The medical approach is to drug patients so they temporarily are free from pain, but does nothing about the “straight-jacket” of pressure that is causing the pain. Traditional physical, occupational and massage therapy treats the symptoms caused by the pressure of the “straightjacket” of the Myofascial system, but does nothing about the “straightjacket” of pressure that causes and perpetuates the symptoms. This is why so many patients only have temporary results never seeming to get better with traditional therapy. Only Myofascial Release treats the entire Myofascial mind/body complex eliminating the pressure of the restricted Myofascial system (the straightjacket) that causes the symptoms.
John F. Barnes, PT, creator of the JFB MFR framework
Myofascial Release is an approach to healing which does not acknowledge limitations that aren’t real. The stories we’ve all heard… when someone spontaneously heals from cancer, when a tumor vanishes overnight, when the paralyzed person walks… our mistake is calling these miracles, as though life is not a constant and unfailing miracle we can tap into.
Healing requires humility – because the healer doesn’t heal. It is largely up to the patient to release all that is no longer serving them, including old tension patterns and even thought patterns that result in contraction, which become inflammation.
Imagine that the body is completely wrapped and covered in a spider web-like substance, which wraps around muscle and organs, which acts as the communication medium for the nervous system, as well as registers and remembers emotional and physical upsets that were not processed and puts out feedback in the form of contraction. Think of the fascia as the body’s check engine light – when it’s tight, it’s doing its job perfectly – something is stuck, and now you know.
Now imagine this fascia is incredibly strong, with tensile pressure of ~2000 pounds per square inch. That much pressure, sitting on your stomach, your liver, your shoulder joint, your sciatic nerve, between your ribs.
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The surface mechanics of Myofascial Release are simple: apply gentle pressure slowly, steadily, and in the right direction to an area that indicates fascial restriction; hold; hold; hold. What is occurring beneath the surface is called the Piezoelectric Phenomenon – pressure placed on a viscous object will create an electric charge, and will over time change the structure of the object.
This is the basic outcome of Myofascial Release, and it stands on its own. However, if the recipient is open to this work, the impact it can have on nervous system regulation, lymphatic and blood flow, ability to process emotions, and so many other things makes the work potentially life-changing. That part is up to the patient.
Learn more about the techniques
