The physiology of myofascial release
By Megan and Alana
Part 3 of our myofascial release series. Check out the other parts to learn about:
Part 1: what is myofascial release?
Part 2: tools to roll at home
Understanding the Anatomy
Today we’re diving into the science of myofascial release (MFR) to understand how rolling creates anatomical changes in our tissues. How does applying pressure with weird massage tools actually help us?
Fascia - what is it?
A sensory organ filled with nerve endings and sensory receptors
runs in long, continuous bands throughout your whole body
think of fascia like a spider web - stringy tissues densely woven throughout your muscles, bones, nerves, arteries, veins and organs
Anatomical picture of Fascia - Source
When your body experiences any kind of trauma (including surgery), your fascia can restrict, adhere (stick to itself), or lose its flexibility. It becomes tightened and more rigid. It may get adhered to itself or to other tissues like muscles or organs. This tightness can lead to pain, loss of muscle function, and loss of motion, which can affect quality and ease of movement.
Dehydration, inflammation, repetitive stress and limited movement can all impact fascial health and cause adhesions. Restoring fascia health to normal is the ultimate goal of MFR.
Muscles - what are they?
Muscles are bundles of thousands of fibrous soft tissues made of long cells and protected by layers of tissue.
The innermost layer of muscle bundles is covered in a layer of connective tissue called the epimysium that bundles fibers in groups called fascicles. Surrounding fascicles are the perimysium, an outer layer covered in nerve cells which also receives blood supply to the muscle.
Image of Muscle Fibers - Source
Muscle fibres band together and have a stretchy, mobile quality. When contracted, the fibres create force and change length.
When we explore MFR, we are primarily concerned with the skeletal muscles that move bone. These muscles attach to bones and create movement of the skeleton when they contract and relax. These are the muscles you target when you flex or you feel after a good workout.
MFR and trigger point releasing
Trigger points are taut bands of muscle fibres that are often tender to the touch. They are sometimes called “muscle knots”. Fascial tissue can also experience trigger points, and touching tight tissues might cause twitching or a traveling pain elsewhere in the body. Inflammation, a common symptom of irritated or injured muscles, can increase feelings of stiffness, soreness and reduce tissue function. Scientists theorize that tension in muscle fibres reduces blood and nutrient flow and drainage, affecting tissue health and causing trigger points to form. Therefore, releasing these adhesions in tissue restores overall muscle function and health.
Myofascial Release and Tissue Health: putting it all together
The saying goes “motion is lotion.” Movement helps keep our joint and soft tissues flexible and our fluids well circulated. This is a common phrase in the massage world and often a foundational concept for homecare routines for overall health. This is also the founding principle of myofascial release techniques - through movement and manipulation of the tissues can we restore local and systemic function to tissues, joints, and fluids of the body.
You may have heard the other saying “rest is rust”. If your body’s tissues are left in prolonged states without movement, they will shorten and tighten over time. This may impact circulation and reduce joint range of motion.
Megan rolls our her calf muscles
You may not notice this tightening in a position you rarely hold, especially if it's followed by full,-range movements that prevent adaptive changes. Instead, think of someone who finds repetitive postures (e.g., desk workers) who notice postural changes over time because of prolonged seated work. In desk workers the chest tends to shorten as the shoulders slouch forward.
Megan uses a coregeous ball to release tight chest fascia
We learned how lymph and blood vessels are interspersed in fascia and how in muscle tissues blood flow, lymph and nutrient drainage are all essential parts of tissue function. When flow and drainage become blocked, the body can't function optimally.
MFR helps to keep these tissues lubricated and has a similar effect on the joint spaces, telling our bodies to release lubricating fluids to nourish the joints. This can be an effective way to address inflammation in the muscles after strenuous use or injury. Like the tin man using his oil can to maintain function, MFR uses manual stimulation of the tissue to nourish it from the inside out.
By adding pressure to tissues, some MFR techniques also act as a way to manually break down localized adhesions within or between tissues to improve overall function.
Shin splints: a case study
Have you ever walked or run and felt pain down the front of your shins after? Commonly called ‘shin splints’, this soreness occurs is the result of:
the muscle filling with blood and the individual muscle fibres expand (inflammation)
these muscle fibers grow faster than the fascial casing around it
That tight pinching and burning in the shin is a result of the restricted fascia around the shin muscles. Myofascial release is one of the best options to soothe this soft tissue condition as it addresses circulation by reducing inflammation and improving the flow of blood, lymph, and nutrients to the tissues to promote recovery. The manual pressure of the MFR technique helps to restore tissue health by reducing muscle tension and tone and reducing adhesions within and among the fascia and shin muscle.
Try our MFR shin release video above and see if you notice a difference. This is especially beneficial for folks who do a lot of standing, walking. hiking, and running.
Learn to roll and practice myofascial release
Looking to get your own tools of the trade? Contact us to purchase yoga tune up and coregeous balls for free pick up in Kitchener Waterloo or to get a referral.
MFR can be done in a treatment setting like Registered Massage Therapy with Megan.
Or you can learn to practice MFR techniques at home. Although simple, there’s a system for application to help make sure you don’t push past the capacity of the tissue and nervous system. Learn to roll with with us on our YouTube page or in the following classes:
Strengthen and Stretch for Office Workers (digital course)
Strengthen and Stretch weekly movement and MFR class at Encompass
Learn to Roll workshop coming in person and online soon!
References:
A Meta-Analysis of the Effects of Foam Rolling on Performance and Recovery
