Here is another great ‘old is new’ wellness treatment that is growing in popularity. Myofascial Release, or MFR for short. My cousin Lena just mentioned it to me, as she is using it with great results. I didn’t even know what it was when she mentioned it. But then actually, I did, as it is a rather common ‘self’ practice at dojos in Japan, where we use foam rollers before and after practice. I just never heard that name. Or did I…
Myofascial Release has a decades long history at least in modern culture, and is certainly much older than that in some subcultures. Dr. Milano’s Dutch Fork Chiropractic Center has several massage therapists that are proficient in the practice, and I actually had the good fortune to experience Patricia Bolt’s talents last summer. Pat has ‘Myofascial Release’ listed in her bio on their homepage, but I simply did not remember the details.
I should have remembered that. But MFR is sometimes ‘hidden’ under other names, and we can see a perfect example in another Dutch Fork therapist, Lisa Kerlin, who has among her talents ‘Deep Tissue Massage with trigger point therapy.’ And Trigger Point Therapy is the same thing as MFR. And we can see many people refer to these practices under other names.
In addition, MFR is considered an integral part of some approaches or therapies, and yet again at Dutch Fork we can see another therapist, Nikki Cox, who uses MFR as part of her Neuromuscular Therapy and Corrective Exercise toolset. So there you have three therapists trained in a wide range of diverse methods, and yet all of them incorporating MFR in some way.
Finally, I would like to emphasize the self-help potential of this practice. And I should mention yet another term that this is hidden under – SMR – Self Myofascial Release. While MFR has a lot more capability under the skilled hands of a therapist, we can still use SMR techniques by ourself – with the help of a good foam roller and/or other tools.
Search the Internet and you can find a wide array of rollers, exercises, and guidance. Of course, like everything else, the information can be overwhelming.
To better understand MFR & SMR, here are a few links to sites that are focused on educating and using Myofascial Release:
Manhattan Myofascial Release has a great ‘About’ page.
Myofascial-Release.com has some informative Q&A on their site.
NASM has a nice introduction to SMR.
The Art of Manliness has a great one page SMR guide loaded with photos.
There is a lot out there, so do not be discouraged if the above links do not appeal to you. Keep looking. Or better yet, seek guidance from a professional – which is probably hiding at your local chiropractic office 😉
