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Fascia is the stuff that holds us together and gives us shape. For those who cook meat, like chicken, there is a thin, tough, transluscent material that covers the muscle of the chicken. This is the fascia. In a living creature, including humans, this material is a vital, continuous substance that surrounds all parts of the body: muscles, bones, cartilage, tendons, ligaments, nerves, and organs. Every bit of fascia is connected; you won't have a bit of fascia just hanging out around your gall bladder. Just like the old song, "…the leg bone's connected to the hip bone…" "…the hip fascia's connected to the back and the abdominal fascia…"

When you move in a particular way all the time or if you stay in a single position for a long time, the fascia begins to bind to the underlying tissue, preventing comfortable, full range of motion. Myofascial Release seeks to unbind that fascia so you can have better, pain free range of motion.

When your body is in acute pain, you have a tendency to move into a position of comfort. Positional release aims to take advantage of that tendency. I can move your body through the 3 axes of motion and, depending upon your pain levels and positioning, find the position of greatest comfort, hold that position, and in all likelihood, some or all of your pain will dissipate. The position you wind up being in, may seem a bit weird, but if that is where you are most comfortable, your body will relax, and a lot of the excess muscle tension your body has been using to "splint' your injured part, will diminish, leaving only the minimum amount to keep the joint safe.

Your Temporomandiublar Joint (TMJ) or jaw is one of the most important joints in your body. Well, every joint is important, but without adequate functioning of your jaw, important things like eating, drinking, and communicating become difficult or impossible. The muscles around the jaw have various functions: some work to close the jaw, some work to open the jaw, some work to move your jaw from side to side, some move your voice box around, some help with swallowing, some help with moving your head around, some help with breathing, some help with creating facial expressions. Each of these muscles can develop trigger points and / or myofascial restrictions and / or pain. You may have TMJ dysfunction: if you have had headaches inside or around your head, mouth, throat, or chest; if your jaw clicks; if you grind your teeth; if you sing; if you play clarinet or any other wind instrument; if you orate on television; if you have braces or have dental work.

A Trigger Point is a hypersensitive spot within a tight band of muscle that refers pain or other autonomic sensations to areas local or distant to the original point. Trigger points are commonly found in muscles that have been overworked, either due to excess contracting or excess stretching. In order to release a trigger point, depending upon its location and cause, I will use one of the following techniques:

ischemic compression, where I find the point and hold it until the pain goes away
stretch and hold, until the pain goes away
ice and stretch, usually only done in summer time

After a trigger point treatment, you should have diminished pain and increased range of motion. If I have done the treatment too deeply or for too long, you may experience discomfort afterwards for a few days. Generally this discomfort resolves itself and you may feel better than when you initially came.

It has been a further amendment to my philosophy that a good treatment should not be a painful treatment. Each position may take longer, and it may tire me out more, but in the end, you are the one who is most important in the equation. If you are happily out of pain, then I have done my job.

Myofascial Release

Positional Release

Relaxation

Temporomandibular Joint Treatment

Trigger Point Therapy