I have been working with Myofascial Release (MFR) for over a year now. I don’t do it that often, but every now and then someone thinks that this may be what they want, or I may suggest it. I have had some success with it, but nothing consistent to ‘write home about’… at least… until today.
I had someone that was a returning client. At the previous meeting, I looked at her and suggested that MFR might be something to try as she had alignment issues. Today, we decided to try it.
Now MFR works on connective tissue (called fascia) in the body. Normally a pliable, rubbery substance, the fascia can get hard and constricted (like in carpal tunnel syndrome) causing alignment issues. MFR works to make this connective tissue pliable again.
At any rate, when my client came in, I looked at her (with my eyes open this time). Her right shoulder was higher then her left. Her left hip was higher than her right. (This shows that she has constricted fascia on her left side as her shoulder and hip are being pulled together.) Her head was off center to the left and her right breast was higher than her left. Her shoulders were rounded forward and her right leg was rotated out. This was quite a lot of things out of alignment, and not by a little either.
I charted the moves I would do based on what I saw, and I began. MFR works through a series of cross hand holds which last three to five minutes each. I worked to lengthen the area between the left shoulder and hip. I also worked to align the pelvis and stretch the area between the shoulders on the back and front of the body. I did the MFR leg movements to see if the pelvis would release the legs so they could fall normally.
This was a lot of work and time. After a little over an hour, I finished. I had her stand again so I could see if any change had been made. When I looked at her, I was flabbergasted. The changes were very dramatic.
Her shoulders and hips were level. Her head was still a little to the left, but not nearly as much as it had been. Her legs were straighter and her and her shoulders were not as rounded. Her breasts were almost level. I had never had this much success with MFR since I have been using it. This was absolutely stunning.
When she came out, my client told me that this is the first time she can remember being straight in years. She said that when she put her pants on, she was shocked that the waistline was level. She was as stunned as I was.
So, I guess there is something to this stuff after all. I guess I’ll keep working at it.