Fascia is a tough connective tissue which spreads throughout the body in a three dimensional web from head to toe. The fascia surrounds every muscle, bone, nerve, blood vessel and organ all the way down to the cellular level. Myofascial tissue, myo for muscle, includes the connected, connective / muscle tissues throughout the body.
The fascial system has three basic components: elastin (for stretch), collagen (for strength), and ground substance (a gel like substance that supports and protects the cell).
Generally, the fascial system is one of support, stability, and cushion, forming ligaments, tendons, and fascial sheaths. It is also a system of locomotion and dynamic flexibility forming muscle.
As in humans, the tightening of the fascial system is a protective mechanism that is a response to trauma. This trauma may arise from an acute injury like a tendon strain, chronic compensatory overwork of muscles, or repetitive training techniques.
The fascia loses its pliability, becomes restricted, and is a source of tension to the rest of the body. The ground substance solidifies, the collagen becomes dense and fibrous, and the elastin loses its resiliency. This may be reflected in:
Over time this can lead to poor muscular biomechanics, altered structural alignments, and decreased strength and endurance. This results in decreased performance and functional capacity of your animal.
Myofascial Release is a hands on technique that facilitates a stretch into restricted soft tissues. A sustained pressure is applied into the tissue barrier; after 90 – 120 seconds the first release will be felt. The practitioner follows the release into a new tissue barrier and holds. After a few releases are felt the tissue will become soft and pliable. The restoration of length and health to the myofascial tissues will take the pressure off of the pain sensitive tissue like nerves and blood vessels, as well as restore alignment and mobility to the joints.
Myofascial release addresses the soft tissue restrictions that can lead to altered bony alignment, but does not directly manipulate the bone structure of the animal.
There are varying massage techniques used on animals, such as Swedish, Sports, Deep Tissue and Neuromuscular, all of which have benefits. In many cases, the elastic portion of the fascia is released with good short term results. Myofascial release provides long term results by engaging the entire fascial system and making permanent length changes to the tissue. By elongating the fascial system we can restore the efficiency within the neuromuscular elements and proper mechanical length of the connective tissues. Therefore restoring the natural abilities of coordination, strength, and power to the individual.
Trauma and tissue inflammatory responses create myofascial restrictions that can produce pressures in excess of 2,000 pounds per square inch on many different tissues, all pain sensitive structures. These restrictions do not show up on any standard tests; e.g. Radiography, including myelograms, CAT scans, electromyography, and laboratory studies of blood or urine. These enormous pressures act as restrictions on muscles, blood vessels, nerves, bones, lymphatics, and other connective tissues throughout the body. These restrictions continue producing symptoms of pain, dysfunction, asymmetrical dysfunction, restriction of motion, and headaches (although not easily recognized in animals); and almost always resulting in reduced health, reduced energy to the being as a whole or to any local area of the body. The medical approach is to drug patients so they temporarily are out of pain, but does nothing to relieve the pressures and restrictions that are causing the pain and dysfunction. Traditional physical, occupational, and massage therapies, acupuncture, chiropractic, surgery, and drug therapies treat the symptoms caused by the pressures and restrictions of the myofascial system. Although they may provide some temporary results, they do nothing to relieve or release the restrictions that cause and perpetuate the symptoms.
Most diseases, and symptoms are a blockage of our fluids and energy flows, typically caused by an acute or prolonged inflammatory response. Trauma and the resultant inflammation create myofascial restrictions that ultimately create the symptoms of pain and disease processes. In human medicine many of these inflammatory derived problems are labeled: headaches, restriction of motion, arthritis, asthma, bowel and menstrual disorders, cramping, carpal tunnel restrictions, chronic pain, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, heart disease, cancer, and the list goes on. Myofascial release allows the inflammatory response to resolve and eradicates the enormous pressure exerted on pain sensitive structures. By relieving the myofascial restrictions the symptoms are alleviated, thereby allowing the body’s natural healing capacity to function properly.
In studying and readings from John Barnes, PT, he quotes from the book “The Field” by Lynne McTaggart, which states “In the near future the idea of using drugs or surgery to cure will seem barbaric. It has been discovered that humans emit highly coherent photons (the tiniest particles of light). Our DNA uses wave frequencies of this light to drive all of the physiological processes of the mind/body. New evidence shows that the brain’s conversations with the body are waves and frequencies rather with chemical or electrical impulses alone. Our brains are simply the retrieval and readout mechanism, of the ultimate storage medium, the force field that surrounds us and infuses with ever cell in our body.”
“In healthy individuals, the quantum light is highly organized. In people that are ill, the organization of this internal energy is lost; so the subatomic communication between the various parts of the body has broken down. In effect their light is going out. It may be that all illness is a kind of scrambling of the frequency of this energy.”
The trauma and inflammatory processes dehydrate the fluid component of the fascial system, increasingly so over time. These fascial restrictions then exert tremendous pressures on sensitive structures causing pain and restriction of motion. These restrictions inhibit the vital communication that flows through the liquidity of the fascial system to every cell of the body. There is evidence that the entire organism acts as one. The instantaneous communication flows through the fluid of the body, through the microtubules of the fascial system. Trauma, inflammation, or unresolved emotional holding patterns dehydrates the fascial systems resulting in ever increasing tightening and restrictions affecting the entire body. This loss of fluid and the resultant solidification of the ground substance of the fascial system block this important flow of communication.
Myofascial release structurally and energetically opens and allows re-hydration of the fascial system of liquid light for the coherent flow of frequency, vibration, information, and organization necessary for health and quality of life. Myofascial release is a logical expansion of the very roots of the health professions. It incorporates quantum theory and systems theory into practice, but it does not necessitate the dismantling of traditional medicine. Myofascial release represents a powerful effective addition of a series of concepts and techniques that enhance and mesh, or inter-digitate, with our traditional medical, dental, and therapeutic training. Myofascial release is authentic healing therapy based on the important, substantial and tangible results that it provides on all levels of human and animal existence.
In animal medicine – veterinary medicine there are (thankfully) not as many names or titles to all the different presentations of disease. Yet there are, as with humans, tremendous benefits with the application of Myofascial release to virtually any problem of dis-ease in many different species. From a very simple, structural perspective proper alignment is paramount to good circulation, to have all of the fascial tissues and microtubules opened and aligned would improve the flow of light and energy, potentially benefiting any and all cells of the body. Myofascial release (MFR) can be applied, with obvious healing benefits seen in almost all individuals, for problems ranging from internal organ dysfunction, to minor skin trauma; from hypovolemic, traumatic shock to excited exuberance, MFR can, at minimum, be used as adjunct therapy aiding any other medical approach by way of higher success rate of healing and increased speed of healing. As part of healing there are frequently positive behavioral changes.
Diagnostics
and Treatments
Working with dogs, MFR is used daily for structural, injury related disorders, or rehab. post surgeries or other injury. MFR is, to variable extents, useful in all physical exams. MFR helps with a heightened awareness of tissue densities, tissue tensions, tissue connections, tissue temperatures, sensitivities and relationships throughout the animal’s body. The information allowed through MFR aids in diagnostic understanding, and in treatment. Many times MFR is the primary or only treatment employed; other times it may be used with pain management or anti-inflammatory medications. Frequently we can avoid the use of drugs altogether, other times, possibly shorten the time on the crutch of pain management meds. These medications are not without risks, they all are metabolized and excreted by the body, burdening internal organ function. MFR is dramatically beneficial in urinary tract infections in conjunction with indicated medications and diagnostic evaluations. MFR has been consistently able to help when treating ocular drainage problems, ear canal infections – the worse they are the more MFR helped, many laryngeal changes, collapsing tracheal disorders, indigestion, esophageal reflux, GI cramping, diarrhea, constipation, and all structural problems or problems of movement. The list goes on and on and includes behavior problems; there is potentially an emotional component in all dis-ease in all species. It is no wonder that we see so many neck, shoulder, cranial / sacral imbalances or misalignments in dogs considering the collar – leash control and corrections used by so many people with their dogs.
Cats, on the other hand, are designed to absorb physical shocks or impacts for their lifestyle of climbing and leaping, yet many cats are virtual emotional sponges in the household. Many behavioral problems in cats develop from stresses that they perceive in their daily lives. Many of the human anti-anxiety, or anti-depression, or may we say stress management medications are used in treating behavioral problems in cats. Other than for the occasional traveling cat, I have been able to treat, without medications, most feline behavioral problems through MFR healing. Cats do not always like having the veterinarian share their personal space, but when they allow it, great changes can occur.
The specific applications and techniques are topics for instructional classes, beyond the scope here. Including physical and emotional, internal and external, processes of dis-ease in animals, as well as in humans, Myofascial Release therapy does provide tremendously healing benefits. In many cases MFR allieviates the need for drugs, in other individuals it augments the benefit provided by veterinary prescribed drugs or procedures.
The author wishes to thank John Barnes, PT for his life long commitment to the understanding and teaching of the art of Myofascial Release. It is an honor to be one of his many students, and so far the only veterinarian to have studied extensively with him.
Charles G. Cantrell, MS, VMD
Spring Mill Veterinary Hospital Email: doctorc@bee.net
330 Conestoga Road
Malvern, PA 19355
Ph: 610-644-6405
Fax: 610-644-3918