Spa E’vie offers massage therapy that is relaxing and soothing just as it is effective and therapeutic.

A lot of times, I’ll ask my clients what their goal for the session is; are they looking for a relaxing, Swedish massage or are they needing more of a manual therapy, deep tissue feel. More likely than not, most people ask for a mix of both—this is where myofascial release as a treatment enters the picture.

Let’s talk about myofascial release for a minute. What does “myofascial’ even mean? How does it work? How does your therapist apply the treatment and have it be effective? First, I’m going to define fascia. Fascia is like a spider’s web—a dense, connective tissue that spans throughout the entire body. It is one continuous structure that exists from head to toe without interruption. This is why, as practitioners, we like to provide head to toe assessment and treatment because something that is “off” or painful in one part of the body may be reflecting from a whole different part of the body; as an example, low back pain can be caused from tightness in the glutes or even the hamstrings and quadriceps. Most times, the client will not even feel pain or tightness in the legs or glutes, but this could be where the real problem is, in turn, causing low back pain.

Myofascial Release is a safe and very effective hands-on technique that involves applying gentle sustained pressure into the Myofascial connective tissue. This modality can eliminate restrictions, decrease pain and restore motion. The therapist will stay in one place on the body until the fasica has been “smoothed” out or released. It can feel like the treatment is being applied to one spot for a while. This essential “time element” has to do with the viscous flow and the piezoelectric phenomenon: which essentially means applying a low load (gentle pressure) slowly that will allow a viscoelastic medium (fascia) to elongate.

This treatment is great for any client that has tension, pain or limited range of motion. The application doesn’t feel as intense or invasive as deep tissue, but it is just as effective. Ask our therapists about Myofascial Release and how we can help you get control back of your body. 

Skylar Fate, LMT


Sources:
About Myofascial Release. (n.d.). Retrieved April 25, 2017, from https://www.myofascialrelease.com/about/