How does myofascial release help neurological conditions and diseases?

*This article was originally published by Neurologic Physiotherapy, which is part of the Lifemark family. We are republishing it here with permission.

As myofascial release therapy continues to grow in popularity, I often encounter people who have questions about myofascial release and how physiotherapists use it to treat clients with neurological diseases and conditions. More people are now familiar with the positive effects myofascial release can have on tight muscles, poor alignment, and tension, but how does myofascial release help people with Parkinson’s disease, spinal cord injuries and other neurological conditions or diseases?

Aligning and balancing the body with myofascial release

Myofascial release is a hands-on, manual approach that evaluates the entire body to treat the cause of the symptoms, including pain and tightness. This form of therapy strives to achieve pain-free, efficient movement patterns through alignment and balancing of the body.

Myofascial release manipulates the body’s fascia, a thin connective tissue that runs from the top of the head to the tip of the toes in an uninterrupted web. It surrounds all organs, lymph and blood vessels, the nerves, the brain and spinal cord, and every muscle in the body. All movements involve muscle and fascia (the fascial system).

When a person has a neurological disease or condition, it means that their neurological system is impaired in some way. Our bodies rely on different systems that are interconnected, so when one system in the body is impaired, it often affects the function of many other systems.

Neurological impairment can cause many physical changes in the body, including abnormal muscle tone, postural misalignment from improper movement patterns and reduced mobility. If this is something you're struggling with, you should know that myofascial release can help.

Optimizing postural alignment and reducing rigidity and stiffness

Abnormal muscle tone occurs when there is a problem with muscle tension. Many neurological conditions can affect muscle tension, resulting in either a lack of muscle tension (causing issues with weakness and maintaining postural alignment) or too much tension (often causing rigidity and movement difficulties).

Myofascial release can be used to optimize postural alignment and reduce rigidity and stiffness in the tissue. It can also be used to help reduce tissue tension caused by constant muscle contraction.

Moreover, a neurological condition can cause a person’s movement patterns to change. For example, Parkinson’s disease can cause tightness in the body, making regular movement increasingly difficult. If this tightness is focused more on the right side of the body, then your body may develop other strategies to help you continue to move, such as making your left side work harder.

Because your right side is not being used as much, it increasingly becomes tighter, making movement harder for you. This tightness on the right side also “pulls” the body out of alignment (as tightness causes the fascial tissue to become inflexible and stiff), which can result in pain.

A physiotherapist would use myofascial release to reduce the tightness and restrictions that have developed in the fascia and muscles. Releasing this tightness allows clients to regain proper postural alignment and helps to reestablish more normal movement patterns.

For more information about myofascial release or to consult a Lifemark clinician, check out our Locations page or book online to schedule an appointment at a Lifemark clinic near you.