What does Myofascial Release feel like?
No two bodies are the same and no two treatments will be the same. During a session, you may feel heat, tingling, perhaps some soreness, a sense of stretching, and you may become aware of other areas of the body seemingly unrelated to where I’m working. Fascia is one continuous web of tissue from the top of our head to the soles of our feet; everything is connected!
Treatments can feel relaxing, and sometimes less so. There can be spontaneous movement, which we call “unwinding”, and sometimes emotional release can occur. One or all of these things are possible.
Myofascial Release (MFR) can help us to experience our body in a new way. So often in life we’re moving from one thing to the next quickly, and we only notice how our body feels when pain starts talking or our ability to move well is hindered. MFR is an opportunity to slow down and become more conscious of how our body feels, and this awareness helps us take the relevant action to support our health.
Some clients share such unique and descriptive feedback of what they are noticing, it affirms for me what a deeply personal experience each session is. After a treatment it’s important to drink lots of water and take it easy if you can. In most cases people feel relief and ease from their symptoms, although you may feel achy and tired for a day or two as the body goes through a healing process. Usually symptoms are a result of years of tension or dysfunction, and as such more than one session is needed to create long-lasting positive change.
Because every body is different, there is no prescribed routine with MFR. As therapists, it is our job to listen and respond to the body moment to moment, never forcing. I’ve been working with this wonderful client for 18 months and with monthly sessions, and regular Pilates and stretching exercises in between, we’ve made some great progress to address long-standing tension.
What was your primary reason for booking your first Myofascial Release treatment?
Having never heard of the treatment, it was explained by a friend that it is like a massage but nothing like they’ve ever had; a completely different touch but the best massage they have ever had. With a description full of feeling, I was keen to give it a go. What harm could that do? Who knew it would be a light bulb moment.
I feel MFR has positively changed my body. I no longer have the pain spikes that required immediate attention from a chiropractic adjustment. There is a calmness to my body and (more recently) mind. I’m a whirlwind of energy that does everything at full speed in a 54 year old body. I can now stretch out any crinkles, as it were, in myself to maintain a pain-free body.
What other therapies have you tried and how have they helped?
As someone who has had historic back pain, I’ve had chiropractic and osteopathy treatments for 40 years, with countless types of firm or trigger point massages. I always seemed to get a spike of pain that required a panic amount of treatment to calm everything down. Introducing PIlates has certainly helped and something I have to stick to, to prevent any stiffness and aches generally.
How did you feel after your first session?
I felt very fuzzy, like “Readybrek” around my body (it’s a cereal advert from the early 80s). Like a warm, red LED glow from my head to my toes. A rather disturbed night’s sleep, despite drinking lots of water. My skin felt loose and light. I ached the following couple of days on my back from the skin rolling technique, which is the most unusual and uncomfortable feeling but the most rewarding for the relief and looseness afterwards.
What changes have you notice since starting MFR treatments?
During a treatment my body feels completely relaxed. The tightness I felt in my hips and back seemed to melt away. Fluidity to those areas improved. As one area released, my body relaxed more and so the tension points (hips and neck on me) which were at the root of the problems, could relax. Now I feel my mind and body are so much calmer and pain-free.