerve is affected, the muscle that it served withers away. If you compress a blood vessel enough, it either starves part of the body for the blood and oxygen supply, or it pools fluid somewhere with the potential for blot clots. Blot clots can be serious business if they come loose and move through the circulatory system. The human body was meant to move. MFR can get the body back to normal functioning and reduce pain, and also allow the fluids to circulate through the tissues, not only bringing oxygen, but also removing waste products of metabolism. The blood cells are contained within vessels, and the lymph fluid actually is in contact with the cells of the organs and bring the dissolved oxygen directly to the tissues as it can pass through the capillary walls. The body has a system to return the lymph fluid back into the blood stream.

I do a lot of MFR work myself at home to build on what my physical therapist does in my weekly session. She has explained to me how to do this and you learn the feel of it, so you can actually feel the tight pathways, and also feel when the fascia begins to slide and open up. I would encourage you to do a lot of at home work stretching too. I did some this morning... too much sitting at the computer and my low back hurt because my psoas muscles where tight. They connect from the ilium of the pelvis ("hip bone") to the lumbar spine. I laid on my stomach with 2 small balls, one just inside each ilium and waited, then moved the balls and waited until I had worked through all of it. I also twisted my lumbar spine to the right because my left side is tighter while I was on the balls. I also laid on my right side at the edge of the bed and let my left (top) leg hang off the edge to further stretch that area. I probably spent an hour doing that and it relieved my low back pain. I also have a rubber thing called a Sacro Wedgie that I lay on while on my back. it cradles the sacrum to support it in proper alignment and it just uses my body weight to do it. Then I also can reset my pelvis with a move my therapist taught me. It's common to have alignment issues because the pelvis is jointed and has the ability to shift. I pay attention to the length of my stride when I walk, if it is too short, my leg will not extend far enough behind me, and then it is time to stretch and get it working again. You've probably noticed people with very short strides who walk a very short step.

Thank you for your comprehensive overview! I am 63 y/o, have scoliosis, a long fusion, spinal stenosis, migraines, fibromyalgia. I found a person that does body work, who is not a physical therapist, but a massage therapist who specializes in a particular method of myofasial release called KCR. This stands for Kinetic Chain Release. He has studied with the founder of this particular method, and I am the lucky recipient. It is more helpful than any physical therapy I have had over the years, and infinitely less painful. It is worth using my retirement money on weekly sessions.

Thank you for your comprehensive overview! I am 63 y/o, have scoliosis, a long fusion, spinal stenosis, migraines, fibromyalgia. I found a person that does body work, who is not a physical therapist, but a massage therapist who specializes in a particular method of myofasial release called KCR. This stands for Kinetic Chain Release. He has studied with the founder of this particular method, and I am the lucky recipient. It is more helpful than any physical therapy I have had over the years, and infinitely less painful. It is worth using my retirement money on weekly sessions.

@red3 It's nice to see you here and I hope your surgical recovery is going well. I found a few links about myofacial release for female issues, and you would want a physical therapist who does pelvic floor work. You would want a female therapist. My physical therapist has talked about some of this, but I don't have experience with these issues. Some pelvis work which I have done is pressing on the tight muscles surrounding the pelvis and spine connection to level it if it is rotated out of shape or the sacrum externally. The iliac bones can be twisted or inflared which causes low back or sciatic pain. Pelvic floor work can be internal. Here are some links that describe this with MFR, and to the therapist, this is just another way to access the muscles. If you find a therapist you are interested in, call them and ask questions about how they treat these issues and what to expect. John Barnes developed the myofascial release techniques and is referenced in the first link.
https://www.myofascialrelease.com/downloads/articles/TheFascialPelvis1.pdf
https://www.osfhealthcare.org/blog/363274525-therapy-can-help-alleviate-pelvic-floor-issues/
https://www.austinchronicle.com/daily/chronolog/2010-11-18/you-want-to-do-what-where/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3492521/
Another MD specialist for incontinence is a Urogynecologist. There can be different reasons for incontinence that can be weakness in the pelvic floor or a physical issue in the mechanics or a spine or nerve problem. Some treatments done by the Urogynecologist include injecting a bulking agent to help the urethra be able to close tighter, pelvic floor therapy with electrical stimulation to strengthen the muscles, Botox injections internally in the wall of the bladder to decrease overactive contractions (usually done every 6 months), and UV internal treatments or hormone replacement which helps the pelvic floor maintain health and strength.