Fascia & Myofascial Release: The Missing Link to Healing

Your pain isn’t random - it’s stuck in your fascia. Understanding how this dynamic network controls movement, tension, and pain is the key to true healing and lasting relief.

Meet the Fascial System

The network that influences and is influenced by every structure, system and cell in the body.

This super network of connective tissue weaves through your entire being in three dimensions, uninterrupted from head to toe. It surrounds, supports, and connects every part of you: muscles, bones, internal organs, the spinal cord, nerves, and even individual cells. This living matrix is in constant communication with the rest of your body - responding and adapting to your movement, stress levels, injuries, and daily demands.

When fascia is healthy, it glides effortlessly, allowing for ease, flexibility, and full-body support.
When it becomes restricted, it can impact everything - from posture to pain to performance.

Fascial Restrictions & Dysfunction

When fascia loses its fluidity - becoming shortened, dehydrated, or solidified - it can exert extreme pressure on the body. In fact, fascial restrictions can create up to 2,000 pounds per square inch of tensile force, tightening around muscles, nerves, bones, and organs like a straitjacket.

Despite its central role in movement, stability, and pain, fascia is still often overlooked - largely because it doesn’t show up on standard imaging like MRIs, CT scans, or X-rays. Which means the full story behind your pain may be hiding in plain sight.

Dr. Jean-Claude Guimberteau’s groundbreaking work, Strolling Under the Skin, reveals fascia as a continuous, living matrix—highly elastic and constantly adapting. His high-magnification imaging transformed our outdated view of fascia as rigid layers, showing instead a dynamic system vital to movement, flexibility, and health.

This modern understanding explains why lasting relief requires an approach that works with fascia, not against it.

What the Fascia?!

Chronic pain - especially in the back, neck, and shoulders - has become a modern-day epidemic. And more often than not, it’s rooted in the fascial system.

Fascia can become restricted by scar tissue (from injury or surgery), chronic stress, poor posture, and repetitive movements - like prolonged sitting or long commutes. Acute trauma, such as falls or car accidents, can also shock the system into long-term protective holding patterns.

While acute inflammation helps the body heal, chronic low-grade inflammation - fueled by high stress, poor sleep, processed foods, overtraining, under-recovery, and the pressure to “power through” - causes fascia to thicken, stiffen, and lose its natural glide.

In today’s fast-paced world, where productivity often takes priority over rest, the need for self-care creeps in slowly, going unnoticed until it feels impossible to ignore, leaving many people trapped in a cycle of stress and inflammation.

Quick fixes and symptom-masking don’t solve the problem - they reinforce it.
Over time, the body’s resilience wears down, and the fascial system stays locked in dysfunction.

This Is Where Myofascial Release Comes In

We treat the system, not just the symptom.

Myofascial Release (JFB-MFR®) is a safe, gentle, and consistently effective hands-on therapy that works by applying sustained pressure into fascial restrictions to reduce pain, restore motion, and support whole-body healing.

Your pain - the symptom - isn’t the problem. It’s the messenger. Like an alarm, it signals that something deeper in your system is out of balance. Rather than just silencing the alarm with temporary fixes, Myofascial Release helps you address the root cause of restriction, allowing your body to return to its natural state of ease and function.

Fascia does not respond to force - it responds to presence, patience, and time.

This is because fascia is a viscoelastic medium, and requires gentle, sustained pressure (a low load) to begin to soften and elongate. This essential “time element” is supported by the piezoelectric phenomenon, where mechanical input - applied slowly - creates vibrational and cellular responses that facilitate deep release.

JFB-MFR techniques are performed very slowly - often held for 5 to 7 minutes or longer - as the therapist follows the release three-dimensionally through the fascial web. The fascial system does not let go all at once; it releases layer by layer.

With no forcing, no pushing, and no rushing, the body is able to respond naturally - freeing tension at the structural, emotional, and energetic level.

The JFB-MFR® Triad: How Your Body Begins to Let Go

Rooted in respect for your body’s wisdom, these three pillars are what set JFB-MFR® apart. They allow your body to begin letting go - naturally, gently, and from within..
We work with your body - not on it

Structural Release
This is often where we begin - applying gentle, sustained pressure to help restricted fascia soften and open. As the layers release, tension melts, mobility improves, and the body begins to feel less braced and more at ease.

Unwinding
At times, your body may begin to move on its own - through small, spontaneous, and involuntary shifts or stretches. This is a subconscious response where the body processes and releases long-held tension, stress, or emotion by moving into positions in space connected to past experiences or pain - guided by your body’s innate wisdom.

Rebounding
A gentle, rhythmic technique that reintroduces wave-like motion into the system. This fluid, oscillatory movement helps rebalance the nervous system, encourage tissue hydration, and restore a felt sense of connection, ease, and vitality.

Your body knows how to heal. Let’s help it get there.

Why Myofascial Release Works: A Scientific Breakdown

This isn’t woo-woo. It’s physiology.

Myofascial Release (MFR) using the John F. Barnes’ Approach® is a science-backed method that engages your body’s innate intelligence to heal at the structural and cellular level.

Below is a breakdown of the physiological and energetic responses that unfold as gentle, sustained pressure is applied. This is why MFR feels different - and why it delivers lasting results.

JFB-MFR®: Treating 100% of the Fascial System’s Extracellular Matrix

1. Elastic & Muscular Release (20%)

At first, you may feel a softening or subtle melting - this is the elastic and muscular component of fascia responding to gentle input.

  • Elastic fibers are thin and flexible, allowing tissues to stretch and recoil.

  • This layer only makes up about 20% of the fascial system. Most traditional therapies stop here, which is why their relief often fades.

To create lasting change, JFB-MFR® Goes All the Way - into the deeper, collagen-rich layer of the fascial system.

2. Collagenous Barrier & Ground Substance (80%)

As sustained pressure continues, a distinct “dead halt” is often felt - this is the collagenous barrier, which makes up the deeper 80% of the fascial system.

Here, collagen fibers provide rigid structural support, surrounded by ground substance - a gel-like medium that fills the space between fibers and cells. When inflamed or dehydrated, it becomes sticky and dense, restricting movement and cellular flow.

Within this matrix are:
• Hyaluronic Acid (HA) – for lubrication
• Structured Water (H₃O₂) – to support energy flow and signaling

This layer doesn’t respond to force. It takes 90-120 seconds to even begin to engage the collagenous component, then another 3-5+ minutes for a deeper release to produce results that are profound and lasting.

🔍 What Happens Within the 80% - the JFB MFR® Difference

Piezoelectricity – Unlocking Vibrational Energy (After 3–5 Minutes)

Fascia behaves like a liquid crystal. When stretched or compressed, it generates subtle electrical signals - a process known as piezoelectricity.

These signals ripple through the extracellular matrix (ECM), awakening dormant cellular communication and preparing the tissue for change. This is the first energetic shift that sets deeper healing in motion.

Mechanotransduction – Biochemical Messaging Begins (At 5+ Minutes)

As gentle pressure is sustained, mechanical force becomes biological signal. The fascia's ECM delivers vibrational input directly to cell receptors, triggering the release of powerful chemical messengers called interleukins, including:

  • IL-8 – the body’s natural anti-inflammatory

  • IL-3 – stimulates white blood cell formation to support immune response and mind-body regulation

  • IL-1β – enhances vasodilation for improved circulation, tissue recovery, and authentic healing

This is how healing begins - not from the outside in, but from the inside out.

Phase Transition – Like Ice Melting Into Water

Injuries, surgeries, or unresolved inflammation cause the ground substance of the fascia to solidify - creating crushing pressure on pain-sensitive structures and blocking essential flow to and from the cells.

With time and sustained input, the biochemical and energetic effects accumulate, and the fascia undergoes a phase transition:
What was rigid becomes pliable. What was stuck begins to move.

This releases deep restrictions, decompresses nerves and organs, restores alignment, and reopens the pathways for hydration and nutrient exchange.

H₃O₂ – Structured Water & The Living Matrix

Within the ground substance lives structured water (H₃O₂) - a gel-like, liquid crystalline form of water discovered by Dr. Gerald Pollack.

This fourth phase of water stores energy, transmits information, and is essential to the fascia’s role as the body’s internal communication highway.

As the fascia rehydrates and reorganizes:

  • The ECM acts like a fiberoptic network for cellular signaling

  • Mitochondria function more efficiently

  • Your body becomes more capable of coordinating, repairing, and regulating itself - from the cellular level up

Resonance – The Moment of True Release

As pressure is sustained and presence is maintained at the barrier, the vibrational frequencies of the tissue and the therapist’s hands begin to match.

This creates resonance - a state of deep alignment where trapped energy is released, the tissue rehydrates, and the fascia begins to glide.

This cannot be forced. It happens only through slow, intentional connection.

This is the signature of the John F. Barnes Myofascial Release Approach® - and why the results are so profound, lasting, and unlike anything else.

What This Means for You

Your body isn’t passive on the table - it’s reorganizing itself through mechanical, electrical, biochemical, and energetic pathways.

Myofascial Release doesn’t chase symptoms. It works at the level of your biology, fascia, and frequency - to restore long-lost function, flow, and freedom.

That’s why results ripple outward - enhancing mobility, energy, digestion, focus, and more.

It’s not magic.
It’s your body’s intelligence - liberated.

“Myofascial Release is not alternative healing, it’s authentic healing. The wisdom of viewing and treating the whole person (fascia), not just a symptom allows us to be humane, intelligent and consistently effective.”

— John F. Barnes

🔎 Video: Feel the pain. Look elsewhere for the cause.

This short video reveals recent scientific discoveries that highlight its critical role in mobility, pain, and healing.

Studies show that after three minutes of sustained pressure, fascial tissue produces interleukins, crystalline proteins that activate the body's anti-inflammatory response. However, excessive force can reduce this effect. This is why the Barnes Approach® never forces the tissue but instead applies moderate, sustained pressure until the fascia naturally releases.

🔎 Video: The Science Behind Myofascial Release

🔎 JFB Myofascial Release (MFR) therapist Sally Morris demonstrates how restrictions in the fascial system can limit mobility and create pain - often in areas far from the original source. Injury, repetitive movements, surgery, or inflammation can cause the fascia to tighten and harden over time. These restrictions may not show up right away; symptoms can appear months or even years later, making the root cause feel mysterious or unrelated.

Tensegrity: The Body’s Balance of Tension and Structure – How Restrictions Disrupt and Cause Pain

Fascial restrictions don’t stay isolated - they spread along tension pathways, pulling the body out of alignment like a snag in a sweater. This interconnected nature is best understood through tensegrity, a principle that explains how the body's structure depends on a delicate balance of tension and compression.

In this model, the skeleton doesn’t passively support the body; instead, its position is determined by the tensional forces generated by fascia, the tone and contractility of muscles, and the hydrostatic pressure within fascial compartments. Bones act as rigid beams, while fascia and muscles function as dynamic “guy wires” that maintain structural integrity. When fascial restrictions develop, this balance is disrupted, leading to misalignment, compensatory patterns, and dysfunction - often causing symptoms far from the actual restriction.

Example of Tensegrity in Action - Fascia Man (Left):

“Fascia Man” illustrates how interconnected the body truly is. A client may come in with neck pain, and at first glance, we might notice elevated shoulders and tight neck muscles, thinking we've found the issue. Traditional methods might focus on muscle stretches, heat , or stretching & strengthening - but without awareness and treatment of the deeper fascial restrictions pulling from the pelvis, ribs, opposite shoulder, or leg, symptoms are likely to return.

By understanding how the entire body system works together and treating the true source of tension, we create long-lasting relief, injury prevention, and profound structural change - not just temporary symptom management.

“The part can never be well unless the whole is well.”

-Plato

How Myofascial Release (MFR) The John F. Barnes Approach® helps common conditions

A snapshot of commonly treated issues

  • Persistent discomfort that lasts beyond the normal healing period following an injury.

    How Myofascial Release - The John F. Barnes Approach® Helps:

    Reduces fascial restrictions throughout the body, including areas affected by past injuries, to relieve pain and restore natural movement.

  • Myofascial Release (MFR) Address restrictions throughout the entire spine. By working three-dimensionally on both the front and back of the body, along with the pelvis—considered the spine’s foundation—MFR helps relieves tightness and restores movement by reducing the pressure caused by restricted connective tissues. This helps improve function, ease discomfort, and promote long-term healing.

  • Neck pain can range from constant to intermittent discomfort in the cervical spine. It may stay localized or radiate into the head, arms, or other areas, leading to numbness, weakness, muscle spasms, and reduced mobility.

    How Myofascial Release (MFR) - The John F. Barnes Approach® can help:

    Relieves compression caused by fascial restrictions, reducing pressure on pain-sensitive structures in the cervical spine and surrounding areas. This helps restore function and alleviate pain

  • Sciatica is characterized by pain in the lower back that may include numbness or tingling radiating down the back of the thigh, calf, or entire leg. It often results from nerve compression or disc issues, commonly caused by accumulated tightness, muscle spasms, repetitive bending, heavy lifting, or direct trauma.

    How Myofascial Release (MFR) - The John F. Barnes Approach® can help:

    Reduces tightness and spasms in the tissues surrounding the lower back and spine. By relieving nerve compression and restoring proper postural alignment, MFR helps eliminate symptoms and improve mobility.

  • Hips:

    By gently stretching and releasing these restrictions, MFR improves the mobility of the hip joint, reduces tension in surrounding muscles, and restores optimal alignment, which can significantly alleviate pain and improve overall function in the hip.

    Pelvis:

    Myofascial Release targets and relieves tension in the fascia surrounding the pelvic and abdominal areas, helping to restore balance, improve movement, and reduce pain.

  • Head pain often accompanied by nausea, dizziness, and neck discomfort. They can result from misaligned bones in the head and neck, trauma, stress, poor posture, or tight fascial tissues surrounding the brain and spinal cord.

    How Myofascial Release (MFR) The John F. Barnes Approach® helps:

    Reduces tightness, restores mobility in the tissues surrounding the brain and spinal cord, and improves postural and structural alignment. This alleviates symptoms and helps prevent future headaches and migraines

  • Pain and/or clicking with opening and closing the jaw. Often, TMJ syndrome is associated with painful biting, chewing, grinding of the teeth, and headaches. It can be caused by postural imbalances or direct trauma to the face or jaw. Postural imbalances cause excessive tightness and tension in the jaw.

    How Myofascial Release (MFR) - The John F. Barnes Approach® helps:

    Decreases tightness in the tissues surrounding the jaw and mouth, eliminates pain and grinding, and restores optimal postural alignment to allow the jaw to work properly and smoothly.

  • The result of pressure and compression in joints, leading to inflammation and the breakdown of cartilage, which acts as a cushion between joint surfaces. This condition creates pain, stiffness, and weakness, commonly affecting weight-bearing joints like the hips and knees.

    How Myofascial Release - The John F. Barnes Approach can help?

    MFR helps reduce tightness in the tissues around the joints, relieving pressure and compression. This can alleviate pain, enhance joint mobility, and slow the progression of cartilage degeneration.

  • Occurs when the discs between vertebrae lose hydration, often due to aging or trauma. This loss of shock absorption ability can lead to localized pain or radiating pain into the legs.

    How Myofascial Release - The John F. Barnes Approach can help?

    Reduce tightness and fascial restrictions around the affected discs and vertebrae, helping to prevent further dehydration and alleviate pain.

  • Occurs when the fibrous material in the cushioning tissue between vertebrae distends, often due to trauma, heavy lifting, repetitive movements, or muscle tightness around the spine. This can lead to neck pain, back pain, and/or radiating pain into the arms and legs

    How Myofascial Release - The John F. Barnes Approach can help?

    MFR targets tightness in the surrounding tissues to prevent further herniation and reduce pain and symptoms related to a bulging disc.

  • Scars form as fibrous tissue during the healing process after trauma, surgery, or burns. These scars can cause pain, sensitivity, numbness, tingling, or a dense buildup of tissue in the affected area.

    How Myofascial Release (MFR) - The John F. Barnes Approach can help:

    MFR helps reduce tightness in scar tissue, alleviating pain, restoring normal sensation, and decreasing the thickness of the scar for improved flexibility and function.

Find VerveBody Myofascial Release Therapy in the ♡ of South Austin.

2222 Western Trails Blvd # 204, Austin, TX 78745

Nestled around the corner from Central Market South - VerveBody Myofascial Release therapy is your local physiotherapy and massage alternative for pain and stiffness in the Austin and surrounding hill country areas.

By Appointment Only.

 

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