Myofascial Release-The Wave of the Future

The John F. Barnes’ Myofascial Release Approach’ is considered to be the ultimate mind/body therapy that is safe, gentle and consistently effective in producing results that last. John F. Barnes, PT, is an international lecturer, author and authority of Myofascial Release. Jan Rudeen, Licensed Massage Therapist at Moore Chiropractic Center in Bonners Ferry Idaho trained extensively with John F. Barnes this summer to learn how to effective use his procedures with her clients. Jan teams with Dr. Moore on helping patients get rid of chronic pain and injuries. Jan is able to release tension and soreness using Myofascial Release Techniques; thereby, allowing Dr. Moore to more easily put bones, tendons, ligaments and muscles into place. The combined efforts of Dr. Moore and Jan Rudeen help the patients treatments last longer with more effective results.
What is Fascia?

Fascia is an incredibly tough connective tissue which spreads throughout the body in a three-dimensional web. Built much like a spider web it extends from head to foot without interruption, surrounding and attaching to all bodily structures.

The fascia serves a vital function: it permits the body to maintain its normal shape and allows the body to resist mechanical stress both internal and external.
Fascia envelops, protects, supports and becomes part of the muscles, bones, nerves, organs and blood vessels-both internal and external.
Fascia envelops, protects, supports and becomes part of the muscles, bones, nerves, organs, and blood vessels-from the largest structures down to the cellular level. When all is going well, the body functions harmoniously, and the fascia is relaxed; it can stretch and move without restriction.

When injuries occur, however, the fascia loses its pliability. Physical trauma from accident, injury, or surgery can cause the fascia to tighten to an involuntary attempt to prevent the body from further harm. Inflammation and infection, as well as structural imbalance, can create fascial strain pattern. The ground substance of the fascia loses its fluidity, and solidifies. John Barnes equates it to pouring blue or cement into the interstitial spaces.
It is this dehydration of the tissue, with the accompanying development of cross-links at the nodal points that can put enormous and excessive pressure on pain-sensitive structures and limit the fascial system’s ability to glide. This enormous pressure, approximately 2,000 pounds per square inch, can produce symptoms of pain, including headaches, fibromyalgia, and limited motion. Many of the standard tests such as x-rays, myelograms, CAT scans, electromyography, etc. do not show the fascial restrictions, and it is thought that an extremely high percentage of people suffering with pain and/or lack of motion may be having fascial problems, but most go undiagnosed.

The viscoelastic quality of the fascial system causes it to resist a suddenly applied force. This explains why the “old form” of myofascial release, which as an attempt to force a system that cannot be forced, produced pain and limited results.
The John Barnes Myofascial Release approach encompasses the concept of piezoelectricity, which is derived from the Greek work piezein, meaning to “press or squeeze” and refers to the electric currents generated by pressure on certain crystals, including the cells of our body, which have some crystalline characteristics.

The fascial system is comprised of piezoelectric tissue, so when the therapist applies gentle, sustained pressure into the fascial system through compression, traction, twisting the fascial system, or moving a particular body part (taking gravity out of the system), it creates a flow of the body’s bioenergy.
This approach has deeper and longer-lasting results. It is not intended to replace all the valuable massage and bodywork techniques that are currently being used. But, it is an added dimension. As the fascia is released and increased range of motion is accomplished. The enormous pressures on the fascial restrictions are eliminated from pain-sensitive structures, alleviating symptoms and restoring the unity and quality of motion as well as our bodies’ ability to absorb shock.
The effectiveness of releasing the fascia can be viewed like a handle that seems to profoundly influence the Golgi tendon organs, the lymphatic and circulatory systems, the muscular component of spindle cells, and the position of osseous structures, as well as all the organs of the body and the central, peripheral, and autonomic nervous systems.

According to John F. Barnes, health care is undergoing a massive shift. The use of Myofascial Release Techniques from Jan Rudeen, LMT combined with quality chiropractic care from Dr. Daniel Moore will lead to improved health and well-being.
Jan Rudeen, LMT in Idaho compiled the research from articles and books from Dr. John F. Barnes.