Myofascial Release Therapy (MFR) for treating compression and pain

Posted by Jennifer, Volunteer Mentor @jenniferhunter, Feb 15, 2019

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

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Neuropathy Support Group.

Jennifer, Volunteer Mentor | @jenniferhunter | Nov 18, 2023

In reply to @pdpbob01 "Myofascial Release Therapy . Why are there no blogs about this?" + (show)

@pdpbob01 Mayo does recognize Myofascial release therapy. Here is an article about it, and I have found 2 chiropractors in the Mayo rehab center who are listed as doing this treatment.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/back-pain/expert-answers/myofascial-release/faq-20058136
I found MFR because of a thoracic surgeon who was treating me for thoracic outlet syndrome and he said that surgery was not a good answer to this condition because it creates more scar tissue, and what's best is to release the tightness from scar tissue and injury. Not all doctors are familiar with this type of physical therapy, and they do get a lot of perks from the drug manufacturers sending samples, and treating them to fancy dinners, etc in order to promote pharmaceutical sales. Insurance companies cause bias too because they don't want to pay for several weeks of physical therapy, and a drug prescription is probably less costly for them.

In medical school, doctors study cadaver tissue, so they don't see living fascia and watch how it moves and changes, so I suppose that can influence how they think about it. They would see it during surgery, but the focus would be on the surgical problem, not exploring the fascia.

The physical therapist, John Barnes, who created this form of therapy does have a lot of information on his website, and a You Tube channel with informative videos. A lot of what he talks about is geared toward physical and massage therapists. He has been teaching this for over 40 years, and it has taken time to gain acceptance in the medical community.
https://myofascialrelease.com/
You can find the John Barnes Myofascial Release You Tube channel here:
https://www.youtube.com/@myofascialrelease6247
When I was searching for the You Tube channel I had to search for "John Barnes" because now it seems that "myofascial release" has become a buzzword and many physical therapists and clinics are promoting it. Some don't correctly define how MFR is different from stretching. The fascia is like a cobweb permeating all your tissues that changes state between a semi solid and a liquid crystal matrix and it reforms itself and then re solidifies. What you do when you do MFR therapy is to apply a shearing force and you wait for the fascia to unwind and release itself. You can't aggressively force it because that can tear the fascia and cause more scar tissue which increases the problem and the tightness. When all this tightness is released, the body can move better and be aligned better. It takes a gentle touch and patience.

We do have this discussion on Connect which has been getting attention in the medical community. Physical therapists are having more patients contact them abut MFR therapy because this discussion and mentions in other Connect discussions have created awareness in the community. I have heard this from my physical therapist and it has been discussed in the therapist's professional community.

Neuropathy - "Myofascial Release Therapy (MFR) for treating compression and pain"
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/myofascial-release-therapy-mfr-for-treating-compression-and-pain/

Sue, Volunteer Mentor | @sueinmn | Nov 18, 2023

In reply to @pdpbob01 "Myofascial Release Therapy . Why are there no blogs about this?" + (show)

@pdpbob01 Welcome to Mayo Connect. @jenniferhunter has shared some great information about MFR.

I would like to add that our Support Group are member driven and you can start a discussion about this topic within a group where you would like to participate.

Many of our groups include extensive discussions about treatments and therapies that are clearly considered to be alternative or complementary medicine.

We have numerous active discussions about MFR on Connect, among people interested in scar tissue release after surgery, in relieving fibromyalgia and other chronic pain and in the neuropathy group to name a few.

Are you interested in the topic in general, or to relieve a specific problem?
Sue

pdpbob01 | @pdpbob01 | Nov 18, 2023

In reply to @sueinmn "@pdpbob01 Welcome to Mayo Connect. @jenniferhunter has shared some great information about MFR. I would like..." + (show)

I have been having trouble with vestibular Migraines and was wondering if this would be an alternative way to get some relief.

Sue, Volunteer Mentor | @sueinmn | Nov 18, 2023

In reply to @pdpbob01 "I have been having trouble with vestibular Migraines and was wondering if this would be an..." + (show)

Like all other treatments with migraines, the answer is "maybe"

If I were looking for MFR for migraine, first I would locate one or more trained MFR therapists near me, then contact them and ask. My sister and her daughter have also gotten some relief from acupuncture from a Doctor of Oriental Medicine.
Have you considered that option?
Sue

pdpbob01 | @pdpbob01 | Nov 19, 2023

In reply to @sueinmn "Like all other treatments with migraines, the answer is "maybe" If I were looking for MFR..." + (show)

Thanks, I am in the process of going to see a NUCCA chiropractor. 🤞just read about MFR and thought would look into it.

Sue, Volunteer Mentor | @sueinmn | Nov 19, 2023

In reply to @pdpbob01 "Thanks, I am in the process of going to see a NUCCA chiropractor. 🤞just read about..." + (show)

Interesting that you mentioned NUCCA Chiropractic. We have been seeing one for about a year and a half now, and it has helped me a lot. For example, after half a lifetime of intermittent severe vertigo, I have had just 2 short bouts in a year. And in conjunction with my PT he has helped a great deal with my chronic neck and shoulder pain.
Good luck with finding a solution.
Sue

jfn | @jfn | Nov 20, 2023

In reply to @pdpbob01 "I have been having trouble with vestibular Migraines and was wondering if this would be an..." + (show)

@pdpbob01
Hi,
You might want to try Cranial Sacral Therapy for your migraines, a therapist that is certified. I have seen a wonderful CST and she worked wonders with me. I now see a different practioner due to a move. Still works wonders.

pdpbob01 | @pdpbob01 | Nov 20, 2023

In reply to @jfn "@pdpbob01 Hi, You might want to try Cranial Sacral Therapy for your migraines, a therapist that..." + (show)

Thank you

pdpbob01 | @pdpbob01 | Nov 20, 2023

In reply to @sueinmn "Interesting that you mentioned NUCCA Chiropractic. We have been seeing one for about a year and..." + (show)

Thanks

bayhorse | @bayhorse | Jan 19, 2024

In reply to @jenniferhunter "Problems that MFR helps https://myofascialrelease.com/about/problems-mfr-helps.aspx Benefits of Massage-Myofascial Release Therapy on Pain, Anxiety, Quality of Sleep,..." + (show)

Hi, Jennifer: Do you know if Barnes' myofascial release techniques can be used on people who have osteoporosis? Mine is advanced, but I am on a med to build back bone -- Tymlos. I also have lumbar spinal stenosis. I have been told by two reputable physical therapists that techniques to treat the stenosis are quite the opposite of what's good for osteoporosis. My instinct is that a great number of my back and leg pain problems stem from fascia issues and a torqued pelvis, so I am interested in myofascial treatment. But I am also wary of the possibility of fracture. I am not seeing literature on myofascial release & osteoporosis. Do you have any knowledge in this area? Thanks for any help you can give!