Myofascial Release Therapy

Addressing the root-cause of tension and restrictions.

What is Fascia?

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Fascia is a connective tissue in our body that works like a matrix holding everything together.  Our fascia is one continuous, uninterrupted system throughout the body ranging in size from larger areas such as the IT band, or plantar fascia, all the way down to the cellular level. It wraps every organ and organ cavity, each muscle, and each individual muscle fiber. You can imagine it like the white insides of an orange that covers the entire orange between the outer peel and inner flesh, also the membrane splitting and covering each individual section, and down to the encasement of each tiny pulp bulb. It is interconnected throughout the entire system, so a restriction or injury in a distant area such as your foot or leg could be causing pain elsewhere, like in your neck. Think of a knit sweater that gets snagged — the thread that is being pulled creates tension across the entire garment.

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What Is Myofascial Release?

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Myofascial Release is a safe and highly effective hands-on technique that involves applying gentle sustained pressure across areas of connective tissue restrictions to eliminate pain and restore range of motion. This essential “time element” allows the fascia to soften and release from within. Each technique is held for 3-5 minutes or more.

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Offered at The Soma Haus, the John F. Barnes’ Myofascial Release Approach® is considered to be the ultimate therapy that is safe, gentle, and consistently effective in producing results that last.

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What Causes Fascial Restrictions?

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Trauma, inflammatory responses, and/or surgical procedures create myofascial restrictions that can produce tensile pressures of approximately 2,000 pounds per square inch on pain sensitive structures that do not show up in many of the standard tests (x-rays, myelograms, CAT scans, electromyography, etc.)

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What Does It Feel Like?

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Hands-on treatment is performed directly on skin without oils, creams, or tools. This enables the therapist to accurately detect fascial restrictions and apply the appropriate amount of sustained pressure to facilitate release of the fascia. While this feels much different than traditional massage therapy, it produces much more profound and longer-lasting results over time.

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The technique involves holding sustained pressure that feels like gentle stretching of the skin and/or muscles. It should never be painful or uncomfortable, and pressure can be adjusted or stopped at any time for your comfort.

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While it doesn't always feel like much in the moment, the benefits are felt after treatment as an increase in freedom of movement, decrease in pain, and spaciousness in the body.