Myofascial Release Therapy repairs muscles, ligaments, tendons and joints, restores proper range of motion and reduces pain.
Let’s start by explaining what myofascial release therapy is.
Dr. Luke Stringer: Myofascia is essentially just the soft tissue within the body, so all the muscles, ligaments, and tendons. Release therapy is essentially focusing on those muscles that have something called adhesion within them. We know it as scar tissue. When we have adhesion in the muscle, it can create shortening and tightening of the muscle. By this effect happening, it begins to inhibit our range of motion. When we inhibit our range of motion, it puts poor load into the joint and tissue, which can eventually bring about pain.
What conditions or symptoms does myofascial release therapy help with?
Dr. Luke Stringer: Many patients seek treatment when they start feeling pain or reduction in their range of motion and/or function within the joint. All soft tissue, again muscles, ligaments, and tendons, are susceptible to this happening, especially after traumas such as sports injuries or lots of repetitive stress, such as sitting for extended periods of time. The most common areas are joints that move a lot, so that would have to be your shoulders, your hips, your low back, your knees, even your feet and your ankles.
How do you determine if myofascial release therapy is the right treatment for a patient? And can it be used in conjunction with other therapies?
Dr. Luke Stringer: The best way to determine if adhesion is present within the tissue is by performing and measuring the joint through range of motion. A healthy joint should be able to display a full range of motion, move unrestricted, and be pain free. Through specific objective testing, limitations in the tissue will show up on the test. This can be objectively measured and corrected.
Yes, very much so. Chiropractic care and physical therapy supplement this type of treatment very well.
Can myofascial release therapy help athletes improve sports performance?
Dr. Luke Stringer: Absolutely. Sports performance requires healthy joints and tissue. Playing any sport at any level requires good range of motion within the joint and it requires a stable and strong muscle, ligament, tendon to support that joint through movement. When our range of motion, our flexibility, is compromised, we start to compensate. Essentially healthy tissue and joints have to work harder and over time, this can increase the chance of injury and even speed up things such as degeneration.
For a new patient, what is a typical treatment session like?
Dr. Luke Stringer: First, a thorough evaluation must be performed. That’ll be made up of a detailed health history and consultation, followed by an examination of both the spine, so that’s the structure of our body, and the joints, checking for both range of motion and stability. Then to be thorough, a good set of X-rays upon the problem area. The patient will then go home and they will come back for a doctor patient conference. In this conference, their exam findings will be reported back to them with a specific diagnosis and a treatment plan presented to them to follow through with care to fix their specific injury or issue.
Learn More
If you are interested in speaking with Dr. Luke Stringer visit www.southloopchiropractor.com or call (312) 987-4878 to schedule an appointment.
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