Understanding How Myofascial Release Can Alleviate Your Pain

Chronic pain is a huge problem in our country. In fact, 50 million American adults see their doctors for chronic pain every year, and an additional 20 million suffer from high-impact chronic pain, which disrupts their everyday life.

From misdiagnoses to failed treatments, most struggle to get the care they need and end up resolving to live life in pain. That’s where our expertise comes in.

Dr. Neel Amin at Advanced Relief Institute knows that finding the right treatment for your pain is just as frustrating as the pain itself. That’s why we pride ourselves on accurately diagnosing your condition and offering comprehensive solutions to treat them.

We take a multidisciplinary approach to your health and pain relief and evaluate both the physical and emotional aspects of chronic pain. Myofascial release is just one of the many non-surgical treatment options we recommend for relieving pain.

Here’s what you need to know.

The basics of myofascial release

Simply put, myofascial release is a type of massage used in physical therapy as a treatment for myofascial pain syndrome (MPS). MPS occurs when tight, tense, or injured muscles put pressure on the sensitive points in the myofascial tissue, which surrounds and supports your muscles.

Those sensitive points in the myofascial tissues are also called trigger points. When your trigger points become irritated, you experience referred pain, which you feel in a different part of your body than the location of the irritation.

Anyone can experience MPS, but there are a few risk factors that increase your chances of developing this condition. For example, if you suffer from a muscle injury or experience frequent muscle tension as a result of stress and anxiety, you’re at an increased risk for myofascial pain.

MPS typically causes deep, aching muscle pain, but it can also cause other symptoms like:

• Persistent or worsening pain
• Tender knots in your muscles
• Difficulty sleeping due to pain

Don’t accept any of these symptoms as a part of life. Make an appointment with Dr. Amin to explore ways to relieve your chronic pain, including myofascial release.

What to expect from your myofascial release

During your myofascial release, Dr. Neel Amin gently and strategically massages the stiff, tight myofascial tissues in your affected muscle to slowly release the tension and pressure on your trigger points.

The area he works on may not be near where you feel the most pain, but that’s what makes the myofascial release so effective — it releases tension from a broader network of muscles, stimulating whole-body pain relief.

Conditions that can benefit from myofascial release

Myofascial release isn’t for everyone, but it can treat a wide variety of painful conditions and symptoms. Dr. Neel Amin conducts a thorough review of your symptoms and medical history before recommending musical releases for your chronic pain.

Here are some of the most common reasons Dr. Amin recommends myofascial release beyond MPS:

• Loss of function
• Reduced flexibility
• Injury and surgery recovery
• Back pain
• Neck pain
• Shoulder pain
• Hip pain
• Temporo-mandibular joint (TMJ) disorder
• Carpal tunnel syndrome
• Fibromyalgia
• Migraine and headaches 

Myofascial release is also effective in treating some cases of venous insufficiency.

If you’re ready to live a pain-free life, contact our office or schedule an appointment online today.