Myofascial Release (MFR)

Body Concepts is excited to offer Myofascial Release!  All of our Physical Therapist have experience with the John Barnes style of myofascial release and use it when applicable in their practice, but Rob Kopitzke is our dedicated MFR practitioner.  Rob comes to his practice with not only over 30 years of physical therapy experience and MFR continuing education units under his belt, he also has personal experience with fascial injuries.  Rob’s wife sustained a full-body fascial injury from an accident and he has witnessed first hand how complex and frustrating a fascial injury can be.  His compassion for people with this type of injury is deep and sincere.

What clients say about Rob

I started coming to Body Concepts to see if myofascial release therapy could give me relief from my excruciating headaches. I had tried massage and chiropractic and they brought little to no relief so I was skeptical about MFR. Boy was I wrong! Rob is able to look at my body and tell me where I hurt…and then he gets to work. The MFR therapy has brought about a significant change for me. Not only do I get relief from the headaches but I also get them less frequently. As I continue with the MFR therapy I am seeing physical changes in my posture as my tightness is being truly relieved. Rob is a genius!

A.Y.

I am very pleased with the services I received from Rob at Body Concepts. Not only is Rob an excellent physical therapist, he is also a gifted practitioner of myofascial release, which he intuitively utilized at key points during the course of my therapy to increase the benefit I received from our sessions and speed my recovery. (Full testimonial located on “Testimonial” page.)

F.B.

What is Fascia?

This video from Real Bodywork is a wonderful explanation of fascia.

Lesson 1. Anatomy of fascia and manual download

What is Myofascial Release?

(From the John Barnes website)

Myofascial Release is a safe and very effective hands-on technique that involves applying gentle sustained pressure into the Myofascial connective tissue restrictions to eliminate pain and restore motion. This essential “time element” has to do with the viscous flow and the piezoelectric phenomenon: a low load (gentle pressure) applied slowly will allow a viscoelastic medium (fascia) to elongate.Trauma, inflammatory responses, and/or surgical procedures create Myofascial restrictions that can produce tensile pressures of approximately 2,000 pounds per square inch on pain sensitive structures that do not show up in many of the standard tests (x-rays, myelograms, CAT scans, electromyography, etc.)The use of Myofascial Release allows us to look at each patient as a unique individual. Our one-on-one therapy sessions are hands-on treatments during which our therapists use a multitude of Myofascial Release techniques and movement therapy. We promote independence through education in proper body mechanics and movement, self treatment instruction, enhancement of strength, improved flexibility, and postural and movement awareness.

Hands-On Treatment

Each Myofascial Release Treatment session is performed directly on skin without oils, creams or machinery. This enables the therapist to accurately detect fascial restrictions and apply the appropriate amount of sustained pressure to facilitate release of the fascia.

Images of Fascia

                              Fascia is filled with fluid, light and information.