by admin
5 June 2025 
Are you suffering from chronic aches, stiffness, or restricted movement? You may be surprised to find that the source may be in an incredible but often forgotten section of your body: your fascia. At Acubody, our London Myofascial Release therapist is committed to giving you the knowledge, and today, we’re going to learn in-depth about Myofascial Release (MFR) – an incredible therapy designed to give you lasting relief and enhanced mobility.
What is Fascia, and Why Does it Matter?
Imagine a continuous, intricate web of connective tissue that runs throughout your entire body. This is your fascia. It surrounds and interpenetrates every muscle, organ, and nerve, providing support, protection, and connection. In its healthy state, the fascia is relaxed and pliable and allows for smooth, unrestricted movement.
But life has a way of intervening. Injuries, surgical scars, inflammation, or even repetitive strain can tighten up this essential tissue into a hardened, tight, and restricted form. Such “fascial restrictions” can put substantial stress on pain-sensitive structures, resulting in musculoskeletal dysfunction, chronic pain, deep-seated tension, and many other chronic conditions.
Myofascial Release: A Gentle, Effective Approach
Myofascial Release is a highly skilled manual therapy technique that targets these fascial restrictions in order to restore balance and function within your body. It’s an integrated approach to pain relief, acknowledging the systemic impact of this connective tissue system.
A popular myth that we usually hear is that MFR actually “breaks down” fascial adhesions or knots. This is not really true. Fascia’s collagen fibres are extremely strong – often referred to as being “as strong as steel”. It would take a tremendous amount of force to physically break them, and that could cause injury.
Rather, the deep “release” or letting go you experience during an MFR session is actually a shift in tissue tone facilitated through your nervous system. In other words, MFR operates by affecting neural pathways and your perception of tension and pain, not through sheer mechanical force. This neurophysiological concept is key to our philosophy at Acubody. It enables us to offer effective client education, minimise any fear of possible painful procedures (gentler pressure is often more effective, there is still a place for strong pressure but it shouldn’t be painful), and totally fits our holistic, mind-body style of healing.
Our MFR Techniques
With a Myofascial Release treatment at Acubody, our trained therapists use gentle, sustained pressure on certain points of tension. We employ two main methods:
- Direct Myofascial Release: This is the application of sustained pressure directly into the fascial limitation, typically in opposition to the direction in which the fascia is restricted from motion. The intent is to increase the length and soften the fascia, re-establishing normal function.
- Indirect Myofascial Release: Here, we pay attention to the ability of your own body to release tension. We use light pressure in the direction in which the fascia moves freely, holding for a release to occur. This tends to leave a deep sense of relaxation with the release of the fascia.
At Acubody, our promise is to educate you on your body so that you may be empowered to achieve sustainable pain relief and greater mobility through evidence-supported, caring treatment.
Book an appointment with our London Myofascial Release therapist today.
