Fascia is the connective tissue that literally holds us together: muscles, bones, organs and soft tissues are enveloped in this fluid & elastic substance, forming a 3 dimensional body net. The scaffolding of the body.
Because Fascia is entirely continuous throughout the body, a restriction in one part (postural imbalance, surgery, emotional trauma, etc) will affect the rest of the system.
In a normal state of hydration and health, fascia moves without restriction, its elasticity allowing it to go back to its original state after stretching. But when an injury is sustained fascia will quickly adjust to the new postural habits the body tissues come to hold in order to protect itself.
Myofascial Release techniques work to change the density, viscosity and tone of the fascia in a permanent or semi-permanent way. Slow & deep movements and long held traction will enable Fascia to ‘melt’ and release restrictions – think of a mix of cornflower and water, solidifying and resisting a spoon that is dug into it, but allowing the spoon to sink when it’s gently guided into it.
Similarly to Yin Yoga where the poses are held for several minutes, we await the moment when the muscles go from resisting to releasing.
But that’s not all there is to Fascia: “Fascia is our biggest sensory organ, our organ of awareness, our internal ocean. For me the current fascia research brings everything together with what I’ve learned through surfing, meditation and yoga.” Alexa Nehter.
Fascia is extremely rich in nerve endings and receptors, making it our most important perceptual and interoceptive organ (prioproception = the perception of your body and the space around it - interoception = the perception of your inner sense of self)
MFR is usually incorporated to your Massage treatment as required, rather than being a therapy used on its own.
Fascia is the soft tissue component of the connective tissue system that permeates the human body. It forms a whole-body continuous three-dimensional matrix of structural support. Fascia interpenetrates and surrounds all organs, muscles, bones and nerve fibers, creating a unique environment for body systems functioning. The scope of our definition of and interest in fascia extends to all fibrous connective tissues, including aponeuroses, ligaments, tendons, retinaculae, joint capsules, organ and vessel tunics, the epineurium, the meninges, the periosteal, and all the endomysial and intermuscular fibers of the myofasciae. FASCIAGONGRESS.ORG (ND)
The Benefits
- Relief from stress and muscle tension
- Treats acute & Chronic pain
- Restores muscle alignment and mobility
- Improves neuromuscular efficiency
- Releases Trigger Points
- Improves Muscle function
- Breaks up adhesions and scar tissue
- Relief Pelvic & menstrual problems
- Relief from pelvic & menstrual problems
- Provides relief for fibromyalgia sufferers
- Relief from Headaches & Migranes
An Insight into History
Fascia is a recently discovered organ. Up until then, Fascia was discarded during dissections. But as Fascia started becoming ‘a thing’ it has redefined our current notions of anatomy.
Tom Myers says: Briefly, all our muscles have been analysed as if they were separate units within the body. This idea – that there is a separate unit like the biceps, the psoas, the latissimus – is so pervasive, that it is hard to think in any other way. But in fact all the muscle tissue is embedded within the single, ubiquitous fascial webbing of the extracellular matrix (ECM). The fibers of the ECM, especially within the myofascia where tensile pulls are regular and strong, are arranged along the same ‘grain’ as the muscle fibers. The muscle may end at the attachment point, but the fascia continues along its way through the ECM, linking up to other muscles in chains – a bit like a set of sausage links. The Anatomy Trains concept maps out these sets of sausage links withink the body – fllowing the grain of muscle and fascia to see what links with what. Myers 2006
This revolutionary discovery shows that Chinese Medicine got there before anyone else. As Eastern knowledge is becoming scientific proof, we can clearly see the parallels between the Chinese Meridians (Thai Sen Lines and Yoga Nadis in a similar way) and the fascial planes.