Good morning, Moment of Truth Family! These last two weekends I had the opportunity to spend my time in Camp Verde at John Barnes’s Myofascial Release Seminars 1 and 2. Not only was it a fun time to learn new skills to apply here at this clinic, but it was a great chance to enjoy God’s creation outside for the brief moments I was able.
Unfortunately, the first weekend I was driving back and forth 1.5 hrs each way due to my parents in town, but at least the views were amazing! The next weekend I was able to stay near the seminar location, only to find that my body needed some rest as I ended up being sick for most of the weekend. By God’s grace, I made it through the seminar still, able to learn plenty of techniques and information that I am now able to share with you today.
What is Fascia?
Fascia is the connective tissue that surrounds and makes up every cell, bone, and muscle tissue within our bodies. It is the “webbing”, to borrow the colloquialism, that holds our bodies together. Not only that, but it also is where our subconscious can hold a lot of our past trauma, emotions, and stress. Unlike what you may have learned in your past anatomy classes, fascia is not separated into different sections or systems of our body but is fully connected from head to toe. This is why one can work around the neck area and feel relief in the low back, hip, or knee regions. While you won’t find fascia on an X-ray, MRI, or lab paperwork, it is vital to what makes us not only mechanical beings, but humans with compassion, empathy, love, and joy.
We hear a lot about how science is objective and feelings are subjective, but nothing could be further from the truth. You can’t have one without acknowledging and considering the other. Closing one part of ourselves, left brain verses right brain, or emotions vs physical symptoms, is a quick way to hijack our own healing process. Regardless of what your spiritual background or overall worldview is, it is important to tap into the side of ourselves that gives our bodies peace and calm.
When we perform myofascial release, we are combining science with this subjective piece of the human emotional and spiritual experience. Our bodies know more than we give them credit for on how to heal itself, but it is important to give ourselves the right environment and facilitation to do so. As therapists, our job is to apply gentle but firm pressure to the fascia of one’s body to help rehydrate, separate, and reconnect the fascia that has been tightened, knotted, or bunched up in our bodies. Listed below are the five most common causes of dysfunctional or tight fascia:
- Direct Physical Trauma
- Repetitive Stress Injury
- Inflammatory Reactions
- Scar Tissue Adhesions
- Emotional Life Distress
The purpose is not to cause our bodies pain or even just break up the fascia, only for it to go back to its original pattern. Rather, we are here to guide the body into letting down its guard that it naturally builds to protect ourselves and move back to a functional position that reduces pain and encourages long term change.
Who can benefit from myofascial release (MFR)?
The true answer? Anyone. We all are usually misaligned and tight due to poor posture throughout the day. Similar to how we recognize how much we need massage only after we experience it, same goes for myofascial release.
But to be more specific, MFR can address pain in the body of all types, whether it is initially diagnosed as nerve related, muscle tension, repetitive stress injuries, or even organ dysfunction:
- cranial to sacral pain
- jaw pain
- low back or hip pain
- arm/leg joint tension
- pelvic floor dysfunction
- painful sex or poor orgasms
- constipation or incontinence
- headaches
- limited movement
- dysfunctional dense scar tissue
While many of you have come to our office at Moment of Truth to address at least one, if not several, of these issues, please let us know if you experience any other of these concerns with us that we can help address. And as always, please share this information with your friends who may be going through their own pain without answers!
Much Love,
Kaylen and the Moment of Truth Team!
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