Myofascial Release

What is myofascial release?

Myofascial release is a manual, hands-on treatment that helps with pain relief by easing the tension in your muscles. It is performed by a physical therapist and focuses on specific pressure points to bring the myofascial back to its elastic form. This treatment method is often used to manage chronic headaches and migraines, but it can also be used for a variety of other ailments!

When muscles become tight, your mobility of the affected area becomes restricted, and any movements you make can result in pain! Myofascial release reverses this sensation by loosening up the constricted space, thus promoting more effortless mobility and less pain.

If you’re living with pain or experience feelings of tightness in various parts of your body, contact MVPT Physical Therapy to learn more about myofascial release techniques. This form of manual therapy could help you find the relief you’ve been searching for!

Myofascial release for chronic headache pain

This treatment is commonly used to manage chronic headache pain and migraines by massaging the tightened muscles around the head and neck and promoting a quicker healing process.

These manual techniques help reduce pain and keep the head and neck moving. They also help chronic headaches, and migraine sufferers sleep better and experience attacks less frequently.

Your therapist will spend time feeling your myofascial tissue for particularly stiff and tight regions during a myofascial release massage. These are areas where you experience pain, even if it radiates to other parts of your body. ‌

Some other common conditions that myofascial release can treat are:

  •  Neck pain
  • Knee pain
  • Shoulder pain
  • Tightness in the jaw
  •  Hip pain
  • Quad pain
  • Lower back pain

What to expect with treatment

Manual therapies, including myofascial techniques, effectively reduce pain.  However, when combined with targeted stretches, the results improve even more! Our therapists will identify specific stretches to alleviate pain and restore your motion. In addition, we will educate you on the movements and positions that are provoking your pain.

Your therapist will perform a thorough assessment to identify the type of headache you are experiencing and the specific treatments that will be the most beneficial. The main emphasis of physical therapy is giving you the tools to manage your pain.

We will educate you on the most effective exercises and postures to complement our hands-on interventions. Our goals include:

  • Reduce pain quickly through myofascial release and other manual therapy techniques
  • Reduce pain with postural education and targeted movements/exercises 
  • Minimize the risk of recurring pain through strengthening exercises and behavioral changes
  • Minimize the use of medication or surgery to eliminate pain

Request an appointment today

Does myofascial release sound like a treatment technique that could potentially benefit you? No matter what area of your body you’re experiencing pain and tightness in, our physical therapists at MVPT Physical Therapy are here to help you find relief. 

Request an appointment with us today to learn more about the benefits of myofascial release!