Myofascia – part 2
Last week I explained what myofascia is and how it can become restricted from, for example, poor posture.
How to identify Myofascial Restrictions?
It is important to acknowledge that it is difficult to diagnose myofascial restrictions as they do not show up on standard tests (x-rays, myelograms, CAT scans, electromyography etc).
Massage therapists utilise their palpation skills to find myofascial restrictions. For example fascial drag, this is a very light press & slow technique to allow the therapist to feel the restrictions in the fascia.
Who treats Myofascial Restrictions?
- Myofascial Release – Originated in the 1940’s. It is a specialised physical and manual therapy used for the effective treatment and rehabilitation of soft tissue and fascial tension and restrictions. John Barns a physical therapist based in the US is one of today’s leading lights in the world of myofascial release.
- Rolfing – Dr Ida Rolf, started working with client in the 1930’s and by the 1950’s was teaching her work under the name of Rolfing . A physical therapy which aims to release stress patterns from the body. It is normally to require a series of treatment often up to 10.
- Massage – massage therapists utilise direct and indirect technique to address Myofascial restrictions.
With indirect Myofascial techniques you apply pressure and wait of the fascial to release, when you meet restriction you stretch the fascia. With direct Myofascial techniques you drag the fascia to create a Chinese burn sensation. Hence why in clinic I often rely on the gentler indirect Myofascial techniques even when I know my clients prefer deep pressure.
Related Posts
Is the way you breathing causing your neck pain? – Part 1
If you have had a treatment with us, we may have talked to you about importance of deep breathing, if you have tension in your neck. Shallow breathing, thoracic breathing, or chest breathing is the drawing of minimal breath into the lungs, usually by drawing air into the chest area using accessory muscles rather than throughout the lungs via the diaphragm. This means that you over use some of the accessory muscles of breathing, including the scalenes and sternocleidomastoid muscles both of which are located in the side of the neck. The scalenes elevate the 1st rib during inspiration and the sternocleidomastoid raises the sternum. Unfortunately, these accessory muscles aren’t built for routine respiration, and they exhaust and eventually injure themselves which may result in pain and/or a reduced range of movement (i.e. inability to turn your head fully from side to side). People shallow breath when they are nervous, stressed, anxious, or when they concentrate. So simply stopping and taking one deep breath after you send each email, can reduce the over use of your scalenes and sternocleidomastoid.
Effect of a corporate chair massage program
I recently came across a scientific study in slovenia on the impact of a corporate chair massage program. As you can imagine, as I offer this service I was interested in the results of the study. Ninteen female volunteers who were aged between 40 - 54, were given chair massages on-site at their office twice per week for 1 month. They were all reporting various levels of aches and pains when they were working at their desks. The Cornell Musculoskeletal Discomfort Questionnaire was used to track and measure the aches and pains, while a goniometer was used to track and measure range of motion measurements for the neck and spine. The study showed a significant decrease for aches and pains in the neck and upper back. In addition, it found significant increase in range of movement for cervical lateral flexion of 28.8% (moving your neck so your ear goes towards your shoulder) and cervical extension (moving your head back). This study fits with me and my teams experience that after a Seated Acupressure Neck & Shoulder massages, clients are less tense, feel looser and are able to move their neck & shoulders more freely. Reference Sisko PK, Videmsek M, Karpljuk D, 2011, The effect of a corporate chair massage program on musculoskeletal discomfort and joint range of motion in office workers. J Altern Complement Med, 17(7):617-22
