What is Myofacial Release?

Myofascial Release

"Myo" in medical terms is a prefix that refers to muscle.

"Fascia" is a tough connective tissue that is found throughout the body. Fascia is the only substance that is present throughout the entire body. Trauma, bad posture or inflammation can cause the fascia to knit together resulting in excessive pressure on nerves, muscles, blood vessels and organs. An extremely high percentage of people suffering with pain and or lack of motion may go undiagnosed because many of the standard tests such as x-ray, myelograms, CT scans and electromyography do not reveal fascial restrictions.

Someone recently said, "Think of it this way…":

"Imagine you had a letter. It is somewhat crumpled. The letter goes into an envelope but because of the crumpling it doesn't fit precisely. Well now just imagine that the letter is the muscle and the envelope is the fascia. The covering becomes tight and will not allow the normal; elimination of muscle waste, byproducts or circulation. The buildup of these waste products and the lack of normal circulation adds another source of irritation to the muscle. The purpose of the technique is to open up this envelope and allow the muscle to return to the normal size and shape that it should have. Once the muscle has had a chance to relax the pain starts to decrease."

Myofascial Release consists of slow gentle manual application of sustained pressure to release tissue that may be trapping muscle and other tissues into a painful and less mobile position.

The intention of myofascial release is to provoke a natural body reaction called pixoelectric phenomena: the slow, sustained, gentle pressure of human touch causes soft tissues such as fascia to elongate and return to their normal relaxed state.

Massage and ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease)

See the "Hand Massage" video shown in this link. It is a demonstration of a simple and easy massage that caregivers can perform. The hands consist of not only skin and bones but a huge number of muscles, ligaments and nerves. Patients report that it is comforting and they enjoy holding hands. The video is soundless and the massage technique is demonstrated twice.

ALS Care provides the patient, their families and caregivers a trusted site to consult for the answers to the challenges to living more comfortably and productively. ALS Care will make available tools to use making communicating and living easier.

(See the video on: http://www.alscare.com/hand_massage.asp)

THEN,

Check out the sentiment on Massage as quoted here from: http://als-curtisvancefoundation.org/massage.htm



"Curtis loved massage. Miraculously, a local masseuse donated her time once a week. When Curtis could breathe comfortably on his back and stomach, Cyndi would come to the house and perform a three hour full body massage. Using oils and hot treatments, she would knead deep into Curt’s muscles, relaxing them, and making Curtis feel less cramped, less stiff, and content. As months passed, the time of the sessions decreased in relation to Curt’s stamina. Eventually, Cyndi could only massage his legs, feet, arms, hands and neck while Curt sat in his blue recliner. Still, the therapy improved Curt’s mood, and physical comfort. In addition, Heidi would massage him whenever they had a chance, whether they were sitting in front of the TV, visiting with company, or getting ready to fall asleep. Also, Curtis encouraged family and friends to massage him. Many people would come to visit, and as Curtis got weaker, his muscles ached to be moved, and touched, so he would insist that those who were willing get to work! Back to Living with ALS."

Barefoot Bars and the Comfort Craft Bodywork Table

Gravity Assisted Massage Blends Deep Tissue Therapy with Soothing Relaxation


Barefoot Therapy, also called Gravity Assisted Massage, borrows time-honored techniques from the Far Eastern ancient masters. As in Western massage, Barefoot Therapy combines smooth, continuous, flowing strokes with cross-fiber, acupressure and deep compression for truly awesome results.
 
Therapists use pressure from the feet and the weight of their bodies to bring about structural change to soft tissue, milk the muscles, open chakras and release toxins. The technique revives the body of depleted blood supply and lymphatic flow. This stimulates the body’s immune system and promotes self-healing, while providing deep relaxation.