Shiatsu & Sports Massage with Ruth Lander
 
 
 

FASCIAL RELEASE
SCAR TISSUE WORK

 
 
 
 
 

Fascial release bodywork

 

A gentle yet profoundly deep and effective form of bodywork, for the treatment of chronic injuries, pain and reduced mobility.

Using gentle techniques, the practitioner aims to create a safe environment to facilitate change and support the client to process and reintegrate long held physical restrictions and emotions held within the fascia.

Fascia-informed bodywork is particularly helpful for:

  • chronic pain conditions

  • scar tissue

  • joint pain

  • reducing pain and restriction

  • inflammatory issues

  • people who have tried everything (fascial release can provide a welcome relief from pain and discomfort)

All our life experiences are held in our tissue memory: the good and the bad, all our accidents and injuries, our heartbreaks as well as our joy. And all these are expressed in our posture, our movement, our bodily sensations, our expressions and restrictions.

How it works

A skilled practitioner is able to feel the areas of restriction under their hands and follow the lines of tension to help the tissue release. Some techniques are more direct, but never forceful.

The dense areas start to rehydrate and plump up, the fibres begin to untangle and fluid movement is improved. This not like deep tissue or sports massage, the tissue is not being forced - it’s not a ‘no pain, no gain’ kind of approach. It is more permissive, allowing the body to do what it needs to do to reorganise and heal itself and I believe it is way more effective.

By reducing inflammation and tension in an area, more space is created and the tissue can function better. The blood and lymph can flow more easily, carrying nutrients and removing toxins.

 
 
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Scar tissue work

The gentle techniques of fascial release are really effective at treating scars and scar tissue. The techniques facilitate change in the connective tissue, reducing pain and restoring function. During treatment, the tissue starts to rehydrate and become less compressed. With greater elasticity comes an improved range and quality of movement, along with improved blood flow and better tissue function.

After an accident or surgery the body works quickly to repair the tissue, to keep bacteria out. As a result, the layers of tissue, which were previously smooth and able to glide over each other, can become adhered together and restricted. The repaired tissue can also become ‘glued’ to other structures like bones or organs. These restrictions can lead to pulling sensations, tightness or pain.

Even scars formed many years ago can cause restrictions in later life and can be helped with fascial release techniques.

These scar tissue techniques are effective for adhesions and scars caused by surgery, injury and also from inflammatory conditions including endometriosis, Crohn’s disease and IBS, as well as for scar tissue from radiation therapy.

Adhesions are particularly common in people who have had abdominal surgery, which means that these fascial release techniques are really useful and effective for women who have had hysterectomies and C-sections and for anyone else who has had abdominal surgery.

 
 

What is fascia?

Fascia, also known as connective tissue, is a continuous 3D web-like network that runs throughout the whole body from top to toe. It infuses and surrounds our muscles, our blood vessels, our organs, our bones and even our cells. It gives us our shape, it fills all the ‘gaps’ between structures - it’s the bit that anatomists used to throw away: the gunk in between and surrounding all the good bits, like muscles and organs. The way that scientists view the body has changed over the last twenty years - now fascia is considered to be of huge importance.

  • It’s a communication network and is one of our most important sensory organs, with many more nerve endings and sensors than muscle

  • It maintains our shape and structure and acts as the body’s shock absorber

  • It supports body movement

  • It carries nutrients and transports fluids

After surgery, injury, repetitive movement or inactivity, the ground substance of the fascia becomes dehydrated. It solidifies and the fibres suspended within it become stuck together and compressed. The tissue becomes tough, dense, restricted and painful. The fluid movement within the area becomes affected - lymph and cardiovascular flow is impaired. Because of the interconnectedness of fascia, a restricted area in one part of the body can cause pain or tightness in a seemingly unrelated part of the body.

 
 
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