Myofascia – part 1
What is Myofasci?
Fascia is the main connective tissue of the body. Fascia surrounds every cell, muscle, bone, nerve, blood Bessel in the body, creating a three-dimensional web. This is one continuous network from head to toe. Myofascia is the fascia that surrounds all the muscle.
Why it is important?
In its normal state fascia is fluid and pliable, allowing full, pain-free movement. However, fascia is vulnerable to trauma from
- Accident
- Infection
- Injury
- Surgery
- Repetitive Movement
- Habitual Poor Posture
Such trauma causes fascia to tighten, solidify and develop restrictions. Over time these myofascial restrictions can lead to
- Poor biomechanics
- Altered structural alignment
- Compromised blood supply
- Pain
- Reduce flexibility and stability
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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.

Hypertension – Dietary Factors
Following on from my introduction to hypertension and lifestyle factors, I want to explore the link between diet and hypertension in this blog. Optimise your Gut Flora Compared to a placebo, people with high blood pressure who consumed probiotics lowered systolic blood pressure (the top number) by 3.56 mm Hg and diastolic blood pressure (the bottom number) by 2.38 mm Hg1. Including taking probiotics, its is helpful to avoid sugar and processed foods. I should mention that naturally fermented foods in your diet, may contain about 100 times the amount of bacteria than found in a bottle of high potency probiotics. But I appreciate form a practical point of view, buying probiotics is much easier! Eat a Healthy Diet I appreciate this is very common advice. In 1998 in the journal of Diabetes reported that nearly two-thirds of the test subjects who were insulin resistant also high high blood pressure. Insulin resistance is directly attributed to a high sugar, high carbohydrate diet especially if combined with inadequate exercise. Avoiding processed foods (due to their being high in sugar/fructose, grains, trans fat, and other damaged fats) is my number one recommendation if you have high blood pressure2. Instead, make whole, ideally organic, foods the focus of your diet. As you reduce processed foods, and other sources of non-vegetable carbs, from your diet, you’ll want to replace them with healthy fat. Read Part 4 References 1 Hypertension July 21, 2014 2 Metabolism. 2012 May;61(5):641-51.


