Have you heard of Myofascial Release?
What is it?
Myofascial release is a hands-on massage and physical therapy treatment that targets the fascia—the tough connective tissue that covers, surrounds, and supports the muscles. Therapists apply gentle, sustained pressure to tight or restricted areas to relieve pain, break up knots, and restore flexibility and movement.
How it works:
Focusing on the fascia – while myofascial release can be combined with other styles of massage, this method stretches and loosens connective tissue in and around your muscles and organs. Pressure, whether light or firm, is sustained to allow the connective tissue to feel safe in relaxing. Myofascial techniques use very little oil and sometimes none at all.
Myofascial Release is often used for:
- Fibromyalgia
- Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS)
- Can Reduce Guarding – Loose joints cause surrounding muscles to overwork and spasm to create stability; myofascial release relaxes this chronic tension.
- Can Improve Proprioception – Dysfunctional fascia disrupts body awareness in space; gentle release of myofascial release therapy can improve sensory feedback.
- Can Calm the Nervous System – Sustained, light pressure shifts the body into a relaxed state, helping lower pain perception.
- Chronic back or neck pain
- Regaining mobility and range of motion
While Myofascial Release is an effective (and often used) tool for massage therapy, it is not the only one. Your massage session my incorporate a combination of techniques depending on your goal and what your therapist finds during your massage.
