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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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Hi,
Myofascial Release is very helpful; I have had it for 25 years. The article was very nice, so many people don't know. Things are changing regarding physical therapies, and it is a blessing.
Strain Counter-Strain is another modality that they use in physical therapies. It truly can help with pain.
Blessings
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1 ReactionHa, I missed the second half of my thought. I will blame the dogs! Besides all of the stuff I do, named above, I have added MFR. What a difference! It has helped immensely where I have injured myself, and the resulting injuries from compensating. @sassytwo mentioned working back from the position of the injury, absolute brilliance on that PT's thought process. Some people just see the injury, and not the tangental trauma from that injury. My foot/ankle are week, because I severely dislocated my knee, and multiple dislocations following, thus I spent a loooonnng time on crutches and have a weak ankle and foot. I recently had MFR there, I can not wait to do it again.
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1 Reaction@jfn I'm right there with you. I had a compound bimaleolar ankle fracture a few years ago. It was a fracture, dislocation and sprain, and I came home with a cage on the outside of my ankle that was screwed into the tibia in front. That was to let the swelling go down before the surgery to fix it. With no weight bearing for 8 weeks, my other leg became a super leg. I was scooting up the stairs on my rear and standing up at the top on my good leg from a squat.
I quite often have pain in the ligaments on the outside of my injured foot. I have figured out that the muscle imbalance between the weak side of the injured leg and the stronger side creates pressure on the ligaments. I started doing all the MFR I could figure out to release the tension. It has taken me a few years, but I figured out that the scar tissue was pulling from the scars on the tibia where the cage was attached and pulling through the ankle joint that was causing my ankle to collapse now and then when I took a step. I worked on that fascia too, and it has stopped the weakness and collapse when I step forward off my foot. That is a major improvement, and along with that, I've been trying to strengthen the injured leg and rebuild the muscle. I'm hoping that my strength and endurance will continue to improve while I maintain better movement. Ankle fractures can be a tough recovery. I do well walking on solid ground, but walking on uneven ground or mud where I need to stabilize causes fatigue and pain and kind of kicks up the sprain injury.
You are right about instability in joints affecting other joints in the leg. My physical therapist says that a lot. If the hips and pelvis are out of alignment, it puts pressure on the knee and over time, this can create a need for a knee joint replacement. I have custom orthotics to support my feet and ankle joints.
I'm glad MFR helps you. It really is a good tune up strategy for life long fitness.
Jennifer
MFP is a life savor for me! It works wonders on sciatica, and any area of concentrated pain.
I’ve been seeing my therapist since 1992. He does a maximum of 2 sessions with you. I leave there feeling well, and with instructions on the exercises necessary to prevent future issues.
Once every year or so I find myself back in his office.
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2 Reactions@kensiejames That’s good to hear. I do a lot of self treating at home to maintain what my therapist has done for me. Every now and then a tweak from your MFR therapist helps get you back on track.
Jennifer
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2 ReactionsBut I don't see "muscle spasm" on the list and that is quite different from the other maladies mentioned. But thank you for the info. might be useful for some people...Susan
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1 Reaction@ksdm Susan, I think MFR may help. A muscle spasm is a contracted muscle and it's tight. The spasm could also be happening from fascial tightness if that is compressing a nerve that feeds that muscle as it passes through very small spaces in the body. The list was compiled by John Barnes (I think), but probably isn't all inclusive. I've got tight knotted muscles that I've had in my neck for years. Sometimes those do need more aggressive deep tissue massage (like pushing on it with rocks or sticks), and MFR can help maintain the progress made.
Jennifer
I will bring this up with my doctor and my pain management doctor who I will be seeing before the end of the month. Thank you for the information! Susan
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1 ReactionThank you!
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1 Reaction@ksdm You're welcome.
Jennifer
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