Myofascial Release at Home for Easing Muscle Tension and Increasing Mobility
Tight muscles? Spending too much time hunched over a desk? Scar tissue build up? Feeling stress tension in your pressure points? You have undeniably come to the right place. I am about to walk you through how I use Myofascial release at home to ease muscle tension and increase mobility.
What is Myofascial Release?
Since being developed by Physical Therapist, John E. Barnes in the early 1960s, Myofascial release therapy has become a widely used treatment for fascial muscle tissue pain, tension, and inflammation.
“Myofascial restrictions that can produce tensile pressures of approximately 2,000 pounds per square inch on pain sensitive structures that do not show up in many of the standard tests.“
John E. Barnes
Can you say “ouch”? Unlike stretching or using yoga alone, Myofascial release targets a deeper layer of muscle tissue to ease tension.
Why Myofascial Release?
Before we dive into why you should start using Myofascial release, it is important to understand what fascia is.
“Fascia is very densely woven, covering and interpenetrating every muscle, bone, nerve, artery and vein, as well as, all of our internal organs including the heart, lungs, brain and spinal cord… [Fascia] is actually one continuous structure that exists from head to toe without interruption. In this way you can begin to see that each part of the entire body is connected to every other part by the fascia, like the yarn in a sweater.”
John E. Barnes
Pretty crazy right? So, Myofascial release is important because when tension is felt in one part of the body, it is impacting the muscle connectivity and mobility of many other parts of the body.
How do I practice Myofascial Release at home?
Lucky for you, I am a certified Myofascial release teacher through the Yoga Journal. I studied under the incredible Ariele Foster, owner of the Yoga Anatomy Academy. The Self-Love Collective membership library has a ton of tutorials on how to practice myofascial release from the comfort of your living room.
I urge you to try this Yoga for the Shoulders video on the Self-Love Collective membership site. I combine yoga techniques with Myofascial release to ease unwanted shoulder tension and back pain. In this video, I use the RAD Mobility Point Release balls.
Similarly, I have a Stress Relief Yoga practice that combines slow-flow yoga and myofascial release. Do not fret if you are not an experienced yogi. My tutorials are for anyone at any skill level. Videos range from 10 minute practices to hour long workouts.
RAD Mobility, specifically, has an incredible catalog of products. All products are designed to help with a multitude of muscle tension and muscle mobility improvement. Make sure to check out the All In It kit for every piece of equipment you will ever need for Myofascial release.
How much is too much?
If you ever feel a sharp, shooting pain that overwhelms you while practicing, stop immediately and seek professional medical help. Myofascial release is not a competition. The goal is not to see how much pain you can withstand. Although you will feel some discomfort, it should never exceed more than a 6-7 on a 10 point pain scale. This is an intuitive practice where you should listen to your body closely and avoid overdoing it.
Equally, if any of the following relate to you, you should avoid myofascial release:
- an underlying tumor.
- a metabolic condition.
- open wounds.
- weak/broken bones or fractures.
- deep vein issues.
- taking a blood thinner
This post contains affiliate links but I promise you that every product I recommend is from personal experience
