Myofascial Release Articles

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Article: Myofascial Release and Craniosacral Therapy

There are considerable benefits to practitioners and clients alike by combining these modalities.

It has been reported that many clients who have received excellent soft tissue body work get to a point where the treatment plateaus or partially regresses because only part of the fascial system was treated. Conversely, many clients who are just treated with craniosacral therapy may experience relief of symptoms only to have them recur.

If one narrowly focuses only on the craniosacral system and pays no attention to things like muscular fascial constrictions outside of the dural tube (covering fascial of the spinal cord) — then these imbalances are restrictions will pull on the dural sleeves like powerful anchors overwhelming and restricting the craniosacral system over and over again.

In some anatomy textbooks, fascia is depicted as organized tissue in layers. Ongoing new studies reveal that the situation may be quite different due to the fact the trauma and postural distortions constrict fascial and the fascia then bears little resemblance to organised tissue.

These distortions of course lead to poor biomechanical efficiency, reduced circulation and reduced nerve impulse conductance or impingement. This has considerable ramifications when dealing with the elite athlete looking for optimum performance or the client who is looking for answers to painful chronic long term conditions.

To begin to unravel these constrictions and distortions then practitioners must develop their tactile awareness and sensitivity so they may feel where these restrictions are and how they feel when being released. There is some overlap here as the sensitive craniosacral therapist, who can feel the cranial rhythm, will kinesthetically be at an advantage in palpating fascial tissue and be able to relate restrictions to the effects on the cranial system.

One may look at fascial and cranial work as being yin and yang. The craniosacral system as being a tiny delicate system embedded in a larger fascial system — both are mutually dependant on each other for balance of the whole. Thus if one system is effected then this will disturb the other.

It is important to treat the craniosacral system and its environment, the extradural fascia.

These comments have been modified from the John Barnes publication "Myofascial Release -the seach for exellence"

Please refer to the John Barnes website under links for more information and articles form this Master Practioner. We recommend all John Barnes"s publications as being the best source of information on this subject.

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