One of the chronic physical conditions that benefits best in the world of manual therapy is the lessening of pain for clients by helping to loosen direct and indirect soft tissue restrictions.
In my practice, I have found two areas of massage therapy that have consistently proven to help increase range of motion and to relax the musculatures and other internal systems so that the body can fall back into its natural alignment: 1. working directly with the musculature and 2. also by focusing on fascial tissue.
Most people who have received basic massage know what it feels like to have a muscle worked. You go in and you feel either light or deep pressure going inward and moving in a certain directions. That can feel wonderful. Your circulation increases, stress melts away, and the lymph system works more efficiently, all with an hour of massage. But if you want longer lasting structural change, the fascial component of the work can create longer lasting shifts and release bones and other adhesions that hinder good flexibility. This feels very different in quality when receiving because the intention is to work with this web of tissue that contains and runs through almost everything in the body. Either using fingers, the hand, or an elbow, the practitioner enters the fascial system and helps it to stretch or unwind so that the client can move more freely. She can work with the bones, the viscera wrappings, and all the contents either directly or indirectly while inviting the client to move certain ways to find length and movment. As one point or section is released, the rest of the body feels he tautness let go too, even if on an unconscious level. Everything is connected in the body and the fascia is key into bringing balance throughout the whole structure.
The New Frontier in Pain Relief!t
In the quiet of the body there is nourishment. At the same time, the body also needs to move from the cellular level to the larger systems to stay healthy. Deep myofascial work can do wonders to help you accomplish this by touching into stuck places and releasing old patterns. Through therapies like Craniosacral Therapy with a light touch or Ida Rolf’s 10 Session protocol for Structural Integration, fascial work will bring balance and lightness back into your step!
Sharon Hartnett LMT, CST, SI
Columbus, Ohio
703 509-1792