Defining Self-Myofascial Release

by Liza Dcruz SEO Analysis Expert

It is a type of soft tissue therapy applied in osteopathy to release the musculoskeletal groups which is restricted for some cause. Myofascial therapy is the manipulation of myofascial group which is believed to resolve this restriction. In other words, myofascial release is a type of manual therapy implied by licensed practitioners to help the human body increase its extensibility of tight and restricted fascia.

Fascia: A sheet or band of fibrous tissue enveloping, binding and separating muscles (cartilages), organs, and other soft structures in the body.

The Influence of Self Myofascial Release on Soft Tissues

SMR is a technique that affects tissues in the body including muscles, nerves, fascia and epithelial tissues (such as skin and blood vessels). The process is used to break up adhesions in fascia and the adjoining muscle tissues. It is said that sustained pressure in the treatment of SMR helps the soft-tissue adhesions to dissipate and this causes the knots to rectify themselves from a bundled position into a straight alignment along the normal lines of muscle fibers.

It is also speculated that sustained pressure causes extreme excitation of mechanoreceptors in the nervous system. The mechanoreceptors are responsible to identify muscular tension. When this tension is increased, the receptors send a signal to the nervous system overriding the muscle spindle which forces a relaxation effect. This is a natural defense mechanism of human body to avoid soft-tissue injuries. This entire process is called autogenic inhibition.

When a practitioner applies pressure to a perceived knot in the tissue, after several seconds, the patient feels a release in the tissue getting acute relief. A research in Perth shows that SMR is an effective tool in healing arterial stiffness and improving vascular endothelial function.