Fascial Release therapy at Absolute Health

Fascial Release pain relief therapy

Myofascial or Fascial release is a manual therapy that can often have profound effects on the body and is used to treat chronic pain conditions that often do not respond to other forms of treatment.

Fascia allows movement between structures in the body but can develop adhesions following trauma or injury, preventing normal function.  Fascia interweaves within and across muscle groups to form a silk-like bodysuit, which helps the body’s musculoskeletal system transmit and amplify force. It also acts as a natural shock absorber, making the body more resistant to injury. Fascia is a vital component of human physiology and there is growing evidence that fascia is the most pain sensitive tissue in the body.  Breaking down adhesions (and trigger points) can allow the brain to dampen down pain signals that are no longer helpful for the body, after healing has occurred.

Abnormal fascial tension can lead to chronic pain in areas such as the neck, shoulders, lower back, and hips. So, if you’re feeling slightly immobile or are in full-blown pain, dealing with any problem in your fascia is really important to help speed recovery.

Unfortunately, muscle fascia doesn’t show up well on an X-ray or MRI. Maybe that’s why most medical professionals aren’t looking at fascia as a contributing cause of injury, movement dysfunction and chronic pain.

Fascial Release Treatment

Fascial release therapy involves a gentle massage using fingers and thumbs and the 'Fascial Edge Tool' to find and release stiff and tightened areas. Normal fascia should feel pliable and elastic. The therapist will begin massaging and stretching the areas that feel rigid with light manual pressure. The process is repeated multiple times over any 'trigger points' that are found (areas of tight muscle that cause pain to radiate in a specific pattern) until the therapist feels that the tension is fully released.

Who benefits from Fascial Release?

Patients with myofascial pain syndrome frequently benefit from this type of therapy. People who experience chronic headaches may also find relief from Fascial Release. Gently massaging on tightened muscles in and around the neck and head may reduce headaches.

If you have a chronic back ache or pain in the upper back, then there could be an underlying trigger point or fascial problem which would benefit from Fascial Release.

If you have not had a diagnosis for your condition you should seek advice from your GP or an Osteopath before booking in for treatment, to ensure there are no other problems that have been overlooked (e.g. a joint problem or arthritis).

Call Absolute Health today on (0116) 282 7766 to make an appointment with one of our Registered Osteopaths.



Part of this article was extracted from: http://www.healthline.com/health/chronic-pain/myofascial-release