Myofascial Release

Written by: Jesse Ling / MassageGirls Staff Writer
Added on: Sun Jul 26 2009

Ever felt muscle soreness (especially after a hard sports session or a bad sleeping posture) that lasts for days? You might have felt this nagging sensation of over-taut muscles that prevents you from walking or moving properly. In most cases, this pain is temporary and the bodys muscles relax to their original state. In others, however, a myofascial trigger point has been created.

This can last for days, if not weeks, unless treated properly. Sounds unpleasant, doesn't it? Let us take a deeper look before you panic!

The "fascia" is a specialized connective tissue layer that surrounds the muscles, bones and joints. The peculiarity of this tissue is that it extends uninterrupted from the top of the head to the tip of the toes.

In its normal, healthy state, the fascia is relaxed and wavy in configuration. It can stretch and move without much restriction.

However, as a result of physical trauma, scarring or inflammation, the fascia loses this ability. It becomes taut and hard. The place where this occurs is called a myofascial trigger point.

Since the fascia is a continuous tissue covering the whole body, a tension in one part can lead to pain in other parts as well.

The whole point of myofascial release is to discover the location of these myofascial trigger points and to iron them out.

Myofascial release therefore refers to the massage of the fascia in order to locate the trigger points and alleviate them. This is a technique used since the 1990s in order to alleviate the pain of professional athletes who have to undergo considerable muscular strain on a regular basis.

Why not use it to ease your own muscular pain? God knows, sport is not the only source of muscular pain! Small things like lifting something heavy or a bad sleeping posture can disturb the fascia. These little pains accumulate until the fascia cannot take anymore, leading to a trigger point.

So what's involved in myofascial release?

Most therapists begin the process by a gentle massage that will warm and loosen the muscle. The therapist uses this preliminary massage to identify the trigger points.

Trigger points can be identified by following:

1) Presence of tighter muscles and taut skin
2) Inflammation (redness)
3) Heat emanation from the muscles

Once you have identified the trigger points, some basic stretches and exercises will help relax the fascia further. A foam roll can be used when doing self myofascial release techniques.

Some basic techniques you can use are described below:

1) For pain in the hips region, place the hips on a foam roll and hold yourself with the palms of your hands on the floor. Roll from the knee toward the posterior hip. If a trigger point is reached, stop and rest on it until the pain decreases significantly.

2) For pain in the upper back region, place hands behind the head. Raise hips until unsupported and roll the mid-back area on the foam roll.

Similar massage and exercise techniques can be applied to the rest of the body.

Remember to breathe slowly during the process to ensure proper relaxation.

Community Comments

Add A Comment