Myofascial Release Therapy (MFR) for treating compression and pain

@loribethp I don't have fibromyalgia, but if some of it has to do with the body not clearing waste products, myofascial release may help that. There is microcirculation of fluids in the body and throughout the fascia because it is surrounding the cells of the organs. If the facia is tight, it is holding waste products and is drier. Fluid is supposed to move through it and drain back into the lymphatic fluid system. The waste is eventually cleared by the liver and kidneys. One of my doctors advised soaking in epsom salt baths because it helps pull waste products through the skin, and you will absorb magnesium which is needed for waste metabolism. Most of us are a bit deficient in magnesium according to the doctor. Fascia also conducts electricity and aids in the nerve muscle connection for muscle function.

There is a provider search at https://mfrtherapists.com/

@jenniferhunter
Thank you so much for the information. I really appreciate it.

Myofascial Release Therapy helped cure my back pain nine years ago when I had physical therapy for lower back pain. I just started it again for Neuropathy of my lower legs after back surgery a year ago. It seems to be helping to release the tightness. I've only had two sessions with an excellent practitioner. Physical therapy and acupuncture haven't helped at all so far. I have more sessions scheduled and am hopeful that it will work to relieve the burning, tingling pain in my lower legs. I'll keep in contact on Mayo Connect.

@lesx That sounds wonderful! I think you will find a lot of healing from myofascial release. It has helped me a lot. Other patients have also reported some success with MFR for neuropathy. I look forward to your progress!

@jenniferhunter glad it is helpful to some, I had numerous visits to an MFR specialist which cost $$$ for chronic neck pain, it was not at all successful just a waste of time and money.

@helennicola I’m sorry it didn’t help you. It may depend on the source of your neck pain. If it is a structural problem of compression from something like a herniated disc or bone growth compressing a nerve, MFR wouldn’t change that. What MFR helps is tight tissue restrictions that are strong enough to cause misalignment or restrict body movements. If your body can’t move properly it can generate pain or uneven wear and tear on joints. One session of MFR isn’t enough. It’s like peeling an onion as you get deeper through layers of tight tissue restrictions. It took the body years to develop that pattern and it won’t be solved quickly. There is a lot you can do yourself to aid the work of the therapist. Many yoga type stretches holding a sustained pose will release fascia. The key is to not be aggressive, just hold it at the barrier and wait. It may take 5 minutes to start to move as the tissue changes state and unwinds itself. It has to be a shearing stretch. Too much force can tear fascia, increase pain and create scar tissue that makes it worse. The training of the therapist matters and the best ones have certification from John Barnes clinics. My insurance has paid for my MFR sessions when the therapist codes it as manual therapy in conjunction with other exercises.

@jenniferhunter thank you Jennifer but I am aware of all possible treatments. I also have stiff muscles and of course the MFR specialist felt I would benefit from his treatment. I am a thorough researcher and have improved my SFN greatly in the past 8 years without any help from my neurologist. I have learned you have to be your own advocate and do your own research unfortunately as our health care industry is motivated by $. (Including of course the drug co.’s) I’m not a pessimist but have learned this from my experiences as well as many others and valid published info.

Thanks for the information about Myofascial Release therapy. My therapist hasn't been trained in the John Barnes Method. She's developed her own method which seems very effective. It's much like the MRT that I had in the past but perhaps even better! I also have a very good Physical Therapist giving me stretches that I hold for at least 20 seconds. I think they're helping relieve the tightness in my feet, ankles, and calves. I'm afraid to take the Alpha-Lipoic Acid and Benfotiamine that's been suggested on Mayo Clinic Connect even though my PCP okayed it. Need to be careful of side effects over benefits! I've read that it helps so many but I haven't opened either bottle yet.

Jennifer, I hope you saw my comment about MFR Therapy. It's good to know that it's helped you. Very few people have heard of it. It's difficult to describe what it is but you did a good job. Are there any particular stretches that have helped you? Can you give me an example of a "shearing stretch"? My Physical Therapist has taught me to do calf stretches and balance exercises on a foam roller. Also, stretches with my feet over a chair. Last, a clam stretch to strengthen the muscle that weakens when you have sciatica. The laminectomy surgery for spinal stenosis that caused the painful sciatica is what caused my neuropathy to develop. I went for 4 months of acupuncture which didn't help at all!

@lesx A shearing stretch is to push the skin sideways. Think about kneading bread dough and how you would push it to develop elasticity. With your hand or a tool, sink into the skin and push like you are kneading bread until it stops. That is when you have reached the “barrier”. Just hold it there and wait. When fascia starts to slide, it can feel tingly or get warm. After I do this, I will have red patches on my skin because the circulation was restored to an area that may have been dried out. You may not have body awareness to feel the slide in the beginning, and that comes in time as you work more with it. If you go to the discussion I started on myofascial release, there is a video at the beginning that shows John Barnes demonstrating and explaining this. He is an older man with a beard. My therapist would tell me to work on areas that were hot, hard or tender by laying on small firm balls. You can do stretches that you already know, but hold them and see if after 5 minutes you still feel the same or did the tension release. If it released, you would have loosened the fascia and muscle. The key is gentle stretching that isn’t increasing pain. Don’t bounce, just hold the stretch. If it’s too much, you can back off.