Myofascial Release Technique for Treating Pain
Before a complete understandingCurafen of myofascial release can be obtained, we must first understand what fascia is. The word myofascial was derived from the words myo, which means "muscle", and the word fascia, which is the thin tissue surrounding all muscles and muscle fibers in the body. When a muscle in the body is injured, its surrounding fascia compresses and contracts, causing irregular painful patches to different parts of the body. The goal of myofascial release technique is to alleviate pain caused by the uneven tightness in the fascia.
It is not surprising why MRT is often mistaken to be a type of massage therapy. Many patients who have undergone a session with a physical therapist specializing in myofascial release report that the session is very gentle and relaxing. Some of them have even said they fell asleep during the session. Most head home immediately to take a nap after the session.
The therapist begins by looking for sore spots, called myofascial trigger points, in the body just by feeling. Myofascial release specialists have been specially trained to determine the tight muscles with the use of their fingers and with feedback from the patient. Once he finds an area where the muscles are felt to be bunched together, he uses his fingers to stretch a small part in the area and waits for the tissue to relax. Then he increases the stretch until that part of the muscle is fully relaxed and moves on to next spot.
A single myofascial release technique session may not be adequate to fully release all the tightness in the muscles. However, the size and stiffness of the myofascial trigger points significantly decrease over time and multiple sessions.