Myofascial Release Techniques Are Now Nearly 100 Years Old

1. Myofascial Release Techniques Are Now Nearly 100 Years Old Many people have never heard of the fascia, despite the fact that everyone has got one inside their bodies. It could, perhaps, be described as a kind of cling film, as it is a type of fibrous matrix that holds together our bones, muscles, nerves, and organs, and without it we would be flimsy and shapeless versions of ourselves. In some ways it is like a second skin, and it connects to the muscles, ligaments, and joints at thousands of different points, connecting one part of the body to another. When you begin to understand this, it becomes possible to explain how people can suffer a pain in one part of their body when the actual cause of the pain, known as a trigger point, is in another part. Myofascial release is in some respects similar to a massage in that a therapist may then work on your lower back, for instance, when you are actually suffering a pain in the shoulder. Acubody Therapy practitioner Duncan McGechie describes it as follows: "Myofascial release in London is now considered a neuromuscular technique, since research is showing more and more how the softening, stretching, and freeing up of the connective tissue is mediated by specialised receptors housed in the fascia and the nervous system. It is a useful therapy for dealing with all sorts of restriction in the muscles and tissues and has an amazing capacity for relieving muscle pain, helping to restore postural imbalances." "Myofascial release therapy involves pressure on the body tissues in a specific direction, slowly building up to a point of resistance. The pressure is then

2. maintained for a minute or two and the tissue allowed to relax, effectively stretching the muscle unit." Acubody therapists often encourage the client to participate in myofascial release by becoming more aware of their own bodies and the way that they move. McGechie says that clients very often instinctively find movements which feel good for them and the therapists encourage them to use them. Movement can help with the release of tissues which are tight because it improves blood flow and stretching which has a kind of cross-over into a technique that is called active release. Thomas W. Myers is arguably the leading expert on fascia in the US and says "Fascia is the environment for all the other 'stuff' that goes on in the body. At first, it was viewed as the packing material and didn't have much importance. Every once in a while you'd hear something about the plantar fascia or something specific, but now people are seeing it as a system that provides context for all other body activities. It is the biological fabric that holds us together." Myofascial release was first used by Ida Rolf in the US back in the 1920's, although she called her therapy "structural integration", and has been developed by other practitioners since the 1940's. It is often known as Rolfing, but has several other names since different therapists use slightly differing techniques. About the Company: Acubody therapists work in a clinic in Holborn and practice several different massage procedures including Swedish massage, sports massage and myofascial release. For further information call Duncan McGechie on 020 3823 6888 or email info@acubody.net. http://www.acubody.net Company Name : Acubody Ltd Company's address : Acubody Therapies London Natural Health 46 Theobalds Road London Post code : WC1X 8NW