Relieve chronic and acute muscle pain with personalised myofascial release
Serving Philadelphia, Main Line & surrounding suburbs.
Rebalance PT offers myofascial release therapy in Philadelphia and near Main Line, delivered by experienced and highly qualified PTs. Please get in touch to schedule a private assessment.
What Is Myofascial Release?
Myofascial release (MFR) is a hands on technique that works on the body’s connective tissue, called the fascia. Fascia connects all the bones, muscles and organs together and helps everything move together as a connected, intelligent system.
Myofascial release treatment in Philadelphia involves applying gentle but sustained pressure into the myofascial connective tissues to eliminate pain and restore motion.
Almost everyone benefits from some form of soft tissue mobilization when there is an injury. Soft tissue mobilization can include myofascial release, friction massage, deep tissue work, skin rolling, skin dragging, scar tissue massage.
The goal of any of the various methods of myofascial release is to increase fluid movement, blood flow, and soft tissue flexibility to improve movement. This makes it beneficial to a range of patients, including those with orthopedic issues or pelvic floor weakness.
What is the Myofascia?
Myofascia is a web-like collagen structure that starts under the skin and goes through the muscle fibers, bones and organs. It’s like a glue that’s flexible but also stabilizes and keeps your muscles, bones, organs, and nerves bound together.
Muscles are made up of straw-like muscle fibers that are layered on top of each other. The fascia surrounds each fiber to keep them separated. It is firm enough to keep the fibers in place, but also flexible enough to allow the muscle to contract and lengthen.
Myofascial Restrictions and Causes
What Are Fascia Restrictions?
Fascia restrictions are areas where the body’s connective tissue becomes tight or stiff. This can develop anywhere in the body, causing localised pain or even affecting distant parts of the body. In severe cases, these restrictions can lead to Myofascial Pain Syndrome.
Causes of Restrictions
1. Poor posture: Slumped shoulders or a forward head and neck position can cause the front muscles to tighten and develop restrictions.
2. Sitting too much: Localized compression on a tissue (like your buttocks) for too long will restrict the blood flow. Fascia and muscle tissue need good blood flow to stay healthy. Lack of blood flow can cause restrictions to develop.
3. Injuries or surgeries: Injuries or surgeries can create changes in the tissue. As your body works to heal the injury or incision, scar tissue develops and causes restrictions in the fascia.
4. Chronic inflammation within an organ: Chronic inflammation can affect the surrounding tissue. Inflammatory conditions such as endometriosis, interstitial cystitis, chronic yeast infections, gastrointestinal issues or colitis can cause changes and restrictions in the fascia.
5. Chronic orthopedic inflammation: Any chronic nerve irritation can potentially change the way the muscle behaves and lead to restrictions. Conditions could include a chronic nerve condition or herniated disc.
It’s worth noting that these causes can also be linked to other orthopedic and pelvic floor conditions, as the body is a completely connected system.
Our Treatment Approach
At Rebalance PT, our myofascial release therapy in Philadelphia is delivered as part of a structured, tailored treatment program, built entirely around your needs.
It’s important to work to release and balance all levels of fascia, including the organ related fascia. This is especially important if you’ve been dealing with chronic issues. It’s also important to address all other alignment issues, musculature trigger points and imbalances in muscle strength and length at the same time as myofascial release.
We begin with a holistic assessment that evaluates your fascia and alignment, using gentle techniques to completely map your entire body’s fascia, including organ-related fascia. This gives your PT a clear picture of your situation and the likely source of your discomfort and mobility issues.
We then apply 100% hands-on manual therapies to gently, but effectively, tackle the root cause of the issue. Myofascial release therapy sessions are performed directly on skin (we may or may not use oils or creams) in order for your therapist to accurately detect fascial restrictions.
The type of technique used varies depending on the symptoms and tolerance to each technique. Your Philadelphia myofascial release therapist will work with you to choose the best method for your condition. We very often combine these approaches with other exercises and alignment approaches to achieve lasting results.
If you’re experiencing myofascial restrictions or would like to learn about our myofascial release therapy in Philadelphia, click here to schedule a complimentary phone consultation with one of our physical therapists near Philadelphia or Main Line clinic.
Benefits & Outcomes
If you’ve searched for ‘myofascial therapy near me’, you’re in the right place! Our myofascial release treatment in Philadelphia offers a range of targeted benefits that include:
- Increased fluid movement, blood flow and soft tissue flexibility.
- Relief from chronic or acute muscle pain in the neck, shoulder, hip, pain, pelvic floor and other areas (without anti-inflammatories or painkillers – our holistic approach brings you back into pain-free balance and full range of motion.)
- Integration with other beneficial 100% manual therapies such as trigger point release, where required.
Our highly trained therapists in Philadelphia work from our city Center and Mainline clinics to help restore you to a rebalanced, healthy and pain-free life.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is myofascial release?
Myofascial release (MFR) is a hands on technique that works on the body’s connective tissue, called the fascia. It involves applying gentle but sustained pressure into the myofascial connective tissues to eliminate pain and restore motion.
Does myofascial release hurt?
Myofascial release treatment in Philadelphia can be briefly uncomfortable as the tissues soften and release, but it shouldn’t be acutely painful. Our therapists always work with each patient to take feedback as the treatment progresses, adjusting the approach if discomfort becomes too much.
How is it different from deep tissue massage?
Myofascial release therapy uses gentle and targeted pressure on dry skin to release and stretch connective tissue restrictions. Its purpose is to reduce chronic pain and movement limitations. Deep tissue massage uses friction-based, deep pressure and oils to target muscles at deeper layers, to soothe soreness and reduce knotting (for example, after exercise.)
What conditions can it help?
Myofascial release therapy in Philadelphia can help a range of conditions including fibromyalgia, chronic neck and back pain, headaches, sports injuries, sciatica, reduced range of motion and myofascial pain syndrome. It also helps to heal post-surgical adhesions.
How long does a session last?
A typical myofascial therapy session might last for an hour, but your PT will give you a completely tailored program based around your needs. We always aim to deliver results in the shortest amount of time.
Is myofascial release therapy covered by insurance?
Myofascial release therapy in Philadelphia is typically not covered by insurance, but we can provide the documentation you need to submit to your insurer for potential reimbursement. Our friendly team will advise and assist.
Contact Rebalance PT Today
Ready to experience the profound physical relief of myofascial release therapy in Philadelphia? Book your free 15-minute consultation today and take control of your healing journey with the support of our friendly, skilled team of therapists. We look forward to welcoming you to your preferred clinic!
