What is Myofascial Release Massage Therapy?
Myofascial release is a manual therapy technique often used in massage. The technique focuses on pain believed to arise from myofascial tissues — the tough membranes that wrap, connect and support your muscles.
Myofascial pain differs from other types of pain because it originates in "trigger points," which are related to stiff, anchored areas within the myofascial tissue.
During myofascial release therapy, the therapist locates myofascial areas that feel stiff and fixed instead of elastic and movable under light manual pressure. These areas, though not always near what feels like the source of pain, are thought to restrict muscle and joint movements, which contributes to widespread muscle pain.
The Health Benefits of Myofascial Release Massage
Myofascial release can help soothe and treat the symptoms of:
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
- Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder
- Muscle and joint pain (like tight calf muscles)
- Migraine headaches
- Back pain
- Fibromyalgia
- Plantar fasciitis
- Bladder Problems (Urgency, Frequency, Incontinence, Overactive Bladder, Leakage)
- Bulging disc tightness
- Bursitis
- Cerebral Palsy
- Cervical and Lumbar InjuriesChronic Fatigue Syndrome
- Chronic Pain
- Degenerative Disc Disease
- Endometriosis
- Emotional Trauma
- Frozen Shoulder (Adhesive Capsulitis)
- Herniated Disc
- Infertility
- Interstitial Cystitis
- Menstrual Problems
- Myofascial Pain Syndrome
- Neck Pain
- Osteoarthritis
- Pelvic Pain
- Pudendal Nerve Entrapment
- Scars (hypertrophic, hypersensitive, painful, burn scars, mastectomy scars)
- Sciatica Nerve Pain
- Scoliosis
- Shin Splints
- Tinnitus (Ringing of the ears)
- TMJ Syndrome
- Trigeminal Neuralgia
- Vulvodynia
- Whiplash
Injuries due to poor shoulder or hip alignment
Myofascial release therapy eliminates pain caused by muscles or other connective tissues that are “tied down” by tight fascia. Also, damaged fascial tissue can contribute to pain at “trigger points” that restrict blood flow to nearby areas, causing the damage to spread.
Some undergo myofascial release treatments to achieve better muscular and skeletal alignment before surgery. Others use it to increase their sports performance.
