To understand the benefit of myofascial release, it helps to understand what we’re talking about when we speak about fascia. Simply put, fascia is a form of connective tissue that surrounds and supports every structure within our body. It helps to support and connect muscles, organs, nerves, bones – basically, it’s everywhere!
In myofascial release, we’re specifically working with the fascia that surrounds the muscles (myo = muscle). Like any tissue within our body the myofascia is susceptible to becoming damaged, and when this happens it can become tight or ‘stuck’, which restricts movement of muscles and can reduce range of motion. There are many reasons why your fascia might be tight, ranging from physical trauma/injury to dehydration. Often, tightness in the fascia in one area of the body can be felt in a completely different part of the body (referred pain) because fascia runs in ‘trains’ which are connected to each other.
Traditional massage is not usually able to completely address myofascial issues. The use of oil, wax or other massage medium causes the therapist’s hands to slide over the muscle and therefore the fascia as well. Myofascial release requires some level of friction to ‘unstick’ or ‘iron out’ the fascia which you will never experience no matter how deep your therapist works.
We utilise a variety of different techniques for myofascial release. These can include:
• Dry Cupping techniques, to lift and move the fascia
• Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilisation (“muscle scraping”), in which tools are used to scrape the fascia
• Trigger Point Therapy, where we apply force to trigger points to loosen the ‘knots’ in your myofascia
• Manual Myofascial Release, using hands and arms to gently work through the layers of fascia, and body manipulation to help free fascial restriction around the joints
No Myofascial Release technique, whether TPT, Muscle Scraping or Cupping, should cause you pain or severe bruising, though if you do have myofascial restriction you will sometimes feel mild discomfort as the restricted area is worked on. Manual MFR is a slow process, and you may feel that your therapist is merely placing their hands on you whilst gradually applying gentle pressure. This is one of the techniques we use for working through the layers of fascia.
Price for Myofascial Release:
£30 for 30 minutes
£45 for 45 minutes
£50 for 1 hour
£70 for 1.5 hours
£85 for 2 hours
30/45-minute appointments usually focus on areas with specific problems (for example, tightness in leg muscles, neck and shoulder pain, lower back issues, etc).
1-hour appointments are usually for more in-depth work in specific areas, allowing more focus on working deeper into myofascial restrictions.
1.5 hour appointments are the minimum we recommend for working on several problem areas of myofascial restriction.
A 2-hour appointment allows us to carry out a comprehensive myofascial release treatment which may include several different areas connected by myofascial restriction.
Willowtree Therapies 