FASCIAL NEWS MANAGEMENT

Semiconducting Liquid Crystals

by John F. Barnes, PT

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Mystery Gift !

Somebody sent me this wonderful book called ‘The Extracellular Matrix and Ground Regulation” by Alfred Pischinger, one of Germany’s leading scientists. Dr. Pischinger, a Viennese anatomist, was an MD who was the head of the department of histology and embryology at the Medical Facility of the University of Vienna.

I read this book years ago when the English translation first came out. This represents 30 years of research on the fascial system. I quote a lot of this information in my Myofascial Release seminars.

Dr. Pischinger has stated that cells are not separate entities, which is the traditional way of looking at it, but part of a continuum of the extracellular matrix and the consciousness that flows through it.
 

The extracellular matrix is the collagenous web of fascia that allows the fluid of our body (the ground substance) to hydrate our entire body. Dr. Pischinger found that “disturbances of the matrix regulation can significantly compromise homeostasis efficiency, eventually causing depletion and organ failure. Stated simply, every function in every living body involves the fascial matrix in one way or another. Every cell of the body is nourished via the matrix and all the waste products of cellular metabolism likewise, pass through the ground substance. The matrix is also the terrain in which all immune responses and tissue repair processes take place.”

Dr. James Oschman is a brilliant man and a world-renowned expert in the energetic aspect of the human being and has written a wonderful book I highly recommend called Energy Medicine: The Scientific Basis. As I have been saying in seminars for quite a while now, start paying more attention to the word integrins because you will be hearing more about it in the future. The molecules called integrins are tiny filaments that pass through the cell membrane connecting the extracellular domain with the cytoskeleton and nuclear matrix within the cell.

Dr. Oschman also states that the fascial system is basically a semiconducting liquid crystal.

Dr. Pischinger’s understanding of the extracellular matrix transmits changes to the central nervous system and the brain by extension throughout the whole body. The fascial extracellular matrix is a holographic/fractal non-linear system that is very involved in phase transition.

The founder of osteopathy, Dr. Andrew Still, has many great awarenesses on the fascial system. One of the things Dr. Still said is that all disease emanates from the ground substance of the fascial system.

Hydration is not just water going down our throats, but it becomes hydration when it enters the cell. Also, nutrition is only of value if it is capable of entering the cell. The oxygen also is not getting into the cell, nor is the biochemistry hormones, information and energy necessary for every one of the cells to thrive. Traditional science could not have ignored anything more important !

The meta paradigm of traditional science is terribly flawed and incomplete. They basically view us as just bags of chemical being treating chemically or by surgery. Of course, they think we are just mindless machines. How insulting.

It is time to come out of the dark ages of healthcare and face reality –  the fascial system is the most important system because it is the conduit of our consciousness, that supports and keeps every cell of our bodies alive !

NEW ARTICLE by John F. Barnes, PT

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You and I were taught logical theories that explained how various techniques accomplished their goals. Theories are stories we make up in an attempt to explain phenomena. I graduated from the University of Pennsylvania as a physical therapist in 1960. I am a very logical person and accepted the theories taught in school and in scientific texts as factual. My entire belief system was then violently ripped apart in an instant when I experienced a life-changing injury. I had been a good athlete; sprinted the 100-yard dash in track events, threw the shot put, played football, skied, drove motorcycles, swam and excelled at competitive karate and weightlifting. But after being injured, my strength was tested both mentally and physically.  
 
Let me go back to the trauma that changed my life, my belief systems and radically expanded my mind and view of healing. I was training for an upcoming weight-lifting competition and went to the gym to work out. There was no one else there to help “spot” me. I was doing high repetition squats with more than 300 pounds, and I got to the point where I couldn’t get up from my last repetition. I had been a gymnast when I was younger, so, I decided to do a “back roll” to get out from under the weight, forgetting that when your hands are grasping a bar with more than 300 pounds on it, your hands can’t let go. I crashed on the ground with tremendous force, herniating the disc at L5 and ripping my lumbar ligaments. I laid on the ground stunned and unable to move. 

I felt numb from the waist down. After the numbness and shock subsided, the pain began to run through my body, and my body shook violently. In that horrible instant, the things I loved most—motion and competition—were taken from me!

Life became a struggle. I tried every form of therapy available only to be disappointed with temporary results. No one wanted to get better more than me, but I felt trapped by the pain. I was in worse shape than most of my patients. An orthopedist recommended spinal surgery and fused my L5 area. The surgery helped decrease the intensity of the pain, but I still had constant pain, fatigue and limited motion. 

There was a point when I realized nobody was going to help me but me. I started to lie on my living room floor and treat myself. I found if I put pressure into the areas that hurt or felt hard, it helped to relieve the pain. However, I was still very strong and was trying to “force” my way through the restrictions. Over time, I learned to be gentler and more patient when I treated my tight and painful areas. I learned the problems were not at the “end range” as we were taught. The real problems were in the fascial restrictions that lie before the “end range,” which created symptoms, limitation of “end range” and the resultant pain. 

As I continued to treat myself, I made such a dramatic recovery that I realized I had stumbled onto something very important. I had to share this knowledge with my patients and fellow therapists. I found as I put sustained pressure into the tightness, I started to have strange sensations that went far beyond the origin and insertion of a particular muscle. I eventually realized that the principles I was developing must be releasing the connective tissue, the fascia. It was during this time I also fully realized how vital the mind-body connection is in the healing process. 
 
I hope to share with you the principles I have developed from my own personal experience and gleaned from clients/patients from around the world over decades. We will explore an exciting new paradigm that is emerging and the important concepts of piezoelectricity, fiber optics, mechanotransduction, fluid dynamics, quantum physics, fractal geometry, complexity and chaos theory, and cellular consciousness. 

Health care is undergoing a massive shift, and you and I are the pioneers of an exciting change that will lead to a significantly higher quality of care.

JOIN US IN THE IMPORTANT MYOFASCIAL RELEASE EVOLUTION IN HEALTHCARE !

Sincerely,

John F. Barnes, PT

John F. Barnes, PT, is an international lecturer, author and authority on Myofascial Release. In addition to operating and teaching through his International Myofascial Release Seminars, John is the President of the Myofascial Release Treatment Centers in Sedona, Arizona and Malvern, PA. To date, Myofascial Release Seminars has trained over 100,000 therapists and physicians in his highly successful Myofascial Release Approach. He has published and authored Myofascial Release the Search for Excellence and Healing Ancient Wounds, the Renegade's Wisdom.  

Read John F. Barnes' latest article published in the national publication of Massage Today. 

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Myofascial Release for an Aging Population

An aging population needs health and wellness options that are gentle. For many, myofascial release is a great choice.

Myofascial Release can be helpful at any age level, from right after birth to those in their 90s and beyond. The primary principle of myofascial release is that there is no force, therefore injury to a client is very unlikely.

My perspective of myofascial release is to utilize the body structure as a handle to reach deeply into tissue, and instead of brute force, we use gentle sustained pressure into the restricted area—and we wait. There is a time factor that is very important here. As we wait, there is a biochemical, bioenergetic, hormonal response down to the cellular level.

Myofascial Release for Clients in Hospice

Myofascial release techniques can be extremely helpful for a variety of issues, some of which, like back pain, more regularly occur as we age. The fascial system tightens over the years as we go about our every day lives, falling as kids and carrying too-heavy boxes as we move as adults, for example. So much of the resulting pain and tightness, both from physical exertion and trauma, affects our fascial system.

A lot of therapists that I have trained work in the hospice situation, where people are nearing their end of their lives. They say that it is wonderful in reducing their pain and often times, they are able to cut their medications with a doctor’s approval, even sometimes eliminating it. Even clients in their 90s can experience improvement in their range of motion.

Myofascial release can be done in a bed or even in a wheelchair. Massage therapists can stand behind the client and do what is called a yoke technique to free up the trapezius and shoulder complex. For clients in a wheelchair, massage therapists can reach across from behind and release the pectorals and the abdominal/psoas complex.

Consider, too, having a client lean forward, resting on a pillow on a table in from of them, and performing myofascial release techniques to help release their back, lumbosacral area and quadriceps. Myofascial arm and leg pulls can also be very helpful.

So many therapists that work in a hospice situation report back to me that the fascial system released so many of the past traumas with their clients, helping them to release past memories and pain that many have struggled and suffered with for most of their lives. The fascial system is an electromagnetic field and the structural restrictions that come from holding tension solidified the memories that are no longer available to the conscious mind.

Myofascial Release for Jaw, Neck and Back Pain

A 92-year-old woman was referred to me by her TMJ specialist. She had constant uncontrollable mandibular motion, neck pain and back tightness and stiffness throughout her entire body. We worked with her for a little over a month and she did quite well. She came to me on her last day to thank me and tell me that me and my staff had been wonderful.

She described how she’d been a very active woman all her life and was beginning to get very scared because she was losing her memory and was in so much pain. She said she felt like her mind had cleared and the constant mandibular motion had ceased and her neck and back pain were now gone. She was moving much more fluidly and even said she felt like a 20-year-old again!

The bodies of most older patients have stiffened considerably, their head and neck are pulled forward. So many things can be attributed to old age are actually untreated fascial restrictions. No matter what the age is, myofascial release will do no harm and will help significantly coupled with your level of expertise of massage and bodywork.

Myofascial release can act as a catalyst to greatly enhance your ability in the important work that you are currently doing. It is truly the missing link in health care.

John F. Barnes, PT

Need Continuing Education Credits? 

Look no further. For over 40 years Myofascial Release Seminars has been providing the highest quality “hands-on” seminars attracting therapists of the highest caliber who are dedicated to learning and practicing the techniques that will lead their patients on the road to a pain-free lifestyle. All of the seminars offered focus on releasing the fascia, which is the fibrous connective tissue that spreads throughout the entire body in a three-dimensional web from head to toe without interruption.

The John F. Barnes’ Myofascial Release Approach® has led the way to expanding the awareness and effectiveness of Myofascial Release and has made it one of the most sought after treatments.

- Expand and Energize Your Career
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How does the John F. Barnes’ Myofascial Release Approach® Differ from Other MFR Classes?

Any successful venture will generate imitators. Be cautious since many of these courses only teach what is called the “old form” of Myofascial that is forceful, mechanical, very painful, producing only temporary results. Many of the theories of physical, occupational, massage therapy, and other courses that incorporate Myofascial Release training are based on information that has been obsolete for over 70 years. John F. Barnes’ Myofascial Release® principles were developed from his personal experience with pain.

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The John F. Barnes’ Myofascial Release Approach® is safe, gentle, and produces consistent results in reducing pain, headaches, fibromyalgia symptoms, and increases range of motion and function. We hope that you find the following comments from some of our trained therapists to be helpful in clarifying the uniqueness and importance of our Myofascial Release Approach for your professional development.

What Your Colleagues Are Saying…

I often verbalized frustration over not knowing what to do for pain, especially after being put in charge of a chronic pain program at the hospital I worked in back in 1992! John Barnes’ MFR I was the first MFR class I took, although not the first manual therapy course, as I studied many other approaches in attempt to learn techniques and “tools” to help my patients. I soon learned that John's classes were vastly different than others because I was producing amazing results.

John's way of teaching, while presenting the science behind the work, is unique in practically every aspect, even I recognized this from the beginning. The seminars are orchestrated to facilitate learning regardless of where you are in your hands-on training and palpatory skills. The pressures used with guidance, the postural assessments, feedback on technique received, time frame held, physics lesson reminders, listening skills presented, sensory information encouraged are so important to the end result. I have learned as much about what I need to learn to help facilitate change in my patients as I have about specifics, and this is long term knowledge.

No other approach I have encountered provides the results, and I have a successful, word of mouth, PT practice built on the principles I continue to learn from John's seminars (with gratitude.) Dianne, PT, RMT, Texas

I have studied with John since 1994, as others have said “thumbs of steel” is old school. John teaches a full spectrum approach that encompasses structural work to purely energetic. John teaches us we can only take our patients/clients as far as we are willing to go ourselves. John's students are able to apply the techniques immediately upon returning to their clinic. Peter, MSPT, New York.

John Barnes style MFR has completely changed the way I treat in my clinic. The seminars are like nothing you ever got in PT school. I have always had a strong interest in manual therapy, and took electives in school, but I rarely use any of that “knowledge” in treatments anymore. I am busier than ever, and in the middle of the most severe economic down turn this country has seen in a generation.

Are the seminars worth it? You bet! Every penny, and then some. The best part is that repeats are half price. Why would I need to repeat any seminar? Because there is so much in every seminar and I was so busy trying to absorb and process as much as I could, that I missed things, or misremembered, or just needed a brush up. And, you get three days (or more) of treatment! I do realize that I am extremely biased on this topic, as I have taken almost every seminar JFB offers, some several times. As John likes to say in MFR 1, don't believe a thing I have said until you experience it for yourself. Get treated, take a seminar, jump in with both feet and find out what we are all talking about; you won't regret it! J. Christopher, PT, DPT, Pennsylvania

I'm an Occupational Therapist and would like to encourage any OT's out there reading this to take John's courses. I practiced for over 30 years before beginning my MFR journey, and have since completed nearly all courses and repeated some. I have left all my old OT techniques behind and now do only John's version of MFR with incredible results. The best part is that their healing has been at a much faster pace and with little or no pain. I've seen their lives become richer as they heal emotionally and spiritually, as well as physically because of John's holistic approach. An example of how truly remarkable this work is, is that a traditional PT sent me, an OT, her knee patient because I could get more range and function from that leg than she could! I have paid for all courses out of my own pocket, and think it would have been a bargain at twice the price. There are no words to describe how MFR performed using John's methods changes your patients' and your life, and ripples out to all those in your life's circle. MFR saved my knee which would have been replaced, removed many physical pains and restrictions, and has allowed me, at 67, to live a non-stop, active life filled with energy, joy and love. I don't know of another manual therapy approach that can make such claims. Marilyn, OT, Illinois

I was the “queen of deep tissue massage”. Steel thumbs, knuckles, elbows. It was so hard on me, and on my clients. Yet, this old form of Myofascial work, which is really soft tissue mobilization, cannot compare with JFB MFR. This is true, long lasting “release” of the tissue, body, self. And as mentioned, often so gentle, patient sustained holding, following the tissue as it begins to soften and stretch. Not forcing. Whole body perspective, as everything is connected. As you've seen, MFR is a generic term, and often is just another way to say soft tissue mobilization. JFB MFR engages with the core of fascia, and catalyzes change in the collagenous layer and ground substance. Real change. Experience the difference yourself - get treated by an experienced Barnes’ Myofascial Release® therapist! That's the best way to begin feeling the difference. Eileen RN, MRT, CMT, Indiana

List of Current Research

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1. Catherine Justice, Marlysa B Sullivan, Cheryl B Van Demark, Carol M Davis, Matt Erb, Guiding Principles for the Practice of Integrative Physical Therapy, Physical Therapy, Volume 103, Issue 12, December 2023, pzad138, https://doi.org/10.1093/ptj/pzad138
2. Colin Armstrong. Unity, Continuity, Structure, and Function. The Ongoing Search for a Deeper Understanding of the Many Roles Attributed to Fascia in the Living Human Body - An Osteopathic Perspective. August 31, 2021. OBM Integrative and Complementary Medicine 2021, Volume 6, Issue 3, doi:10.21926/obm.icm.2103026
3. Fábio F. Stieven, Giovanni E. Ferreira, Francisco X. de Araújo, Rodrigo F. Angellos, Marcelo F. Silva, Luis Henrique T. da Rosa. Immediate Effects of Dry Needling and Myofascial Release on Local and Widespread Pressure Pain Threshold in Individuals With Active Upper Trapezius Trigger Points: A Randomized Clinical Trial, Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics. Volume 44, Issue 2. 2021.Pages 95-102.ISSN 0161-4754. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmpt.2020.07.003.
4. Marcos Roberto Queiroga, Luana Santos Lima, Lucas Eduardo Campos de Oliveira, Daniel Zanardini Fernandes, Vinícius Müller Reis Weber, Sandra Aires Ferreira, Natã Gomes de Lima Stavinski, Edgar Ramos Vieira. Effect of myofascial release on lower limb range of motion, sit and reach and horizontal jump distance in male university students. Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies. Volume 25. 2021. Pages 140-145. ISSN 1360-8592. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbmt.2020.10.013.
5. Mohsen Mohamed Elsayyad, Nabil Mahmoud Abdel-Aal, Mohamed Elsayed Helal. Effect of Adding Neural Mobilization Versus Myofascial Release to Stabilization Exercises after Lumbar Spine Fusion: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Volume 102, Issue 2. 2021. Pages 251-260. ISSN 0003-9993. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apmr.2020.07.009.
6. Jantos M. (2021) A Myofascial Perspective on Chronic Urogenital Pain in Women. In: Santoro G.A., Wieczorek A.P., Sultan A.H. (eds) Pelvic Floor Disorders. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-40862-6_75.
7. University of Bern. "Controlling adhesions in the abdomen." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 5 March 2021. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/03/210305113515.htm>.
8. Crowle, Anna PT1; Harley, Clare PhD2 Biotensegrity Focused Therapy for Pelvic Organ Prolapse: A Nonrandomized Prospective Clinical Case Series, Journal of Women's Health Physical Therapy: July/September 2021 - Volume 45 - Issue 3 - p 135-142 doi: 10.1097/JWH.0000000000000210
9. Dr. Uzair Tamboli and Dr. Chandrakant Patil. Effect of myofascial release with lower limb strengthening on plantar fasciitis. International Journal of Physical Education, Sports and Health 2021; 8(1): 27-31.
10. Mina Mavajian, Zahra Fakhari, Soofia Naghdi, Hossein Bagheri, Shohreh Jalaie. A pilot study on the short-term effects of myofascial release and core stability exercises on balance in chronic low back pain. Volume 29 issue (2). https://doi.org/10.18502/avr.v29i2.2792.  2020-05-05
11. Ayla Fil Balkan, Hilal Keklicek, Yeliz Salci, Umut Altinkaynak and Kadriye Armutlu. Comparing the acute effect of myofascial release techniques and passive stretching on hind foot dynamic loading in patients with multiple sclerosis: A cohort-blinded study. https://doi.org/10.2478/bhk-2020-0007. Feb 2020.
12. Maetzler, Rueschera, Punzenberger, Wang, Abboud. Progressive rehabilitation of the sprained ankle: A novel treatment method. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foot.2019.09.007. Volume 43. 2020.
13. Aggarwal Amita, Gadekar Jayshri, Kakodkar Pradnya. Role of myofascial release technique on mobility and function in temporomandibular joint disorder patients with neck pain. Volume:  7 | Issue Number:  5 | Page: 84-87. 2020.
14. Ilona Gracie De Souza1, Pavan Kumar G. Effect of Releasing Myofascial Chain in Patients with Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome - A Randomized Clinical Trial. http://dx.doi.org/10.31782/IJCRR.2020.12082. Vol 12 • Issue 08 • April 2020.
15. Sakabe, F., Mazer, D., Cia, J., Sakabe, D., & Bortolazzo, G. (2020). Effects of myofascial techniques on pain, mobility and function in patients with low back pain: a double-blind, controlled and randomized trial. Manual Therapy, Posturology & Rehabilitation Journal, 18, 1-6. https://doi.org/10.17784/mtprehabjournal.2020.18.769 . 2020.
16. Gayatri Sunil Landge, Dr. Amrutkuvar Rayjade. Effect of Myofascial Release as an Adjunct with Conventional Therapy on Range Of Motion and Pain in Post Traumatic Knee Stiffness. ijlpr 2020; doi 10.22376/ijpbs/lpr.2021.11.1.L23-28
17. Suharto Suharto, Suriani Suriani. APPLICATION OF ISCHEMIC COMPRESSION TECHNIQUE AND MYOFASCIAL RELEASE TECHNIQUE IN LUMBAL SPONDYLOSIS PATIENTS IN RATULANGI MAKASSAR MEDICAL CENTER. Vol 15, No 2 (2020)
18. Badillo, S.A. Evidence-Based Women’s Health Physical Therapy Across the Lifespan. Curr Phys Med Rehabil Rep 8, 260–267 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40141-020-00273-5
19. Julio Zago, Fellipe Amatuzzi, Tatiana Rondinel, João Paulo Matheus. Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment Versus Exercise Program in Runners With Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome: A Randomized Controlled Trial in Journal of Sport Rehabilitation. Journal of Sport Rehabilitation. In Print: Volume 30: Issue 4. Page Range: 609–618. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1123/jsr.2020-0108. Dec 2020
20. Hyung chun Nam, Jae yong Choi, Nam jeong Cho. The Effect That the Application of Myofascial Release Has on Neck Pain of Adults and Joint Range of Motion. Vol.15 No.2 (2019.12. pp.117-126. https://www.earticle.net/Article/A368656
21. Journal of International Academy of Physical Therapy Research. p.1897 ~ 1902. Effects of Myofascial Release and Posture Correction Exercise on the Neck Movement and the Quality of Sleep in Patients with Chronic Tension-Type Headaches. DOI : 10.20540/JIAPTR.2019.10.4.1897. (2019)
22. Prasad Kharwandikar, Dr. Mahendra Shende. Effectiveness of sub-occipital myofascial release and cervical manipulation in patients with cervicogenic headache. International J. of Healthcare and Biomedical Research, Volume: 07, Issue: 04, July 2019, 25 – 32.
23. Dong-woo Lee, Hwa-kyung Shin. Dynamic Myofascial Release on Postural balance in Patients With Chronic Low Back Pain. pp.28-29. 2019
24. Martínez-Hurtado, I., Arguisuelas, M.D., Almela-Notari, P. et al. Effects of diaphragmatic myofascial release on gastroesophageal reflux disease: a preliminary randomized controlled trial. Sci Rep 9, 7273 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-43799-y
25. Fabiana Pinheiro da Silva, Géssica Maria Moreira, Kamilla Zomkowski, Marcos Amaral de Noronha, Fabiana Flores Sperandio, Manual Therapy as Treatment for Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain in Female Breast Cancer Survivors: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis, Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, Volume 42, Issue 7, 2019, Pages 503-513, ISSN 0161-4754, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmpt.2018.12.007.
26. Birte J. Wolff, Cara J. Joyce, Lindsey A. McAlarnen, Cynthia A. Brincat, Elizabeth R. Mueller, Colleen M. Fitzgerald. Consideration of pelvic floor myofascial release for overactive bladder. MYOFASCIAL PAIN AND TREATMENT| VOLUME 24, ISSUE 2, P144-150, DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbmt.2019.10.018
27. Ghaderi, F., Bastani, P., Hajebrahimi, S. et al. Pelvic floor rehabilitation in the treatment of women with dyspareunia: a randomized controlled clinical trial. Int Urogynecol J 30, 1849–1855 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00192-019-04019-3
28. Renata Schvartzman, Luiza Schvartzman, Charles Francisco Ferreira, Janete Vettorazzi, Adriane Bertotto & Maria Celeste Osório Wender (2019) Physical Therapy Intervention for Women With Dyspareunia: A Randomized Clinical Trial, Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy, 45:5, 378-394, DOI: 10.1080/0092623X.2018.1549631
29. Hong MK, Ding DC. Current Treatments for Female Pelvic Floor Dysfunctions. Gynecol Minim Invasive Ther. 2019;8(4):143-148. Published 2019 Oct 24. doi:10.4103/GMIT.GMIT_7_19
30. Wolff, B.J., Joyce, C.J., Brincat, C.A., Mueller, E.R. and Fitzgerald, C.M. (2019), Pelvic floor myofascial pain in patients with symptoms of urinary tract infection. Int J Gynecol Obstet, 145: 205-211. https://doi.org/10.1002/ijgo.12784
31. Saori Morino ,Mika Ishihara,Fumiko Umezaki,Hiroko Hatanaka,Mamoru, Yamashita,Tomoki Aoyama. Pelvic alignment changes during the perinatal period. Published: October 10, 2019. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0223776.
32. Melanie R. Meister, Siobhan Sutcliffe, Asante Badu, Chiara Ghetti, Jerry L. Lowder, Pelvic floor myofascial pain severity and pelvic floor disorder symptom bother: is there a correlation? American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology,Volume 221, Issue 3, 2019, Pages 235.e1-235.e15, ISSN 0002-9378, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajog.2019.07.020.
33. Jessica Sieff. Cancer cells thrive in stiff tissue, according to new study. May 04, 2018.
34. Farzaneh Haghighat, Razieh Moradi, Mohammadreza Rezaie, Nastaran Yarahmadi, Farahnaz Ghaffarnejad. Added Value of Diaphragm Myofascial Release on Forward Head Posture and Chest Expansion in Patients With Neck Pain: A Randomized Controlled Trial. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-53279/v1.
35. Bordoni B, Simonelli M. The Awareness of the Fascial System. Cureus. 2018;10(10):e3397. Published 2018 Oct 1. doi:10.7759/cureus.3397
36. L. Berrueta, J. Bergholz, D. Munoz, I. Muskaj, G. J. Badger, A. Shukla, H. J. Kim, J. J. Zhao & H. M. Langevin. Stretching Reduces Tumor Growth in a Mouse Breast Cancer Model. Scientific Reposts (2018) 8:7864. DOI:10.1038/s41598-018-26198-7. May 2018.
37. Fels D., Electromics, The Double-Aspect of Life. Biology. 2018; 7(2):28. https://doi.org/10.3390/biology7020028
38. Swiatek et al. Medical Journal of Cell Biology 2023. Components of the fascia – cells and extracellular matrix. DOI: 10.2478/acb-2023-0002.
39. Pravash Bista, Aaron D. Ratschow, Hans-Jürgen Butt, and Stefan A. L. Weber. The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters 2023 14 (49), 11110-11116. DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.3c02864
40. “Tendon Strength”: Fascia, the Sinew Channels & Internal Martial Arts – Part 3. Aug 31, 2018

Myofascial Release YouTube Channel

The place to find and share our videos on the John F. Barnes’ Myofascial Release Approach!

Enjoy these videos including recorded conversations with John, as well as “Tip of the Day” and various self-treatment and instructional films for technique refinement.

We will be adding new content frequently, so check back often and feel free to share this link with others.

Click on the link below to visit our new Myofascial Release YouTube Channel.

MYOFASCIAL RELEASE (YouTube channel):

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQzQ2H45q9mFHjyBAoWfoxQ

This is a wonderful resource for all and we hope you like it!

MFR Blog

Emotions

Emotion is a Greek word, meaning ‘to move’. It is basically the power that moves and drives our body and physiological processes. Our emotions are also a very powerful and important vibratory communication system.

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Many times, in the beginning of my myofascial release seminars, I run into a therapist who's just petrified of a thought that the patient/client may get emotional and I kind of chuckle and say to them, “What's the big deal? Have you ever heard of anybody being injured by crying? In fact, don't we all feel better and lighter after we cry?”

I highly recommend, ‘Molecules of Emotion: The Science Behind Mind-Body Medicine’, a book by Dr. Candace Pert, whose research developed the endorphin theory. She describes how emotions flow through the body as the neuropeptide system.

We were brought up to believe that we are thinking brains and our role was to conceptualize everything, thinking and talking incessantly, otherwise we would have no value. This is our beloved Channel 5 ??.

In actuality, Channel 3 is our emotional and intuitive being and is a deeper, more important role, for which Channel 5 is a small part of. We are actually feeling minds that perceive the world through feelings and emotions. The neuropeptides run through the microtubules of the fascial system at an enormous speed and as they connect with the thinking brain and this is when authentic healing occurs !

Is it possible that emotions are the energy and language of the universe ?

When we have stifled our emotions, they become buried in the fascial system and instead of being the energy that drives us, keeping us healthy and vibrant, they become a heavy weight that drags us down. This creates a distorted filter, filled with negativity, which clouds our intellectual, conceptual concepts of our beautiful intellect.

Our goal with myofascial release is to help the individual return to a pain-fee, active lifestyle !

To accomplish this, we need to lessen the internal pressure from the restrictions and create an open system that is less viscous and more fluid. This enables our consciousness and the neuropeptides/emotions to flow through unimpeded. The learning that comes on our path of myofascial release is beautiful and never-ending. Enjoy yourself !

Love,

John

A Message from John F. Barnes, PT

Welcome to my website. So many positive things have occurred over the last year and I am so grateful that you are all a part of this encouraging and important time of growth in healthcare.

Therapists that have been trained in the John F. Barnes’ Myofascial Release Approach® consistently and effectively achieve impressive, long lasting results. Patients who are searching for relief for themselves or their loved ones can return to a pain free, active lifestyle!

“Therapy on the Rocks” in Sedona, AZ and my new facility The “Sanctuary” in Malvern, PA (Suburban Philadelphia) are easily accessible and are located in scenic, tranquil settings promoting optimum healing and outstanding results.

Discover

• Articles and text can be found on this site explaining to you the fundamental theory behind Myofascial Release.
• Read success stories from patients who have achieved relief from their traumas.
• Join MFR-Insight, our free discussion group. Gain insights and knowledge from therapists across the country utilizing Myofascial Release in their practices every day.
• Find a Therapist – Numerous result-oriented Myofascial Release therapists throughout the US and Canada can also be found on this site. “Never Give Up!” Experience Myofascial Release first-hand from a highly skilled John F. Barnes’ Myofascial Release® therapist and get the results that you deserve.
• Seminar Directory – Listing of all classes for both the healthcare provider and patient. Our Myofascial Release Seminars continue to be the most sought after courses in the healthcare field. Why?…first-rate, quality seminars for the past 50 years, taught by outstanding teachers. Ultimately, the common sense theory behind Myofascial Release, the highly effective hands-on techniques, and most importantly the results achieved have enabled us to train over 100,000 therapists worldwide.

I wish you much success and health.

Sincerely,

John F. Barnes, PT

The Dynamo of Life ! 
I have been asked by the national publication, Massage Today magazine, to write regular articles on Myofascial Release.

My latest article will be published next month in the September/October issue of Massage Today.

Here are a couple excerpts from the article that you might find interesting:

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• Traditional science has focused on the brain and neurological system as the seat of consciousness. Recent scientific discoveries, however, have found that consciousness is frequencies of light (photons) that travel through the fascial system at enormous speed.
• Quantum Physics tells us that we blink in and out of existence every one trillionth of a second (Picosecond)! Quantum Physics is strange and also fascinating. Traditional therapy chose to look at classical Neutonian Physics while completely ignoring Quantum Physics.
• The revered scientist, Dr. Mae-Wan Ho in her article Super-Conducting Liquid Crystalline Water Aligned with Collagen Fibres in the Fasciae… stated that water is ‘hardly recognized in the conventional biochemical community,” instead her years of research has shown that water is the dynamo of life!
• She states that “the liquid crystalline nature of the fascial system extends without interruption throughout its extracellular matrix to the interior of every single cell.”
• A phenomenon occurs called birefringence at the cellular level which is an optical reflection carrying photons depending upon the polarization and propagation of light. Birefringent crystals are liquid crystals creating electro polarization from head to toe.  So, we are basically two-thirds water, but it is not water as we think of it.
• The liquid crystalline nature of structured water has both the characteristics of solid and fluid and is capable of change. H302 plays an important role for our function at the cellular level where it boosts the power of the electrons of mitochondria, the power house of our cells.

John F. Barnes, PT

John F. Barnes, PT, is an international lecturer, author and authority on Myofascial Release. In addition to operating and teaching through his International Myofascial Release Seminars, John is the President of the Myofascial Release Treatment Centers in Sedona, Arizona and Malvern, PA. To date, Myofascial Release Seminars has trained over 100,000 therapists and physicians in his highly successful Myofascial Release Approach. He has published and authored Myofascial Release the Search for Excellence and Healing Ancient Wounds, the Renegade's Wisdom.  

Read John F. Barnes' latest article published in the national publication of Massage Today. 

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Myofascial Release + Massage Therapy: A Winning Combination

Myofascial release requires a slow, steady pace. When combined with other massage therapy techniques, the result is often longer-lasting, effective results.

By John F. Barnes, PT, LMT                                             

Myofascial release, especially when paired with massage therapy, can be very helpful in keeping your clients pain in check, as well as for general health and well-being. To get the most benefit, however, massage therapists need to pay attention to their pacing and not be afraid of slowing way down.

Stopping Time: Why Slowing Down is Crucial In Myofascial Release Work

Myofascial release never injures because we never use force. In turn, time is a very important factor that can sometimes significantly differ from other massage therapy techniques.

The art of myofascial release uses our feeling of intelligence to find the barrier, and that barrier has a very unique feel, almost like you hit a brick wall. Instead of forcing through the barrier or moving over it, stay there. Use gentle but firm pressure sustained over time, for at least five minutes.

This five-minute period (or longer) is very important. All forms of massage, as great as they are, only release 20% of the fascial system—the elastic and muscular component. Releasing the other 80% of the collagenous barrier is the key for profound and long-lasting results. So, when massage therapy is combined with myofascial release, results can be more effective and last longer.

The Effects of Working Slowly: The Benefits of Sustained Pressure

Somewhere around the five-minute period of pressure, a number of phenomena begin to occur to provide for authentic healing, the first of which is “piezoelectricity,” which is a Greek word for pressure electricity. In other words, our sustained pressure into the barrier begins to create a bioelectrical flow within the system.

Next, our mechanical pressure is converted into biochemical changes that create hormonal effects at the cellular level. This process is called “mechanotransduction.” Research has shown that mechanotransduction produces interleukein-8—our bodies natural anti-inflammatory—as well as interleukin-3 and interleukin-1B, which may help increase circulation and boost immunity.

Eventually, we move into “phase transition,” which is similar to the phenomenon of ice turning into water. This is where the solidified collagenous barrier starts to rehydrate so the tissue can glide again.

Remember the fascial system is a glide system. When we have restrictions, it is like the tissue is glued together, prohibiting proper movement and producing enormous pressure on our pain-sensitive structures.

Finally, we reach the phase called “resonance.” When massage therapists touch another person for a sustained period of time without too much force, the vibratory rates between themselves and their client begin to meld identically, and that’s what we call a release.

The technique I’m about to explain to you can be very good for pelvic pain, menstrual dysfunction and many of the other symptoms that I’ve mentioned earlier in the article.  Myofascial release will not injure you in anyway. The second part of the technique I’m about to show you, with pressure on the belly, should not be done on a pregnant woman.          

Myofascial Release: A Sample Protocol

With myofascial release, you always approach the body slowly without any oil or lotion whatsoever because you don’t want to slide on the surface. So, if you’re combining myofascial release with other massage techniques, you may want to start with myofascial release and finish with massage. The combination can be incredibly effective.

1. To begin, put one hand on the adductor, very close to the bone. Ask for your client’s permission and explain what you’re doing first.
2. Your hand doesn’t grip but, rather, sinks down, in towards the femur, until you feel mild resistance. Your fingers should be soft, like you’re making hand prints in soft clay.
3. Push gently toward the knee very slowly, without sliding. Not sliding is very important. Often, you’ll hit a myofascial barrier.
4. Wait there patiently.
5. Then, use your free hand to push the lower abdomen slowly toward the table. Often, you’ll feel resistance.
6. Then, without sliding, pull the hand up toward the thorax until you feel resistance in that direction.
7. Wait there patiently.
8. Repeat the process with the other leg.

Myofascial release needs repetition because there are often multiple layers that need release. This technique is not meant to replace massage therapy, rather enhance its effects. By moving slow, sinking in and working with patience, we can extend the benefits of our work for our clients.

Dr.Carol Davis, Professor Emerita Department of Physical Therapy, answers the question "How does myofascial release work?" Parts 4 of 4.

Future topics will include applying principles to yoga, movement and life, biotensegrity, and electromagnetic fields!

Thank you Carol M. Davis for answering these questions! Your knowledge, wisdom and insight is so appreciated.

Part 4: http://bit.ly/Carol_Yoga_4

Part 3: http://bit.ly/Carol_yoga_3

Part 2: http://bit.ly/Carol_Yoga_2

Part 1: http://bit.ly/Caro_Yoga_1

Need Continuing Education Credits? 

Look no further. For over 40 years Myofascial Release Seminars has been providing the highest quality “hands-on” seminars attracting therapists of the highest caliber who are dedicated to learning and practicing the techniques that will lead their patients on the road to a pain-free lifestyle. All of the seminars offered focus on releasing the fascia, which is the fibrous connective tissue that spreads throughout the entire body in a three-dimensional web from head to toe without interruption.

The John F. Barnes’ Myofascial Release Approach® has led the way to expanding the awareness and effectiveness of Myofascial Release and has made it one of the most sought after treatments.

- Expand and Energize Your Career
- Fulfill Your Obligatory Licensure Requirements
- Help Your Patients/Clients on Their Journey to Optimum Health

Continuing Education Units (CEU's) Click here for a list of pre-approved courses and state boards.

How does the John F. Barnes’ Myofascial Release Approach® Differ from Other MFR Classes?

Any successful venture will generate imitators. Be cautious since many of these courses only teach what is called the “old form” of Myofascial that is forceful, mechanical, very painful, producing only temporary results. Many of the theories of physical, occupational, massage therapy, and other courses that incorporate Myofascial Release training are based on information that has been obsolete for over 70 years. John F. Barnes’ Myofascial Release® principles were developed from his personal experience with pain.

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The John F. Barnes’ Myofascial Release Approach® is safe, gentle, and produces consistent results in reducing pain, headaches, fibromyalgia symptoms, and increases range of motion and function. We hope that you find the following comments from some of our trained therapists to be helpful in clarifying the uniqueness and importance of our Myofascial Release Approach for your professional development.

What Your Colleagues Are Saying…

I often verbalized frustration over not knowing what to do for pain, especially after being put in charge of a chronic pain program at the hospital I worked in back in 1992! John Barnes’ MFR I was the first MFR class I took, although not the first manual therapy course, as I studied many other approaches in attempt to learn techniques and “tools” to help my patients. I soon learned that John's classes were vastly different than others because I was producing amazing results.

John's way of teaching, while presenting the science behind the work, is unique in practically every aspect, even I recognized this from the beginning. The seminars are orchestrated to facilitate learning regardless of where you are in your hands-on training and palpatory skills. The pressures used with guidance, the postural assessments, feedback on technique received, time frame held, physics lesson reminders, listening skills presented, sensory information encouraged are so important to the end result. I have learned as much about what I need to learn to help facilitate change in my patients as I have about specifics, and this is long term knowledge.

No other approach I have encountered provides the results, and I have a successful, word of mouth, PT practice built on the principles I continue to learn from John's seminars (with gratitude.) Dianne, PT, RMT, Texas

I have studied with John since 1994, as others have said “thumbs of steel” is old school. John teaches a full spectrum approach that encompasses structural work to purely energetic. John teaches us we can only take our patients/clients as far as we are willing to go ourselves. John's students are able to apply the techniques immediately upon returning to their clinic. Peter, MSPT, New York.

John Barnes style MFR has completely changed the way I treat in my clinic. The seminars are like nothing you ever got in PT school. I have always had a strong interest in manual therapy, and took electives in school, but I rarely use any of that “knowledge” in treatments anymore. I am busier than ever, and in the middle of the most severe economic down turn this country has seen in a generation.

Are the seminars worth it? You bet! Every penny, and then some. The best part is that repeats are half price. Why would I need to repeat any seminar? Because there is so much in every seminar and I was so busy trying to absorb and process as much as I could, that I missed things, or misremembered, or just needed a brush up. And, you get three days (or more) of treatment! I do realize that I am extremely biased on this topic, as I have taken almost every seminar JFB offers, some several times. As John likes to say in MFR 1, don't believe a thing I have said until you experience it for yourself. Get treated, take a seminar, jump in with both feet and find out what we are all talking about; you won't regret it! J. Christopher, PT, DPT, Pennsylvania

I'm an Occupational Therapist and would like to encourage any OT's out there reading this to take John's courses. I practiced for over 30 years before beginning my MFR journey, and have since completed nearly all courses and repeated some. I have left all my old OT techniques behind and now do only John's version of MFR with incredible results. The best part is that their healing has been at a much faster pace and with little or no pain. I've seen their lives become richer as they heal emotionally and spiritually, as well as physically because of John's holistic approach. An example of how truly remarkable this work is, is that a traditional PT sent me, an OT, her knee patient because I could get more range and function from that leg than she could! I have paid for all courses out of my own pocket, and think it would have been a bargain at twice the price. There are no words to describe how MFR performed using John's methods changes your patients' and your life, and ripples out to all those in your life's circle. MFR saved my knee which would have been replaced, removed many physical pains and restrictions, and has allowed me, at 67, to live a non-stop, active life filled with energy, joy and love. I don't know of another manual therapy approach that can make such claims. Marilyn, OT, Illinois

I was the “queen of deep tissue massage”. Steel thumbs, knuckles, elbows. It was so hard on me, and on my clients. Yet, this old form of Myofascial work, which is really soft tissue mobilization, cannot compare with JFB MFR. This is true, long lasting “release” of the tissue, body, self. And as mentioned, often so gentle, patient sustained holding, following the tissue as it begins to soften and stretch. Not forcing. Whole body perspective, as everything is connected. As you've seen, MFR is a generic term, and often is just another way to say soft tissue mobilization. JFB MFR engages with the core of fascia, and catalyzes change in the collagenous layer and ground substance. Real change. Experience the difference yourself - get treated by an experienced Barnes’ Myofascial Release® therapist! That's the best way to begin feeling the difference. Eileen RN, MRT, CMT, Indiana