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Myofascial Release Therapy (MFR) for treating compression and pain
What is Myofascial Release (MFR therapy)? How can it relieve pain? Let's discuss how MFR has improved our health and reduced pain and share articles about how MFR works. MFR helps so many different conditions that have compressed tissues, and entrapped blood vessels and nerves. The time to avoid MFR treatment would be if a person has cancer, because in releasing tight tissues, cancer cells could be released and able to migrate through the body.
Myofascial release is a way to stretch the fascial layers that holds our body together. The fascia is connective tissue that forms a web matrix that interconnects everything in the body. It has recently been described as the "Interstitium" or a new organ in the body.
Fascia can be too tight from injuries or surgical scar tissue, and hold the body in poor ergonomics which can lead to nerve compression. Fascia can be stretched or "released" and it will remodel itself by changing from a semi solid to liquid form which brings circulation to an area of compressed tissue which then expands the tissue and circulation, and it enables removal of metabolic waste products. Using their hands, the trained therapist will find the path of fascial restriction in the patient's body and push against it gently in a shearing motion, and wait for the tissue to start to slide. The patient can feel the movement and become body aware. This path of fascial movement can reach the full length of the body and cross over between sides. This path changes as it unravels, and often there is a vasomotor response that can be seen on the skin temporarily as a reddish area where circulation has been restored which is shown on the photo below near the therapist's hands. Treatment must be slow and gentle to prevent the body from guarding in a protective response. This is why aggressive methods to stretch fascia often fail and can cause injuries by tearing the fascia and forming scar tissue that just adds to the problem of fascial tightness.
Fascia also holds tissue memory, and in releasing it, sometimes there is a release of emotions tied to an injury that was a cause of the problem. Stress and injury can cause guarding behavior and tissue tightness that become permanent over time, and MFR and working on emotional health helps a person recover from the physical and emotional effects of stress and trauma on the body.
MFR is helpful to so many conditions that have an underlying physical cause. The physical therapist who developed this treatment method forty years ago is John Barnes. He has developed courses and MFR certifications for physical therapists. There is a lot of information about MFR at myofascialrelease.com as well as directory of therapists treating with MFR. A person may also contact Therapy on the Rocks in Sedona, AZ, and ask for recommendations of therapists who have been trained in the John Barnes Methods. MFR therapy is becoming better known and accepted healing therapy, although there are some doctors who are unaware of the benefits.
I wanted to create this discussion to help organize this information and I thought the Neuropathy group would be a good place to start because someone in pain might look here, but we could have this discussion in many discussion groups. Animals such as dogs, cats and horses have also benefited from this therapy. Hopefully as we collect information here, this discussion can be referenced and shared in the many other discussions on Mayo Clinic Connect.
Here is an incomplete list of conditions that can be helped with MFR treatment.
You may find this list and further information at https://www.myofascialrelease.com/about/problems-mfr-helps.aspx
Back pain
Bladder Problems (Urgency, Frequency, Incontinence, Overactive Bladder, leakage
Birth Injuries
Bulging Disc
Bursitis
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Cerebral Palsy
Cervical and Lumbar spine injuries
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Chronic Pain
Degenerative Disc Disease
Endometriosis
Emotional Trauma
Fibromyalgia
Frozen Shoulder (Adhesive Capsulitis)
Herniated Disc
Headaches or Migraines
Infertility
Interstitial Cystitis
Menstrual Problems
Myofascial Pain Syndrome
Neck Pain
Osteoarthritis
Pelvic Pain
Plantar Fascitis
Pudental Nerve Entrapment
Scars (hypertrophic, hypersensitive, painful, burn scars, mastectomy scars)
Sciatica
Scoliosis
Shin Splints
Tennis Elbow
Thoracic Outlet Syndrome
Tinnitus (ringing in the ears)
TMJ syndrome
Trigeminal Neuralgia
Vulvodynia
Whiplash
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@red3 Congratulations on your surgery and give your body time on the recovery. I had spinal fusion in December of 2013, had Interstitial Cystitis, and still battle insomnia. It took months after my surgery before I started having any relief on the IC. I thought it all was poppycock. It was severe for me as in those ads on tv and running for the bathroom if I forgot my meds. Nothing funny about when you’re the one embarrassed. And the pain of constant infections was driving me crazy. I’m hoping that you get some relief.
Hi@gldnrtrvrivr, thank you! Trazodone works for me as far as the insomnia, but I don't like to be reliant on it. Yeah, the interstitial cystitis is questionable for me. I've only had one UTI in my life. But I do have bad enough incontinence so that I wear a medium size pad everyday. Also over active bladder. What did you think was poppycock? Also, what have you done as far as treatment for the IC?
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1 Reaction@red3 As for the IC, I went totally in on the dietary restrictions: gluten free, tomatoes, dairy, peanuts, and peppers. I don’t eat processed foods so I don’t have much soy to contend with either. It helps mostly. I now have a pain in my right groin area and it's not a ruptured but seating pain. Standing and walking maker it worse. There list of pains grow again. Face palm
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1 ReactionHave u been tested for pudendal neuropathy ?
Dear @jenniferhunter Thank you so so much for all this wonderful info. It's amazing the stuff I'm learning here. Wow!!! I'm so happy to read all this info. Thank you and may God Bless you & help heal you as quickly as can be. Thank you again. Mimi🌷
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3 Reactions@jenniferhunter Good afternoon my friend. I have been keeping up with your progress. It appears that you thoroughly take stalk of each progressive recovery stage and find the right things to do mentally and physically. Congratulations.....
I do have a couple of wonderments about the intro to your MFR discussion. One of the very helpful outcomes from MFR is the ability to get feeling back in your feet so you can drive. Another one is the after surgery TKR healing around the knee area. And third, for me, are my wrists and arms, currently suffering from SFM (small fiber neuropathy). Both shoulders have had their surgeries and the same for the wrists, elbows, and fingers, e.g. thumbs. I can't imagine and hope never to have to find out how much MFR keeps those body parts reasonably calm in spite of injuries and aging.
Since most of those medical issues fall under group category Neuropathy, would it be good to add that to your list?
May you be safe, free, and protected from pain.
Chris
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2 Reactions@msstoppainnagginme Thanks Mimi. I'm glad I could help. There is a lot of information there, and I started that discussion and all the beginning posts to organize the information. I had been rewriting similar posts fr awhile, and this made it easier to give people the link and they can also participate in the discussions. MFR has really helped me a lot, and I do some at home to self treat. That's a little harder now with a cast, but have been able to stop some muscle cramps this way. Once a therapist shows this to you, you will be able to help your progress at home. I'll do my best to heal, I promise. I do want to get back on my horse. He's a gentle guy who isn't phased by anything.
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1 Reaction@artscaping I took this list from the information on the MFR website. It may be that neuropathy wasn't on this list because there are different types of neuropathy and several causes. The physical causes where nerves are compressed can be helped by MFR if it relieves that compression and re-hydrates the tissues, and gets the body back to better alignment. There are cases where MFR probably doesn't help, and they probably didn't want to give false hope to people with those types of issues. It really does help a lot of conditions, and tissue restrictions can lead to other problems and even possible cancers according to my physical therapist because the waste products and toxins are trapped in dehydrated tissue. Cancer would be a reason to avoid MFR stretching because it can liberate cancer cells and allow them to migrate. John Barnes who invented this therapy about 40 years ago is older himself and stays in pretty good shape because of MFR, so he is an example of what is possible. I know mentor, John Bishop, mentions this discussion a lot and his experience might shed some light on it. Thanks for your kind words. It always helps especially when a person is recovering. As I write this, I am not in pain, but I have limits on how much I can do before my ankle will swell inside the cast. That kind of makes me crazy when that happens and I can't escape, so I stay patient and take it easy. FYI for anyone else just tuning in, I fractured my ankle several weeks ago.
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3 ReactionsGood to see you again Jennifer, sorry about your ankle though. I wish you a speedy and full recovery.
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1 Reaction@red3 Thanks, Red. It's good to see you too and I will do my best.
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