A daily, consistent practice of effective at home myofascial release self treatment can make all the difference in how your body feels and moves.

And the best part, it doesn’t have to be complicated!

It’s all about creating space for tissues to heal and the body to begin to self correct.

Here are some of my favorite ways to engage in my own at home myofascial release.

The Simplest Self Treatment Happens When Time And Gravity Do The Work

The principles of good at home myofascial release self treatment are simple.

• Quiet your mind
• Place the ball (pillow, craniocradle, foam roller, pillow, thumbby, neuroball, etc) in an area of your body that feels tight, hard, hot, achy, or tender
• Allow your body to soften (relax) and settle over the self treatment tool or support
• Bring your awareness into that area of your body
• Start to use your breath to expand the stuck or tight area, kind of like placing an imaginary straw into that area and expanding it as your breathe in and relaxing it as you breathe out
• Allow any organic movement to happen as tissues change and your body gets space to move better
• Stay with self treatment in any given area for a minimum of 3-5 minutes (longer can be better if it is feeling good and helpful)
• Be mindful of your body’s signals that something is too much – this usually feels like bracing, clenching, fighting internally, or resisting
• Learn to listen to and trust your intuitive sense of what your body needs, only you can know this
• Let it be easy!

Beyond this, allow yourself to be curious about how tissues in your body are changing and what types of movement and activity are becoming easier.

Remember, The Area That Hurts May Not Be The Area That Is Most Restricted

I talk with clients a LOT about treating the body 3 dimensionally and addressing the OPPOSITE side of the places that are achy, sore, or hurting.

What this means is, consider using a ball in the front of the abdomen if your low back is achy.

Consider using a ball on the left side of the body if it is the right side that is hurting.

Consider working with myofascial restrictions and rigidity in the pelvic bones if you are experiencing frequent headaches.

Consider working with the feet if your knees are painful when you go up and down stairs.

Myofascial self treatment is a great opportunity to get curious about the entirety of your body. Not just trying to make the area that is painful stop hurting. In fact, that is an almost guaranteed way to ensure that painful area continues to hurt.

Learn how to identify areas of myofascial restriction

Tools Can Be Helpful For At Home Myofascial Release Self Treatment

There are some great myofascial self treatment tools on the market. And there are a lot of gimmicky ones promising a quick fix.

Here’s the thing.

When it comes to resolving myofascial restrictions and creating space in the body for self correction and healing, it is essential to work with what your body will allow. Without forcing. Without bracing.

What that means is, the tool is not the thing that is going to “fix” anything in your body.

Your consistency, your attention to your body’s responses, your ability to tap into and hone your instinctive, intuitive ability to trust what you feel and know what you need, the way in which you soften and feel . . . these are the things that are going to make the difference.

Not the tool.

But, some can certainly be helpful in the ways they support and engage with thickened and tightened myofascial restrictions.

Remember the key principles of effective myofascial release self treatment. Your body needs to be able to soften (relax) and settle over and into any tool.

And, if it helps, you can always place a towel, pillow, or blanket over a ball, roller, or other tool that is too rigid or hard to initially soften into.

You are limited only by your imagination and trust (or lack of trust) in what you feel your body needs.

Even pillows can become a support for good myofascial release. And if a pillow is too much to soften and settle over, try a small folded blanket, a folded sheet, or a folded towel.

At home myofascial release self treatment is a great opportunity to let go of any beliefs about “more”, “pushing”, “efforting”, and “trying” in order to get results. Those things actually don’t help.

Effective myofascial release, at least as taught by John Barnes, the father of myofascial release, is often about letting go of effort. Letting go of trying. Letting the wisdom of the body be the guide.

Need More Suggestions?

If you are a reader and are looking for a self help book, there are a few great ones that we recommend. We have them here in the office or you can find them online.

Comprehensive Myofascial Self Treatment

Myofascial Release For Women’s Health Self Care

You can also join some guided self treatment sessions here. Just be mindful to use your sense of what you need at any given time, always modifying things such that they feel good and helpful to you.

Myofascial Release Self Treatment For Headaches, Neck Trouble, And TMJ

Undo Slumping and Rounding Forward In Your Neck And Shoulders

And, if you find you need some specialist help, working with a John Barnes trained myofascial expert is one of the fastest and best ways to get personalized self treatment instruction specific to your particular needs.

Give us a call at 801-514-6399 to schedule a FREE consultation or use the form below!