If you experience pain that does not ease up, which you may feel after your workout or exercise, you may be overtraining. It is important to deal with pain early so that it would not result in injury. Working out in pain will put stress on other parts of your body due to you overcompensating. One example is when runners change their gait when they have knee pain, it could cause pain in the other knee or joints, including the ankle or hip. Using myofascial release can relieve or prevent pain to keep you moving.

What is Myofascial Pain Syndrome

Myofascial pain is different from other sorts of pain because it arises in trigger points. These are the tissues that surround and support the muscles of your body. The chronic pain caused by sensitivity and tightness in the trigger points is called myofascial pain syndrome. However, it is not always easy to understand what trigger point is causing the pain. Localizing the pain to a specific trigger point is not easy. Hence myofascial release is used on a broader area of muscle and tissue instead of at single points.

Your doctor may apply gentle pressure to the area where you feel the most pain. Pushing on the trigger point can evoke specific responses, such as you might feel a muscle twitch. Muscle pain has many causes, and your doctor may recommend further tests and procedures to identify the causes of muscle pain.

Treatment for Myofascial Pain Syndrome

Your doctor may give you medications, trigger point injections, or physical therapy to treat myofascial pain syndrome. Although no evidence shows using one therapy works over another, exercise is an important component of any treatment program. Your healthcare provider will help you find the approach that can give you relief.

A physical therapist can create a plan to help relieve your pain depending on your signs and symptoms. Your physical therapy may involve stretching, massage, posture training, heat, and ultrasound. Acupuncture also appears to be helpful for some people who have myofascial pain syndrome.

What is Myofascial Release

Myofascial release is a kind of physical therapy that is commonly used to treat myofascial pain syndrome. It focuses on easing the pain by losing the tension and tightness in the myofascial tissues.

Myofascial release is a therapy technique that is also commonly used in massage. At first, it may look like a massage, but it is different. Myofascial release applies sustained pressure on specific areas of “fascia” or connected tissues surrounding the muscles and bones. The pressure applied is to release the connective tissue restriction where there is a greater range of motion and less pain. The therapy is given by a physical therapist trained in myofascial release. The physical therapist applies pressure to the targeted area for three to five minutes. Applying the same pressure is the key. No lubricant is used during the therapy to locate and release the restricted areas of connective tissue instantly.

How Does Myofascial Release Work?

Myofascial release treatments are done during a massage therapy session. Besides physical therapists, chiropractors are also offering it. The treatment starts with the professional massaging the myofascial and feeling for stiff or tightened areas. The chiropractor will aid the tissue and its supportive sheath to release pressure and tightness. A normal myofascial feels pliable and elastic. The process continues or repeats multiple times on the same area and other trigger points until the tension is fully released.

Since myofascial pain cannot be localized, the massage areas may not be near where the pain originates or where the pain can often be felt. Myofascial release works on a broader area of muscles to help them become movable under manual light pressure. It reduces tension all over the body by freeing trigger points across the whole muscular system.

Who Might Benefit From Myofascial Release

Patients with myofascial pain syndrome are the people who most benefit from this type of therapy. Individuals who experience chronic headaches may also find relief from myofascial release through massaging tightened muscles in and around the head may lessen headaches.

People with insufficient venous, which arises when blood pools in the deep veins in your legs. You will feel an aching and stinging sensation in the injured leg. Myofascial release can be used along with other treatments to reduce pooling and pain due to venous insufficiency.

Benefits of Myofascial Release

• Alleviates pain
• Improves flexibility and range of motion
• Better circulation
• Breaks down scar tissue
• Stress relief

However, these benefits can be achieved if you are receiving the therapy regularly.

How Do You Know You Need Myofascial Release

Muscle soreness from working out or sitting at a desk for a long time, a massage can give the tension release that you may have to get rid of the knots and feel better. If you are experiencing persistent pain that does not dissipate even after icing and rest, myofascial release can be a good option. Several patients found alleviation and relief after undergoing even just one session.

Chronic myofascial pain that may have developed over time may need three to four months of treatment three times per week to achieve the maximum results. Experience shows that fewer than two treatments per week will mostly result in fascial tightness going back to the level before the last treatment.

Consult a Chiropractor

If you are interested in trying myofascial release, speak with your chiropractor. Dr Langgle is an expert at this method, which is also a great alternative to back pain treatment. But the same with any other type of medical treatment, comes with risks and potential dangers that you should be aware of.

The Bottomline

It is essential to pay attention to what your body says or signals. It includes pain from overtraining that you should look out for yourself as it could sideline you for weeks. Learning about the myofascial release will help you reach your higher performance goals. Discuss your pain with a myofascial pain specialist like Dr. Langgle