Myofascial Release

Myofascial release: this is a big topic for a tiny blog post, so get ready! First, let’s revisit fascia. Fascia is a matrex of connective tissue that supports most of the body’s structures. Depending on the location and function, fascia can be thin and elastic or dense and fibrous. Superficial fascia supports the deep and superficial adipose layers under the skin, and provides a matrix for the lymphatic vessels. Visceral fascia suspends and wraps the internal organs in their respective cavities. Deep fascia separates individual muscles and also groups muscles into larger compartments, like the calf and the thigh. What a wonder is our fascia!

What is MFR?

Myofascial release is an umbrella term for any massage technique that considers not only a muscle but also the fascial compartment(s). A lot of modalities fall under this umbrella. Trigger point therapy is a myofascial technique, as are structural integration approaches like Rolfing or Anatomy Trains. Even foam rolling is a form of self myofascial release. Why? Imagine foam rolling your hamstrings (or grab your roller and try it out, we’ll wait). As you roll down the back of your leg, starting from the bottom of the pelvis to the back of your knee, you’re affecting your hamstrings and also the superficial and deep fascial tissue of the upper leg compartment. Now imagine a massage therapist gliding their forearm or loose fist down your hamstrings, as we are likely to do in a session addressing the legs. It’s not unlike the experience of foam rolling. Put that way, it sounds like all massage incorporates myofascia release.

Some myofascial modalities make use of long, slow contact around an area of tension or restriction - this is the stuff of John Barnes, one of the practitioners who helped catapult the term “myofascial release” to the industry buzzword it is today. The Anatomy Trains approach of Thomas Myers incorporates pin and stretch into the technique. An example: your therapist might compress (pin) a tender spot while you slowly mobilize and lengthen (stretch) the affected body part. Fascial stretch therapy stretches not only isolated muscles but myofascial continuities in the body, and unlike the slow approach of Barnes, this work is fast and energizing. Myofascial techniques can feel deep and pinpoint, like in trigger point therapy, or light and broad.

The myofascial techniques of Barnes or structural integration are performed without any lubricant, with the therapist compressing an area of restriction and then gliding against it in a shearing motion. Trigger point therapists, on the other hand, might use some lubricant to avoid aggravating the skin.

A note on release:

The mechanism of myofascial release is still theoretical, but we’re probably not “releasing” anything, not literally. A massage therapist or foam roller is no match for your body’s structural integrity - and that’s a good thing! Imagine trying to walk if your plantar fascia kept releasing with each step. When an area of sensitivity or restriction is moving freely and without pain, it can feel like something has released. That’s what we mean here.