Myofascial Release Technique for Treating Pain
Contrary to popular belief, myofascial release technique is not a type of massage therapy.
Instead, it is a whole-body treatment method that focuses on specialized stretching of sore muscles and surrounding fascia to relieve soft tissue problems resulting from a variety of causes, such as injury from accidents and poor posture.
Understanding MRT Before a complete understanding 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.
How an MRT Session Feels Like 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.
The Patient's Role in MRT Many patients fail to recognize the sore spots in their body because the brain has gotten used to them.
In undergoing myofascial release, the brain will initially attempt to reject the newer, more even distribution of muscle tension and the improved posture that has resulted from this.
As the sessions progress, however, the brain finally learns to accept that the new distribution of muscle tension and posture is less painful and energy-efficient than before, thus, permanent change occurs.
Instead, it is a whole-body treatment method that focuses on specialized stretching of sore muscles and surrounding fascia to relieve soft tissue problems resulting from a variety of causes, such as injury from accidents and poor posture.
Understanding MRT Before a complete understanding 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.
How an MRT Session Feels Like 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.
The Patient's Role in MRT Many patients fail to recognize the sore spots in their body because the brain has gotten used to them.
In undergoing myofascial release, the brain will initially attempt to reject the newer, more even distribution of muscle tension and the improved posture that has resulted from this.
As the sessions progress, however, the brain finally learns to accept that the new distribution of muscle tension and posture is less painful and energy-efficient than before, thus, permanent change occurs.
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