Back Pain Glossary » Myofacial Release

Myofacial Release for Back Pain

Myofascial release consists of the gentle manual application of sustained pressure to release tissue that may be trapping  muscle and other tissues into a painful immobile position.

Fascia is a tough connective tissue that is found throughout the body. Trauma, bad posture or inflammation can cause the fascia to knit together resulting in excessive pressure on nerves, muscles, blood vessels and organs. An extremely high percentage of people suffering with pain and or lack of motion may t go undiagnosed because many of the standard tests such as x-rays, myelograms, catscans and electromyographydo not reveal fascial problems.

The intention of myofascial release is to provoke a natural body reaction called pizoelectric phenomena: the slow, sustained, gentle pressure of human touch causes soft tissues such as fascia to elongate and return to their normal state.