What to Expect During Your Myofascial Release Therapy Appointment

When visiting our practice for myofascial release therapy, here’s what you can expect:

Your First Appointment

When you arrive for your first appointment for myofascial release therapy (MFR), our massage therapist, Darlene Bergener, will explain how MFR therapy is used to help loosen your connective tissue or fascia. It’s a web-like structure in your body that runs from the top of your head to your feet, with your nerves and blood vessels running throughout like highways.

She’ll then assess your body, checking for fascia tightness, posture and bone alignment, any imbalances causing pain in the knees or the neck, and other root causes of fascial restrictions that can occur, like pronated feet or a rotated pelvis. She’ll also ask you about your health history and any past accidents, injuries or traumas that may have occurred to your body. These can also cause restrictions in the fascia.

What You Will Feel

MFR therapy is the application of long, slow holds, accessing the collagen fibres in the fascia to make changes within those fibres. Darlene may spend 5 to 10 minutes in one area of concern before moving on. Then, as the body releases and unwinds, it’s not uncommon to feel relief in other areas of the body, like the knees, hip, and lower back.

As a client moves through their MFR therapy visits, Darlene will often have the client dress in shorts and a sports bra or tank top so the therapy can be done standing up if necessary. This allows for better positioning and a more targeted approach for some clients and better assessment of their posture, bone alignment and manipulation of their limbs into various locations to benefit the application of the pressure.