Over the past few months I have been noticing a rise in medical professionals suggesting that their patients seek out Myofascial Release (MFR) as their first line of defense to help manage their pain. Hearing clients tell me this makes my heart sing I even have a few doctors that are regular clients because they understand how important bodywork is in managing their stress levels.
So what appeals to doctors and MFR. For many years doctors didn’t realize that the fascia had a function. Doctors where taught that it was a membrane that you just cut through. Thanks to pioneers in the industry like Dr. Ida Rolf and the Fascia Congress the medical community is learning that fascia serves a very important function for all the soft tissue in the body.
Fascia is the blue print for the body. All of our soft issue is formed based on the mold the fascia makes while we are just a fetus. When ever there is physical or emotional trauma to the body it changes the blue print of our fascia. And trauma to the fascia is just the beginning to the pain cycle. After an auto accident, for example, it just takes 18 minuets for the fascia to change it’s blue print. MFR encourages the body to correct it’s self. MFR strokes work on an entire region of the body. This is why the results of MFR work are instant and longer lasting vs. a traditional massage. Myofascial release works on the theory that it you change the body’s mold all the other soft tissue will adjust to the new blue print and stopping the pain cycle.
Jessica Weagle owns a solo massage practice, Deep Relief Massage Therapy, in West Boylston, MA.