What Is The Osteopathy Myofascial Release?

Osteopathy is one of the youngest medical practices being administered today. Its main purpose is to help patients who have problems with muscles and bones. It aims to pinpoint the root cause of the problem to help the patients completely recover.

One of the approaches that are being done in osteopathy is Myofascial release. It is a kind of therapy that targets the soft tissues of the body. Some tissues in the body, when constricted, result to pain and immobilization. The main idea of this approach is to relax these soft tissues such as the muscles and the lymph nodes to help the patient in relieving pain and bringing back normal movement range.

There are many reasons why soft tissues become restricted and constricted. According to studies, among these problems include overuse, inactivity and infection. If you are an athlete, you are likely to use many parts of your body for long hours. This can lead to overuse of the soft tissues resulting to pain and damage. If you encounter an accident, there is a high possibility that you will also experience trauma. Trauma or strong impact on the body may cause the fascia or the muscles to tear. If you lack physical activity, your muscles will become stiff. Once they become stiff, they will not be able to support vigorous activities over a period of time. This is the reason why muscles become easily sore and damaged when you exercise after a long time. Myofascial release does not only address the soft tissues in your body. It is also helpful in improving your connective tissues and helping them recover from damage.

There are two main categories and two main techniques involved in Myofascial release. Let’s talk about the categories first – passive and active. In the passive approach, the patient is suggested to relax while the therapy is being administered. In the active approach, the patient is suggested to do several resistance exercises to target the soft tissues.

As for the main techniques, there is the direct and the indirect technique. In the direct Myofascial release, tension is applied. The physicians usually do this by massaging the muscles and the nerves with their knuckles and elbows. The force applied is helpful in releasing the restriction. The main aim of this technique is to reach the deep tissues and improve their health. On the other hand, the indirect Myofascial release does not apply so much pressure on the body of the patient. Instead of forcing the restrictions to be released, the physicians wait for them to be naturally released. This is done through mild stretching.

Myofascial release suggests that by releasing the restrictions of the soft tissues, pain and other discomfort will go away. Once the constrictions are gone, the patient will be able to move freely again without any problem. This practice is still new but it promises a lot in the medical field.