Condition  ·  Scars & Surgery

Adhesions

How Myofascial Release addresses it, and what to expect.

Adhesions are fibrous bands of scar tissue that form between tissues and organs, often as a result of injury, inflammation, or surgery. These bands can cause tissues that are normally separate to become attached to each other. Adhesions can form in various parts of the body, including the abdominal cavity, pelvic area, and around joints.

Why fascia is involved

Adhesions are fascia that has glued itself together.

Healthy fascia lets organs, muscles and nerves slide past each other. After surgery, infection, inflammation or injury, the body lays down scar tissue quickly and without organization, and those fibrous bands can bind structures that are meant to move independently. Adhesions in the abdomen and pelvis can cause pain, bloating, digestive problems and fertility issues; around joints they limit motion; anywhere they can pull on tissue far from where they formed.

Myofascial Release is one of the few hands-on approaches that works directly on adhesions. Sustained, gentle pressure and stretching of the affected fascia encourages the bound layers to separate and glide again, without cutting or force. Many people find long-standing symptoms ease as the tissue regains its freedom.

MFR Resource

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Every therapist in the Directory is trained in the John F. Barnes Myofascial Release Approach®.