MyoFascial Release

Free. Yourself. Again.

At Applied Somatic Therapy we use Myofascial Release techniques alone, or in the context of a Pain Management session to get to the root causes of pain and restriction.

What is Myofascial Release?

Myo = muscle. Fascia = connective tissue. MyoFascial Release (MFR) is a therapy that frees up muscle that has become bound by connective tissue. From what I’ve observed in hundreds of clients, most issues felt in a muscle actually originated in the fascia.

If the bones and muscles were removed, the body would retain its shape, due to the fascia. The purpose of fascia is to protect, support, and assist the muscle. It’s a continuous web that envelops each muscle, group of muscles, and even blood vessels and nerves. It adapts to what we do on the regular: repetitive motion, strain, chronic posture, and even states of mind/emotion. It can change from a healthy, flexible state to a hard, glue-like state.

“Fascia is the organ of posture. Nobody ever says this; all the talk is about muscles. The body is a web of fascia. We can trace the lines of that web to get an understanding of how what we see in a body works.”

Dr. Ida P. Rolf

Why might I need MyoFascial Release?

Here is the million dollar question: Where do knots come from? The body literally changes its shape when we put too many demands on the fascia. Our daily habits become physically reinforced! Every NINETEEN minutes that you are typing, sitting, worrying or stressing, your brain gets a message to send help. It sends a little bit of fascia to the area to support the muscles being taxed. Over time, a painful ‘knot’ forms and muscles eventually become ‘glued’ to their neighbors. If this adaptive ‘support’ continues, it can interfere with nerve pathways, such as in ‘carpal tunnel syndrome,’ and range of motion, i.e., ‘frozen shoulder.’

Who Can Benefit from Myofascial Release?

This effective approach is ideal for people of all ages experiencing:

• Chronic back, neck, and shoulder pain
• Sports injuries
• Headaches and migraines
• Postural issues
• Repetitive stress injuries
• Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) dysfunction
• Surgical scarring and adhesions
• Limited mobility and stiffness
• Fibromyalgia

“Myofascial release therapy has been shown to be effective for various conditions including low back pain, fibromyalgia, and tension-type headaches. The evidence suggests it can reduce pain and improve function with minimal adverse effects.”

Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies

Your Myofascial Release Session

During your session at Applied Somatic Therapy, your therapist will first evaluate your posture, movement patterns, and areas of restriction. Then, pressure that is adjusted to your comfort level is applied to the fascial system until tissues release and reorganize. Depending on the areas being treated, you may remain fully clothed or be draped appropriately.

Why Choose Applied Somatic Therapy’s Unique Approach to MyoFascial Release?

There are many ways to release fascia from muscle. A common method addresses very surface layers with touch that feels barely perceptible, and necessitates regularly repeated sessions. It can feel more like “energy” work. Rolfing was the original method that used fascial release, and is a much deeper approach. 

Our practitioners would rather know how to execute the deepest work safely, and go lighter as needed. This feels safer to us than administering deeper work with training only in light-touch methods. 

Therapists at AST have advanced training in MyoFascial Release methods learned from pioneers in the field. This includes training from a Rolfer®, and in Structural Integration, and mentoring at a sports rehab clinic with an instructor for Active Release Technique (ART®). These approaches are effective in their way of going deeper, and often pinning the fascia and using active movement. With Adelyn Botto’s background in Somatics and movement, she feels strongly that these methods help clients to truly embody the work, in contrast to a passive massage or fascial session that is being done to them. 

Adelyn was still in massage school when she began her training in MFR. Leaving “fru-fru” Swedish massage by the wayside, she sought a clientele that needed help with serious issues. However, she performs MFR in a way that respects a client’s nervous system and pain threshold. She recognizes the importance of releasing enough of a compensatory pattern so a client can experience relief, without releasing so much that they experience instability from the muscles that these patterns are compensating for in the first place. She feels that her suggestions for strengthening and retraining released muscles before returning for more bodywork are of utmost importance to a client’s continued progress. While many massage therapists will always recommend regular sessions, Adelyn will be the first to advise when massage could actually cause more harm than good.