Unlock the Secret to Pain Relief: John F. Barnes Myofascial Release Explained!
Unlock the Secret to Pain Relief: John F. Barnes Myofascial Release Explained!
If you’ve been battling chronic pain, lingering injuries, or the effects of trauma, you know just how frustrating it can be to feel like nothing works. Pain becomes part of your daily life, dictating what you can and can’t do, and the usual treatments—whether it’s medications, surgeries, or quick fixes—only offer temporary relief or no relief at all.
As a John F. Barnes Myofascial Release (MFR) therapist, I’ve seen this struggle up close, and I understand how deeply it can affect every part of your life. But I also know that there’s a solution. Myofascial Release is an incredibly powerful tool that addresses the root causes of your pain, rather than just masking the symptoms. And the best part? It’s gentle, non-invasive, and focused on your body’s innate wisdom and natural ability to heal.
So, what is Myofascial Release, and how does it work? Let’s break it down.
What Is Myofascial Release?
In order to understand the methods used it is important to understand what fascial tissue is and it’s roll in the body. Think of fascia as the body’s connective tissue. It’s like a 3 dimensional web or net that interpenetrates, surrounds, supports, and connects all of the muscles, bones, nerves, brain, and organs. When healthy, it acts as a lubricant for the tissues to glide smoothly together, thus allowing the body to move smoothly. It also provides the tensile strength to hold everything in our body in the proper place. Research is also showing that fascia has many more functions which we will cover in later articles. When your fascia becomes unhealthy, tight or restricted—whether due to injury, inflammation, poor posture, emotional stress, trauma, and even older fascial restrictions—it can cause the fascial tissue to create imbalances pulling throughout the body. The fascial tissue has the ability to pull with a crushing force of up to 2,000 lbs per square inch. So, when restrictions form, the fascial tissue can tighten around pain sensitive structures and pull bones, muscles, and other structures out of alignment causing pain, stiffness, limited movement, and decreased function.
How Does John F Barnes’ Myofascial Release Work?
Here’s the part that really sets John F Barnes’ MFR apart from other therapies. There is a trust that your body knows how to heal itself. It is important to understand what modern medicine has forgotten; that each person is unique and that the body has its own intelligence and innate ability to heal itself. Modern medicine has also reduced the body down to separate parts like a machine. Unfortunately, this is not reality and trying to heal the body in this way can, at best, produce temporary relief and, at worse, be ineffective. JFB MFR therapists also have an understanding that everything in the body is interconnected and cannot be separated. As a JFB Myofascial Release Therapist I recognize these connections and have honed my skill and ability to feel into the body and feel these restrictions; not just directly under my hands but also where the restriction may be attached to in other areas of the body. In this way I can systematically and progressively release the tissue following the tightness back to the root cause of your pain. This is a very intuitive process which combines science (knowledge of the body) and art (intuition). A very important difference in working with a JFB Myofascial Release therapist is the communication with you, the patient, and what you are feeling. This helps guide the therapist, thus empowering you to take part in and be in charge of your own healing.
This can be illustrated with how I am working with Sarah (not her real name to protect her identity). Sarah has scoliosis and complains of low back and right leg pain even though most of the changes in her spine appear to be in her upper body. While working on her upper back, face down, I was feeling pulling down into her lower right leg. Upon further observation I noticed that her right foot was turned inward. I gently placed my hand on her right heel and began turning her foot outward while my other hand was on her low back. I could feel the connection of the tissue between my hands. Sarah immediately felt the tension run up her leg and into her lower back. This important input from Sarah told me that we were working in the correct area. After a few minutes, as the tissue was releasing, both of us started feeling her low back softening and then pulling into her right scapula area, which is where her scoliosis was most prominent. After the session she stated that she felt taller and straighter than when she had come in.
Why Choose Myofascial Release for Chronic Pain and Injury?
It Addresses the Root Cause of Pain: When you’re dealing with chronic pain, it’s easy to get stuck in the cycle of chasing symptoms. You treat the area where it hurts, but the pain keeps coming back. MFR, on the other hand, goes straight to the source—your fascial restrictions—and addresses the underlying problem.
It’s Non-Invasive and Drug-Free: MFR doesn’t require surgery, injections, or any medication. It’s a safe, natural therapy that works with your body to release tension and heal. There’s no cutting, no pills, just the therapeutic touch of your therapist working in harmony with your body’s healing process.
It’s Effective for a Variety of Conditions: Whether you’re dealing with chronic back pain, headaches, fibromyalgia, sciatica, or recovering from an injury or surgery, MFR can help. For example, I’ve worked with clients who have been through knee surgeries or hip replacements, and MFR helped release tightness and scar tissue that was hindering their recovery. The therapy works not just on the surface, but on a deep, connective tissue level, helping to improve mobility and reduce pain.
It’s Personalized for You: Everyone’s body is different, and MFR is all about finding what works for you. I tailor each session based on your needs, and we work together to identify the areas where tension is holding you back, adjusting my approach as the tension in the fascia in your body shifts. The approach is slow and focused, allowing me to adjust to your body’s response as we go.
Surgery Prevention: Sometimes imbalanced fascial tissue can be responsible for pulling joints closer together. Over time this can cause injury to the joint due to extra wear and tear. The most common approach to dealing with this is to live with the pain until pain medication no longer works or the damage is severe enough to necessitate surgery. However, JFB Myofascial Release can actually give back the space joints need to move and help them heal and prevent surgeries.
Surgery Preparation: Sometimes surgery is unavoidable. Receiving therapy in preparation of surgery can be very helpful in releasing tight fascial tissue that will have an effect on the healing process. If the tissue surrounding the surgery site is too tight it can pull on the forming scar tissue hindering balanced healing. This is much like cloth when it has torn due to too much tension. Pulling the cloth close together will put even more tension on the fabric creating imbalances and pulling. When this happens in the body scar tissue will form, pull throughout the body and cause more restrictions that will then also need to be addressed in the future.
What to Expect During Your Myofascial Release Session With Me
After a discussion of the symptoms and feelings experienced in your body, I will visually and manually assess where there might be tensions and restrictions within the fascial system. I will gently and slowly sink my hands into the body feeling for the barriers of tight tissue and then will slowly begin providing traction or compression between my hands. As the tissue releases minute adjustments need to be made to maintain the tension between my hands. This pressure excites the energy within the microtubules of the fascial system causing the solidified ground substance within the system to begin to melt and then flow more freely. This hold will last at least 5 minutes and may last as long as 30 minutes. Time is a key factor in releasing fascial tissue. Research has shown that it takes at least 5 minutes of a sustained hold or stretch to create lasting change within the fascial system. As the hold is being maintained I can go deeper and deeper to find and release more restrictions.
During treatment you, as the patient, may feel the tissue releasing, relaxing and/or experience a variety of other sensations either directly underneath my hands or even in very distant parts of your body. This is due to how completely connected the fascial tissue is. This is called “the fascial voice” and it is important to pay attention to what your body is telling you. It is helpful, however not absolutely necessary, to convey what is being felt so this information can be used to direct the flow of treatment.
It may take only one session for symptoms to dissipate, or this process may have to happen over and over again in order to get to the level where the restriction is that is causing a particular symptom. Each person is unique and only your body knows exactly how it has formed itself. Only your body knows and is capable of loosening these restrictions. I am the facilitator that listens to the clues that your body is giving to help it heal.
Not Sure If Myofascial Release Is The Right Therapy For You?
There are many conditions that can be helped with JFB Myofascial Release. If you are not sure if this therapy can help you but are ready to return to a pain-free active lifestyle find a therapist that is trained in John F Barnes’ Myofascial Release and start your journey toward healing today!
If you would like to watch a short, five minute video to get a better understanding of how we will be working together click this link: https://www.emergemfr.com/fascia