Types of Bodywork:
Myofascial Release: What Is It?
Myofascial release refers to the three layers of fascial tissue located within the body. Animals (and people) have so much fascia in their bodies, that it encompasses the body from the brain to the tips of the toes. If we didn’t have fascia, we’d be nothing but a bag of water. Fascia gives us our shape. It also is important to the health of an animal by providing a transport system between cells, which in turn contributes to the health of the organs.An injury, the traumas of daily life, exercise, performing or any of a number of things can all result in simple restrictions of the fascia. Left untreated, these restrictions build up and result in ill-health. Many people are surprised to discover a decided increase in potential of their equine or canine athlete or companion dog after myofascial work.
Case Studies:
HANNAH: 4 year-old Dalmatian Mix
Hannah, a four year-old Dalmatian mix, was a whirling dervish of activity. To channel her energy in a positive direction, her owner enrolled her in agility training. Hannah took to it with such vigor that she outdid herself, ending up with a minor leg sprain. In a effort to get Hannah to relax enough so that I could work with her, I used a technique where I placed gentle traction on her head and sacrum. This caused her to release the restriction in her body, and with a sigh she laid her head down on the floor, her eyes closed and soon she was snoring softly.PEZ: 13 year-old Appaloosa Mare
Pez was a 13 year-old Appaloosa mare who had suddenly started exhibiting uncharacteristically surly behavior. Her owner was concerned Pez might be in pain. She was checked out and found to be in perfect health. The owner called me out and in my initial evaluation, I discovered that the ligamentum nuchae (cartilaginous material that attaches to the nuchal crest and comprises the poll) were misaligned, creating a restriction in the fascia surrounding the skull. Through manipulating the fascia, the poll was freed to move into alignment. Pez's surly behavior disappeared - apparently it was all due to a horse-sized headache!MAJA: 12 year-old Hanoverian Mare
Maja was a twelve year-old Hanoverian mare who had a tight poll and was unable to execute simple dressage maneuvers. After loosening up her muscles, I pulled out the big guns - a myofascial technique that I use for just this situation. I manipulated the poll and gently coaxed her until she released the restriction. The next time her owner rode her, he found her poll to be flexible once again.DANCER: 5 month-old Thoroughbred
It had been raining non-stop for several days, yet today dawned bright and clear. This was the first opportunity to turn out a group of young colts who had impatiently endured extra time in their stalls. Relishing their new-found freedom, the colts cavorted with abandon. The ground was quite slick, but that didn't dampen their enthusiasm. Dancer was a five month-old Thoroughbred. Running lickety-split down the field, his feet flew out from under him and down he went.Miraculously, aside from a few bruises he was fine. But the muscles in his neck were knotted, and his range of motion was extremely limited. After working out the knots, I worked on improving the range of motion in his neck. It took serveral sessions, but after gently encouraging him to release the "stuck" fascia, we succeeded. Dancer once again had his full range of motion back.