Exploring Myofascial Release: Your Body’s Hidden Network
In the pursuit of understanding your body better, you may begin to delve into the world of human anatomy to discover where certain pains, niggles or tightness in your body originate from. On this journey, you’ll likely discover a lot about the intricate and interconnected world of your muscles, bones, and organs. However, an important part of a healthy physical body is often overlooked. An intricate web of tissue that plays a crucial role in maintaining our structure, movement, and overall well-being lays beneath the surface of your skin, encapsulating your muscles and organs, and could be affecting your ability to perform at your best. Enter – your fascia.
If you’ve visited us in our Gold Coast studio, you’ll most likely have heard us talking about this mysterious, but impactful form of connective tissue. But if you’ve ever been too scared to ask us more about it, or just wanted to better understand what’s happening in your body – this post is for you. Strap yourself in, as we explore how fascia is playing a role in your physical form and function, either prohibiting you from doing certain movements, or allowing you to. Let’s demystify the wonders of fascia and myofascial release.
First things first: What Is Fascia?
Imagine your body is a bustling city with a complex network of train lines running through it, connecting neighbourhoods, stations, and passengers. Now, replace those train lines with a remarkable system called fascia – an intricate web of connective tissue that weaves through every nook and cranny of your body, encapsulating and enveloping your muscles, bones, and organs. These ‘train tracks’, or layers of fascia, provide stability, guidance, and flexibility to your body's movements, much like a train smoothly gliding on its tracks.
When issues with your fascia arise, from injury, incorrect use or overuse of your muscles, congestion in certain parts of your body can occur. This prohibits your muscles from being able to move in the correct way, and you may start to develop ongoing pain or limitations in movement as a result. Just as a well-maintained train network keeps a city connected and vibrant, a healthy fascial system keeps your body in tune, ready to embark on any journey with grace and fluidity.
What your body needs: Myofascial Release vs. Stretching
Your fascia requires regular care and attention to work optimally and keep your body from unnecessary pain and improper functional movement. Engaging in a regular myofascial release practice is just like the routine maintenance that must be conducted on the train tracks – it ensures that the fascial pathways remain supple, free from adhesions, and capable of supporting your body's movements with ease.
You might be wondering though, what exactly is myofascial release, and how does it differ from traditional stretching? When your muscles are feeling tight and sore post-exercise, the most common advice your friends and family will tell you is that you need to stretch more. Sometimes stretching, however, will not get to the root cause of your issue. In order to understand why, we need to dissect the differences between these two practices and differentiate their roles in preserving our ability to move with ease.
Think of your fascia as a rubber band, stretching and bouncing back into shape when you pull and release on it. Your fascia, when working effectively, should follow a similar motion. If you were to put a knot in that rubber band, and then pull and stretch on it, the knot may get a fraction smaller – but it wouldn’t go away completely. Stretching is a great practice that helps to target muscles and lengthen them, preventing injuries from muscle strain. But you won’t break up the knot in your fascia and restore optimal function and movement by stretching alone.
However, myofascial release targets the intricate web of fascia. Through specific techniques, and often the use of tools such as a myofascial release ball, foam roller or even therapeutic massage guns, myofascial release effectively breaks up knots in the fascia, alleviating adhesions, and inflammations that are causing pain or restrictions of movement. By restoring suppleness, and allowing fascia to glide over the muscle, this practice can enhance your range of motion, movement coordination, and overall performance. A 2017 study even found that just 5-days of a myofascial release aided in reducing tightness and improving range of motion to participants, more than stretching did.
How Often Should You Utilise Myofascial Release?
If you’re starting to come around to the idea that maybe your body needs a bit of myofascial release, you might start to question how frequently you should engage in this practice for optimal results. The answer lies in recognising your own body's cues and needs.
The frequency depends on various factors, including your activity level, injury history, and personal goals. While there's no one-size-fits-all answer, engaging in myofascial release 2-3 times per week can offer substantial benefits. This practice enables the fascia to maintain its elasticity, reduce adhesions, and restore the body's harmonious balance.
Having myofascial release as a tool in your toolbelt, empowers you to have the ability to heal yourself. Of course, if you need a little extra assistance, there are manual therapists, such as osteopaths or massage therapists, who specialise in myofascial release techniques. By embracing myofascial release, you can embark on a transformative journey of self-care, unlocking our body's potential and enhancing your overall well-being. If you’d like to try myofascial release for yourself, you can rent our lower back myofascial release, for just $4.99 for 4 days. Try it every day this week, and you’re bound to notice a difference. Or join us in our Cornerstone or Tugun Beach studios for a stretch, roll and release class.