Myofascial Release

   Are you frustrated with temporary results? You may have tried exercises, supplements, stretching, and different forms of bodywork to no avail.  Nothing seems to last.  Could it be powerful Myofascial restrictions and/or its subconscious bracing patterns that are what is blocking your pain free movement and expression of life?

   For more information about how your powerful subconscious buried within the myofascial system may be inhibiting your efforts to improve, read my new article in the techniques section of the Massage Magazine website.  The new article is titled, “Therapeutic Insight: The Myofascial Release Perspective-What Makes a New Year’s Resolution Fail? and can be accessed at the following link:
 http://www.massagemag.com/News/massage-news.php?id=8373&catid=62&title=therapeutic-insight-the-myofascial-release-perspectivewhat-makes-a-new-years-resolution-fail

   Feel free to ask any questions or to respond to my blog with your valuable insights and/or experience with Myofascial Release. 

Thanks,

      John

Greetings,

    I just received a very sad email from a therapist that I met on the beach in the Cayman Islands over 20 years ago. Many of you may know him from before. He is struggling right now as you will see by his email below.

   He is a great guy and could really use your help. I am requesting that if you all could be kind enough to spend some time tonight at 10:00pm eastern standard time to quiet yourselves and visualize a very tall handsome man with long dark hair and a beard and please send him a lot of love and light.

  Thank you very much.

 Love,

          John

    Are you frustrated with temporary results? You may have tried exercises, supplements, stretching, and different forms of bodywork to no avail.  Nothing seems to last.  Could it be powerful Myofascial restrictions and/or its subconscious bracing patterns that are what is blocking your pain free movement and expression of life?

   For more information about how your powerful subconscious buried within the myofascial system may be inhibiting your efforts to improve, read my new article in the techniques section of the Massage Magazine website.  The new article is titled, “Therapeutic Insight: The Myofascial Release Perspective-What Makes a New Year’s Resolution Fail? and can be accessed at the following link:
 http://www.massagemag.com/News/massage-news.php?id=8373&catid=62&title=therapeutic-insight-the-myofascial-release-perspectivewhat-makes-a-new-years-resolution-fail

   Feel free to ask any questions or to respond to my blog with your valuable insights and/or experience with Myofascial Release. 

Thanks,

      John

   If you’ve had trouble keeping your New Year’s Resolution in the past, there may be a good reason why!  To find out why keeping a resolution can be so difficult,  look out for my new article in the techniques section on the Massage Magazine website titled, “What makes a New Year’s Resolution fail?”    This new article should be available in early January and it may to help answers some of your questions about why adhering to  those New Year’s Resolutions can be so challenging.

John,

I have been practicing the JFB MFR approach since 1996 and have been amazed at the relationship between headache pain and old post-operative scars (i.e. C-section, hysterectomy). Can you please elaborate on your experiences and findings with scars in general? Thank you for your continued guidance and effort in providing real effective treatment approaches that addresses the whole individual.

            –Richard Staudt, MOT, OTR/L, LMT

 Hello Richard,

     Your question about scars is a very good one.  Often times scars  get overlooked, even though they can be the source of many problems. 

     Scar tissue can put an enormous amount of strain on the fascial system, especially in cases where the person has had multiple surgeries in the same area.  If you imagine the sweater example that I have often used to illustrate the continuity of the fascial system, a restriction would be equivalent to a “pull” in the sweater.  Not only is the area that is being pulled affected, but the whole sweater is affected at some degree or another. Now, if you were to then sew a few stitches (i.e. a scar) in the sweater in one of the areas of pull (restriction), you just created additional “drag” within the system.  The other important thing to remember about scars is that most scars look fairly neat and uniform on the surface. However, underneath the scar you have tissue that is laid down in an irregular fashion, which helps to strengthen that vulnerable/”injured” area.  In some people, there is an excessive amount of scar tissue laid down (adhesions- A fibrous band of scar tissue that binds together normally separate anatomical structures). So in other words, the scar is just the “tip of the iceberg”. 

    So Richard, to answer your question, I agree with you, there does seem to be a relationship between headache pain and old post-operative scars (e.g. C-section, hysterectomy, etc.) Scar tissue can create extensive dysfunction within the fascial system, thus affecting the craniosacral system.  These additional restrictions can have long-reaching effects throughout the body, causing seemingly unrelated symptoms and dysfunction (e.g, headaches, migraines, depression, mood swings, etc).  No scar should go unevaluated, as even the smallest one could cause significant fascial dysfunction. 

 Thanks for your inquiry.

      John

     Water is a vital part of living things, especially the human being. The following facts from my rebounding seminar may be of interest to you.             

             “Over 70% of total body weight is water.  Most people know that blood, lymph, urine,  sweat, and tears are mostly water.  The lungs are 90% water, the brain is 76% water, and even the bones are 25% water.

             “67% of the water in the body is inside the cell (i.e. the intracellular fluid).  The other 33% lies outside the cells in the extracellular fluid that flows through the fascia’s extracellular matrix.”

       Scientific research on the fascial system was done on cadavers. As we all know cadavers are brittle, so the only focus was on the three dimensional fibrous network and no attention was paid to the fluidity of the body. The fascial system is the container of the fluid and the transport medium of the fluid and all that lies within.

      I would like to quote from the 40 years of research done in Germany. “The Extracellular Matrix and the Ground Regulation” by Alfred Pischinger is a fascinating book full of information about the importance and functions of the fascia’s extracellular matrix.  The following quotes are by Dr. James Oschman who wrote the foreword:

           “The ground substance gel is composed of water, proteoglycans and related molecules with strong collagen fibers embedded within it.”

             “Recent research also has demonstrated that the matrix components are actually semi- conducting liquid crystals, materials known to have a variety of remarkable properties for  transmissions, storage and processing of  information.”

              “Simply stated, every function and every process of the human body involves the fascia’s matrix in one way or another. The reason for this is every cell in the body  is nourished by the fascia’s extracellular matrix and all waste products of the cellular metabolism likewise pass through the ground substance which is the actual milieu. The matrix is also the terrain in which all immune responses and tissue repair processes take place.”

    These 40 years of research have helped to explain why Myofascial Release is so extraordinarily effective.  This is an exciting time to be a Myofascial Release therapist.  Join us to be part of this important revolution in healthcare!

John

Owen Dodge // Aug 31st 2009 at 12:11 pm

Hi Owen,

        Myofascial Release can be very helpful for menopausal symptoms. 

     From the Myofascial perspective, “Menopause” is a label for unrecognized and improperly treated myofascial restrictions.  “Menopause” is an effect, a symptomatic complex created by fascial restrictions in the fascia’s extracellular matrix(ECM). 

     Recent research has shown that aberrations in the fascia’s extracellular matrix can change the shape of the cell, which can then alter the production and balance of the biochemical and hormonal aspect of a woman’s physiology. 

     For more in depth information, go to www.massagemag.com and scroll down to the technique box.  Then click on my Therapeutic Insight article titled, “Female Problems.”

     Thanks for your interest, Owen.

John

Ramsay recently asked the following question on the Structure vs. Function blog:

• Ramsay Z Falcoe // Aug 17th 2009 at 10:34 am

I am a massage therapist/acupuncturist. I have a theory/speculation about how the binding down of the fascia interferes with the integrity of the energy meridians. Would you have any theories/insight, knowledge/research on this subject?

Dear Ramsay,

      I believe that you are totally correct.  Yes, Myofascial restrictions are capable of compressing the acupuncture meridians with up to approximately 2,000 pounds per square inch of pressure.  This crushing pressure can impede the flow of “chi” (energy) through the acupuncture meridians.

       I learned acupuncture a long time ago.  I initially used neuroprobe (electronic acupuncture) and cold laser on the acupuncture points.  I then went to Hong Kong to learn as much as I could.  In Hong Kong I learned to use my hands to stimulate the “chi” along the meridians.  I then applied the Myofascial Release principles to the “chi” meridian system, which produced even greater results. 

       I have just finished an article titled, “The Web of Life”, which has just been posted on my, “Therapeutic Insight: the Myofascial Release Perspective”, on the Massage Magazine website (www.massagemag.com).  If you wish to read more about this article, you can click on the following link: http://www.massagemag.com/News/massage-news.php?id=7768&catid=62&title=therapeutic-insight-the-myofascial-release-perspectivethe-web-of-life .

    Feel free to write any comments or ask any questions at the end of the “Web of Life” article. 

     The bottom line is that Myofascial Release enhances the effectiveness of acupuncture, bodywork, and energy techniques.

 Thanks for your interest.

 John

    Some scientists say structure determines function.  Others say function determines structure.  The debate rages on.  Is it possible that it is both?  Is the effect of structure and function interchangeable? 

     Recent research has shown that the ground substance of the fascial system is the immediate environment of every cell of our body.  It has also been shown that an increase in the viscosity of the ground substance can change the shape and mobility of the cell.  The change in the shape of the architecture of the cell alters its function and the important bio-chemical reactions required for health.  Bob Mollica, PT has provided an important link to and an article titled, “An architect walks into the lab.” (  http://www.upenn.edu/gazette/0109/feature1_1.html )

     You may also want to read my new article on the Massage Magazine website titled, “Myofascial Release Perspective: Therapeutic Insight—Fascia, a Liquid-Crystalline Matrix.”  To access my latest article,  go to www.massagemag.com and scroll down on the left side of the page to the box titled “techniques” and click on that tab.  Then you can click on my latest “Therapeutic Insight” article or you can click on the following link for direct access: http://www.massagemag.com/News/massage-news.php?id=7057 .

Thanks.

     John

             I have treated dogs, cats, birds and race horses successfully using my Myofascial Release principles. Cathleen recently asked the following question on my latest blog:

“Good evening Mr. Barnes,
I’m interested in taking Mark Barnes Equine 1 with Tamara Rapier. What results have you seen with the horses? Do the principles and teaching of Mark Barnes’ course mirror your own? Do you recommend the course and Miss Rapier as a teacher and practitioner?
Your insight and direction are sincerely appreciated.
Best,
Cathleen”

• Cathleen M Peabody // Jul 10th 2009 at 6:57 pm

      Animals respond even faster than humans to Myofascial Release techniques.  Their life is motion.  They become an active participant in their treatment. 

      For more information on equine Myofascial Release, call Tamara Rapier (573-694-0350 or inquiry@myofascialrelease.com ) or Cathy Covell (260-829-6363 or http://www.motionforlife.net/ ).  Both are incredible therapists that teach the Myofascial Release principles that mirror mine and I highly recommend their equine Myofascial Release seminars.

Thanks for your interest.

John