How to Use Myofascial Massage to Treat Sporting Injuries

Myofascial massage is a technique used by therapists to treat sporting injuries, reducing pain and increasing range of motion. Myofascial release differs from other kinds of massage in that it targets the fascia, the membrane surrounding muscles, rather than the muscle itself. Fascia is responsible for body structure and protecting internal organs, and it plays an important role in the process of tissue repair. As a membrane completely encasing every muscle in the body, restrictions in the fascia can have grave effects on range of motion. While other forms of massage can overlook the fascia, myofascial massage focuses specifically on releasing tension in this important membrane.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Determine If Myofascial Massage Can Help Your Sporting Injuries

1. Diagnose your sporting injury with a physical therapist or sports therapist. Find out whether you can use myofascial massage to treat your type of sporting injury and what you can do to prevent similar injuries in the future.

2. Treat injuries resulting in restriction to the fascia using myofascial massage. Trauma and overuse from athletics can cause just such a restriction. In addition, myofascial release is used to treat fibromialgia, myofascial pain syndrome and mechanical dysfunction.

Use Myofascial Massage to Treat Sports Injuries

3. Achieve greater freedom of movement for the muscle encased in the fascia being massaged. The procedure uses a slow, sustained stretch and gentle pressure to stretch the elastin in your fascia, breaking abnormal collagenous restrictions. This makes it an ideal way to treat sports injuries.

4. Expect to receive one or more of the three components of myofascial massage: tissue gliding, tissue rolling and compression release.

5. Receive tissue gliding, in which a gentle force is applied to the surface of the injured area.

6. Undergo tissue rolling, in which the skin is gently pinched between the therapist's fingers and rolled across your muscle.

7. Allow the therapist to perform compression release, used to target and release tension in very specific areas of fascia.

8. Use an instructional book or DVD to explore myofascial massage further. Try Sean Riehl's "Beginning Myofascial Release" DVD or Barry Jennings' "Myofascial Release: Complete Study Guide," both available at Amazon (see Resources below).

Tips & Warnings

• Myofascial massage, like all types of massage, should not be done on people exhibiting any of the following contraindications: open wounds or bruising, malignancies, sprained ligaments, tumors, damaged nerve vessels or a high temperature.
• Massage and exercise have similar effects on blood sugar levels, so diabetics should be wary in their use of the technique.

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