Myofascial Release Technique
What Is Myofascial Release? Myofascial
Release is the state-of-the-art, soft tissue management system that treats problems that occur and is most
effective for release from myofascial pain, trigger points and muscular problems due to physical injuries and
emotional and stress-related trauma that occur with:
Muscles
Tendons
Ligaments Fascia Nerves
Here is a list of just a few of the conditions that can be resolved quickly
and permanently with Myofascial Release:
Headaches Back
pain Shoulder
pain Knee
problems Shin
splints
Sciatica
Plantar
fascitis Tennis
elbow Carpal tunnel syndrome
These conditions all have one important thing in common - they often result
from injury to overused muscles.
How do overuse injuries
occur?
Overused muscles (and other traumatized soft tissues) can cause changes to
your body in three important ways:
Cause acute injuries (pulls,
tears,
collisions, etc.).
Accumulate small tears.
(micro-trauma).
Reduce oxygen flow to cells
(hypoxia).
Each of these changes causes your body to produce tough, dense scar tissue
in the affected area.
This scar tissue binds up and ties down tissues that need to move freely.
As scar tissue builds
up:
Muscles become shorter
and weaker.
Tension on tendons causes tendonitis.
Nerves can become
trapped.
This can result in reduced ranges of motion, loss of strength, and
pain.
With trapped nerves, you may also feel tingling, numbness, shooting pains,
burning sensations, weakness, muscle atrophy and circulatory changes.
What happens during an Myofascial
Release treatment?
Every Myofascial Release session is actually a combination of
examination
and treatment.
Dr. Hardy uses his hands to evaluate the texture, tension, movement and
function of muscles, fascia, tendons, ligaments and nerves.
Abnormal tissues are treated by combining precisely directed tension with very specific patient
movements.
These treatment protocols – over 500 of them – which are unique to
Myofascial Release Technique.
They allow Dr. Hardy to identify and correct the specific problems that are
affecting each individual patient.
Myofascial
Release is not a cookie-cutter approach.
Treatments take about 10-30 minutes for each area being treated.
A condition may require two to ten visits before full functionality is restored.
Acupuncture
and/or Manipulation if requested is frequently carried out in conjunction with the Myofascial Release Technique
to increase treatment effectiveness.
Whenever possible we have our patients perform active movements during the
treatment process.
Active motions stimulate neurological pathways in the spinal cord that help to reduce pain during
treatment.
Motion also help to reproduce the stresses the patient will actually be
under during normal active motion.
Ensuring you get the right
touch!
Strength, speed and endurance are expected to improve within the first few
treatments.
We will often have our patients test these factors after two or three visits.
If no improvement is seen, we know that either we have not found the source of the problem,or the area affected
needs to be strengthened further.
Myofascial Release is non-invasive, very safe, has virtually no side
effects, and
has a record of producing very good results.
When a soft tissue problem has resolved the symptoms will not return unless the injury happens
again.
To avoid future injuries we instruct our patients in specific exercises,
give postural recommendations and explain to our patients the mechanism of injury so that it may be avoided
in the future.
How does a Myofascial Release treatment feel?
Treatments can feel
uncomfortable during the movement phases as the scar tissue or adhesions "break-up".
This discomfort is
temporary and subsides almost immediately after the treatment.
It is common to feel a duplication of your pain symptoms during the treatment
(a good indication that the problem has been identified).
Patients report that "It hurts good".
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