#myofascialrelease – Page 2 – The Fascial Effect

Posture can tell the story of our life

Every one of us is born with inherited genes from our parents. Our structure is inherited and then life continues to further shape us with:

Physical trauma such as accidents injuries and surgery
Psychological trauma – stress, anxiety and moods
Movement patterns – overuse or lifestyle habits

All of these influence the fascia framework; a 3-dimensional connective tissue which connects by weaving a continuous web around the body from head to toe, from front to back and from interior to exterior. In a perfect structure the fascia would be well laid out and organised, but because life happens, it can become stuck, stretched and bunched! Many times this leads to pain and dysfunction.

If symptoms such as pain, tightness and a restricted range of movement are ignored, we become increasingly locked in a structural/postural pattern from within.

The English Dictionary definition of posture is ‘the position or way in which someone stands or walks’. However, posture is more than simply standing, walking or sitting up straight – it is the driving force of all movement and activities and has a profound effect on our health and wellbeing.

If we develop poor posture by constantly sitting in a chair that doesn’t provide the right support for our body or walk with a hunched back, it’s no wonder our body starts to complain. It wasn’t designed for the position we’ve been forcing it to adopt and that’s why we develop aches and pains.

The motivation to change or improve posture is usually pain or restricted movement. Efforts to change are quite often frustratingly ineffective because we focus on changing the outside structure. Overzealous activity can even cause injury and further restrictions.

While people talk about sports injuries, things like tennis elbow can develop even if you’ve never picked up a tennis racquet. It’s simply the result of a frequently repeated movement that irritates a muscle or tendon until it becomes sore. Then the fascia tries to protect it and needs to be released for healing to take place.

If we want to continue moving well, an inner awareness of our body and making gentle subtle changes to posture is the way forward to long-term health and wellbeing.

For more information call 0775633798

Body

Scarred!

Scars have the potential to create both a physiological and psychological impact. Scars are associated not only with cuts, surgery and wounds, but also by tears from injury or trauma. Pain-related conditions such as lower back pain, plantar fasciitis, shoulder pain and headaches can quite often be traced back to a scar.

Effectively a scar is an injury to the fascia, or soft tissue that wraps around all your organs, muscles, ligaments, etc. Scar tissue impedes the free gliding action of fascia inhibiting normal healing and movement processes.

Imagine a busy motorway; while traffic is free flowing there are no problems. When there is a blockage across the carriageways the flow of traffic will slow down or stop. There may be diversions to enable people to get from A to B, but it will take longer and cause disruption, stress and anxiety for the occupants of all the vehicles until the roadblock is cleared.

Now imagine a deep cut that penetrates the surface of the skin through to the deeper layers of the body. The body will immediately respond with an inflammatory response, which includes laying down collagen to reconstruct the injured fascia and close the wound.

The scar is visible on the surface, but the underlying repair job can act as a roadblock to the free flow of the essential body processes. This creates deficiencies in one area and excess in another area. For some it can mean long term pain and restricted movement.

Fortunately, there is treatment that can relieve the pain and help to remove the roadblock.

For more information or to book an appointment with Jas call 07775633798

Body

What to do about whiplash

Whiplash is a neck injury which most people associate with road traffic accidents. It can, however, happen in any situation where the body accelerates forward and then quickly decelerates throwing the head forwards, backwards and sideways, for example:

During sporting activities such as rugby and boxing
A slip or a fall where the head is jolted forwards and backwards
While on a rollercoaster ride, especially if it stops suddenly!

The vigorous movements of the head put enormous strain on the neck, shoulder and upper back and injury occurs. After the initial shock, neck pain and stiffness can be followed with related symptoms such as headaches, jaw pain, dizziness, nausea and tinnitus.

Depending on the severity of the injury, the pain and stiffness will restrict movement for 2-3 days, but after this period, if it’s not treated:

Tight, inactive and injured muscles will shorten and weaken.
Muscles surrounding the injury will overcompensate and become strained.
Too much scar tissue will form in any torn muscle and reduce its ability to do what it normally does.
Fascia (connective tissue) surrounding everything including the vertebrae, thinks the new way of moving is normal and adapts to hold everything within their new positions, restricting movement even further.
Long term this leads to postural problems and recurring symptoms of whiplash.

This means that movement is more likely to aid recovery than prolonged immobilisation. Myofascial stretch and trigger point release will help in this process, softening the taut tissue and allowing muscles to move naturally as they are meant to do. Assisting the head and neck to “Unwind” is another advanced fascial release technique which allows the head and neck to move through a range of motions without force.

For more information call 07775633798

Body

When wear and tear starts to hurt

As you get older your body can start to show signs of what even the medical profession sometimes refer to as ‘wear and tear’. However, a more likely diagnosis is likely to be osteoarthritis.

This is a degenerative joint disease caused by the thinning and damage of cartilage usually due to gradual wear and tear, injury or overuse. Predominantly it affects weight bearing joints like the hip and knee and is more common as we age, but occurs in the younger people with a physically demanding job or lifestyle.

Osteoarthritis should not be confused with rheumatoid arthritis (or rheumatism), where the tissue around the joint is inflamed resulting in noticeable swelling, restricting movement. This can afflict any age group.

Articular cartilage is a tough, flexible tissue which covers the end of the bones and acts as a shock absorber allowing the bones making up the joint to glide over one another. Without the cartilage cushion, bone rubs on bone causing the affected joint to react. The symptoms can include:

The gradual onset of pain – felt either when joint is kept immobile (e.g. driving, sitting and night pain), or when weight bearing (e.g. walking and climbing stairs).
Stiffness – normally felt worse in the morning.
Swelling and tenderness after physical activity.
Change in movement patterns (e.g. abnormal gait or limp).
Referred pain (e.g. people present with tenderness or reduced mobility in another region of their body due to compensatory movement or muscle imbalance).
Reduced stability as a result of atrophy and weakening of muscles around the joint.
Inactivity to avoid pain can result in worsening physical symptoms and decrease in overall mental health and overall wellbeing.

How can physical therapy and myofascial release help?

When the cartilage has been worn down it cannot be regenerated and there comes a time when surgery and joint replacement is the only option. However, until then, manual therapy may help to relieve some of the symptoms.

Myofascial Release is a style of hands-on therapy that involves sustained pressure on selected areas of the body to break up tight fascia that inhibits movement of muscles and joints. A treatment plan including myofascial release can be effective in managing the symptoms of osteoarthritis by:

Reducing tension and softening adhesions around a joint giving bones some space to move reducing the friction that causes pain and inflammation
Treating myofascial trigger points also reduces pain and stiffness
Positional Release – a precise manipulation technique to treat muscle spasm and pain in the ligaments, tendons and joints to achieve the most optimal level of comfort possible
Gentle passive stretching to increase the range of pain free movement within capability
The increased flexibility of the fascia allows for strengthening of surrounding muscles, which supports the join better
A continued course of treatments to address any postural habits developed due to compensation patterns will slow down further degeneration
Advice on nutritional supplementation to support long term bone and joint health.

So if you’ve got that ‘getting older is painful’ feeling, this is a non-surgical approach that will give you an improved range of movement without the associated pain. Taking action sooner rather than later often prevents things getting to the point where surgery is the only option.

For more information call 07775 633798

Stress

Happy Hopi Ear Candling!

We carry stress and tension throughout our body, most of it in our head. When I get clients who really need to relax and chill out, the Hopi Ear Candle treatment is one of my favourites. It is total relaxation for both the client and the therapist.

If you don’t ‘get’ why ear candles are so relaxing let me explain.
Firstly, you have to lie comfortably on your side, and your therapist also has to remain still with their hands gently on your head to keep you from moving and the ear candle upright (so no accidents happen!). The process of just lying quietly while the candle slowly burns is an excellent way to reduce some of the stress of a busy lifestyle.

Secondly, as it burns, the candle makes a pleasant crackling sound as it releases vapours into the ear and you experience a warm, comfortable sensation in the head. During this process, a mild suction occurs and excess wax and impurities can be gently drawn out.

Thirdly, the fragrance of the candle soothes you and releases renewed energy often described as a feeling of “relief in the head”.

This is repeated for the other ear and can be followed by a Fascial Effect™ facial massage which pays particular attention to certain pressure points on the face. This deeper, clinical approach with the Hopi treatment helps relax the facial muscles, increase circulation and can also be helpful for a variety of conditions such as headaches, hay-fever and blocked sinuses.

Most clients find the whole experience very relaxing and quite often fall asleep during the treatment.

If you’d like to find out more about this dual approach please do give Jas a call on 07775 633798.

Please Note: Hopi Ear Candles are contra-indicated for the following conditions:

Perforated or lack of ear drum
Auricular cysts
Grommets have been fitted
Infection or inflammation of the ear
An allergy to bees wax or bee stings
Recent ear surgery
Epilepsy

If you’d like to find out more about this dual approach please do give Jas a call on 07775 633798.