Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/70551
involuntary attempt to prevent the body from further harm. Infl ammation and infection, as well as structural imbalances, can create fascial strain patterns. OLDER FORMS OF MYOFASCIAL RELEASE, CRANIAL TECHNIQUES Humans have been using soft-tissue manipulation to deal with the fascial system for eons. But when applied regionally, symptomatically, too aggressively, and/ or too mechanically, such manipulation simply becomes an attempt to force a system that cannot be forced. It's painful for the client and diffi cult on the therapist, yielding only temporary results. As I gained experience with the myofascial system, I found that it responded quite differently from what the earlier research on fascia seemed to show. That research, done on fascia in cadavers, suggested that you couldn't release the three-dimensional web of fascia. I agree that the normal boundaries of the fascial system cannot be altered except surgically, or from the enormous force of trauma, but what earlier research overlooked was the importance of the ground substance, the gel-like intercellular material in which the cells and fi bers of connective tissue are embedded. When exposed to trauma, the ground substance tends to lose its fl uidity, and solidifi es. I equate it to pouring glue 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, fi bromyalgia, and limited motion. Interestingly enough, myofascial restrictions do not show up in any of the standard tests (X-rays, CAT scans, myelograms, electromyograms), so myofascial restrictions are being completely missed and/or misdiagnosed. Only a portion of the fascial system had been studied by the time of my injury in the 1960s, and it was as if the scientifi c mind did not understand that comparing living fascia to cadaver fascia is akin to drawing conclusions about trees by studying a telephone pole. Many people are now realizing the ways in which we have been limited by these erroneous assumptions of historical science. A DIFFERENT APPROACH TO MYOFASCIAL RELEASE After more than a decade of tending to my own injury, I developed my own approach to myofascial release, moving away from the aggressive, sometimes painful manipulative techniques of older methods. I stopped sliding over the fascial restrictions. I slowed down and waited for the restrictions to release. I let unwinding occur. By unwinding, I mean the spontaneous moving of the body into positions that allow hidden memories and learned behaviors associated with past trauma to surface to the conscious mind. Once these subconscious memories and patterns rise to the level of conscious awareness, clients can express their emotions, insights, memories, and thoughts in a way that allows them to resolve the trauma. Today, the John F. Barnes Myofascial Release Approach is marked by gentle, sustained pressure directed at changing the viscosity of the ground substance and releasing the cross-links that lie within the natural boundaries in the fascial system. My experience demonstrates that the myofascial system is not only moldable, it is full of awareness, emotions, life, and memories. Celebrate ABMP's 25th anniversary and you may win a refund on your membership. ABMP.com. 89