Myofascial massage: principles and benefits. Myofascial facial massage

Stress, overwork, physical and mental stress - constant companions of a person - often cause health problems. According to statistics, 80% of the world's population develop areas of excessive muscle tension in the body, which lead to a number of problems. Spasms are accompanied by severe pain, disruption of blood flow and metabolic processes in tissues, and limitation of motor functions. Fortunately, there is a good way to achieve complete relaxation of the fibers and eliminate painful symptoms.

This is myofascial massage - the latest therapeutic technique that came from America not long ago and has already become popular all over the world. Let's get to know her better.

The word fascia is translated from Latin as “bandage”, “bandage” or “case”. In anatomy, fascia is a dense connective tissue that literally permeates the body, creating a sheath for muscles, enveloping internal organs, bones and nerve fibers. This is an important element of the structure of tendons, ligaments, and joints.

Considered an auxiliary tissue, fascia nevertheless performs important functions:

• Keeps internal structures, muscles, tendons, blood vessels and nerves in a clearly fixed position.
• Actively participate in metabolism.
• Separate organs from each other, limiting anatomical structures.
• Attach muscles to the bones of the skeleton.
• They control muscle volume and prevent their deformation due to their elasticity and stretchability.
• By contracting, they allow you to hold the body in an awkward position.
• They transmit energy impulses, moving muscles and bones.
• Accelerate the flow of blood and lymphatic fluid.
• They protect blood vessels and nerves passing through the thickness of muscle tissue.

Fascia has memory and is able to change its shape with constant repetition of the same movements.

It has been proven that the elasticity of fascial tissues largely depends on the emotional state of a person: internal clamps, stress and tension make these structures rigid, reduce their flexibility, which leads to poor posture and stiffness of movements.

Consequences of dysfunction

For various reasons, the structure and functions of the fascia can be disrupted, causing a lot of problems for a person.

Fascial tissue is often called the “sixth sense organ.” After all, free nerve endings, receptors responsible for pain and movement “sensors” are located here. Any disruption of the functioning of the “peripheral brain” can lead to sad results: we will stop coordinating any movement of the body in space and feel pain, which, as is known, is a signal warning of problems with the body.

The principle of action and results of massage

It is known that fascial tissue is very sensitive and is capable of changing its structure in response to external influences. Therefore, special techniques of deep myofascial massage, during which not the muscles themselves are worked, but the connective tissue membrane surrounding them, will help restore lost functions and relieve a person from pain and discomfort. As a result of this procedure:

The technique of working with fascia allows you to increase the mobility of the spine and joints, corrects the figure, promoting weight loss, relieves inflammatory processes, improves the appearance and condition of the skin. Moreover, this massage directly affects the nervous system, balancing the processes of excitation and inhibition, improving sleep, and improving mood.

It is important to warn the patient that a temporary reaction to exposure may include local redness of the skin, muscle twitching, chills, nausea and increased urination. This is how the body rebuilds itself and reacts to changes caused by the massage therapist’s manipulations.

Fascial massage of different zones

Long-term scientific research has proven that by acting on different areas of fascial tissue, it is possible to eliminate clamps, relieve spasm or muscle tension, relieve pain, even working at some distance from its source, restore or limit the mobility of various structures.

Since fascial tissue literally permeates our entire body, different areas of it are subject to massage:

Back

The impact on this zone is exclusively health-improving in nature and is carried out in order to:

• develop painful trigger points;
• increase spine mobility;
• eliminate muscle spasms;
• release pinched nerve endings;
• improve blood circulation;
• relieve pain syndrome.

The patient is placed on his stomach to perform myofascial diagnosis. It allows you to determine the state of a person’s musculoskeletal system, the range of motion of the spine and joints, and identify existing and sometimes hidden diseases. Using examination and deep palpation, the massage therapist determines tension zones and trigger points, thus outlining an individual plan of action.

A session of myofascial massage begins with, then moves to the shoulders, goes down along the paravertebral lines and ends with working on the lower back and sacral part of the back. At the same time, classical techniques - stroking, rubbing, kneading - are combined with the myofascial technique of the “three Ts”: “tension” (pressure), “torsion” (twisting), “traction” (stretching). The treatment is carried out along the fibers, matching the deep impact with the patient’s breathing.

People who want to look good at any age will be interested in learning about myofascial massage - a method that combines the components of aerobic breathing and short-term load on a specific or several muscles of the face, décolleté, and neck. This modern cosmetic method is an alternative to the surgical “circular lift” procedure.

What is myofascial massage

This is a technique in which the effect occurs on the fascia - the surrounding muscles (sheaths of connective tissue that form cases for muscle tissue). The peculiarity of the method is that with its help you can achieve complete relaxation of one or more muscles that are in a state of spasm (tension, clamping). Superficial fascia is located under a layer of subcutaneous fat, and massage affects them.

The goal of myofascial massage is to get rid of pain syndrome (PS), which is manifested by muscle spasms. Due to excessive stress, tension occurs in the muscles and trigger points (painful lumps) are activated. This process can be stimulated by a muscle bruise or sprain. For athletes, a common reason for activation of triggers is an unsuccessful throw, turn, or jump. Sudden active movements can also have a detrimental effect on unwarmed muscles. However, myofascial massage is also useful for improving muscle efficiency.

Myofascia is a membrane that covers all organs, vessels, and nerves. It forms a “pouch” for the muscles. The main functions of myofascia are supporting and trophic. Myofascial tissue is responsible for pain, muscle dysfunction, and motor activity. By performing a massage, the specialist directly affects the fascia, restoring and making them more flexible. This procedure can improve the movement of blood and lymph in the body.

With his hands, the specialist feels for “clamps” in the muscles, due to which age-related changes occur. Myofascial massage is carried out without the use of special products (oils, creams, etc.), so the procedure is suitable for women with any skin type, including combination and oily. This rejuvenation technique is easily integrated into various cosmetic procedures, greatly enhancing their effectiveness. The basic principles of myofascioplasty are:

• massaging the soft tissues of the head, due to which the folds on the forehead disappear;
• working out the tendon helmet, as a result of which tension in the scalp is relieved;
• lymphatic drainage;
• involuntary modifications of the facial muscles, since the frontal muscle is attached to the skull.

Myofascial massage of the face or other part of the body is aimed at stretching the skin and affecting the deeper connective layers. When performing the technique, the specialist’s hands and the patient’s skin are not covered with anything to prevent slipping. Types of MFC massage:

1. Stretching-relaxation. This technique helps to knead the muscles and deep fascial layers. The method is applicable in the direction of muscle fibers. The specialist performs myofascial massage slowly, concentrating, feeling the resistance of the fibers and their subsequent stretching. When performing massage movements, the work of the hands intersects: when one palm holds the skin, the second moves the epidermis and fascia in the opposite direction until resistance is noticeable. The procedure is repeated until the tissues “relax” and become free. When performing a massage, the master's hands should not rub or slide over the skin of the body.
2. Vertical lift. A technique is used to lift the skin and superficial connective tissue above the subcutaneous layers. During the massage, a certain area of ​​the back, face, or other part of the body is held in a raised position for a couple of seconds, after which it is lowered. To prevent pinching movements, the master’s effort is aimed at lifting.
3. Muscle felting. Relaxed muscle tissue first lifts, moves away, and then pulls back. The transverse movement helps to stretch and then release the fascia.

Efficiency

The fascia is released from stagnation and tension, which allows the muscles to move freely within a small radius. The positive effect of massage is:

• beneficial effects on facial skin;
• smoothing wrinkles on the forehead, nasolabial triangle;
• reduction of the double chin;
• reducing the visibility of wrinkles near the eyes;
• narrowing of pores;
• normalization of facial muscles.

Since any type of MFC massage requires special care and skills from the massage therapist, the specialist must have the appropriate qualifications: without knowledge of the anatomical features of the body, the effectiveness of the procedures will tend to zero. Each type of myofascial massage described in the previous section is aimed at obtaining a specific effect:

1. Stretching-relaxation. The technique is used to eliminate spasms, muscle tension, achieve muscle relaxation, and improve body contour.
2. Vertical lift. Deep tissue massage helps eliminate sagging subcutaneous layers, tones the muscles, skin, and vascular system.
3. Muscle felting. Kneading tissue treatment has a complex effect. The effect of such myofascial massage is noticeable immediately, since after eliminating muscle tension in the neck, head and face, blood circulation is normalized and spasms are relieved.

Indications

In terms of the strength of its effect on the epidermis and the body as a whole, myofascial massage of the face and head is a therapeutic and cosmetic procedure. As a result, the skin becomes elastic, beautiful, toned, soft, but these external changes become possible due to the improvement of the internal. Indications for the procedure are:

• presence of a double chin;
• swelling;
• wide pores;
• tissue fibrosis after plastic surgery;
• the presence of facial or age wrinkles, fat folds;
• laxity of the epidermis;
• low muscle tone.

Contraindications

Before performing myofascial massage, salon specialists are required to familiarize the client with contraindications to the procedure. In the presence of certain diseases or skin conditions, such a deep effect on the tissue leads to an exacerbation of the pathology. Neglecting the rules for performing the MFC procedure can also cause side effects (swelling, facial hyperkeratosis, etc.). Myofascial massage is prohibited for the following health problems and other factors:

• herpes;
• eczema;
• pyoderma;
• rosacea;
• allergic rashes;
• papillomas, moles;
• spider veins;
• infectious diseases;
• scratches, wounds on the skin;
• thinning, fragility of blood vessels;
• carried out a week or less before the salon peeling procedure.

Execution technique

The complexity of myofascial massage necessitates the need to contact an experienced specialist rather than carry out the procedure at home. This will help avoid unpleasant consequences and dangerous complications. The classic technique of performing MFC facial massage is described below, while different salons offer many other variations - plasticizing, original from Tatyana Shubina, using Shia-tsu, etc. Each approach is good in its own way and leads to an improvement in the contour of the face and its rejuvenation. Traditional fascial plastic surgery of the face is performed as follows:

• the client undergoes make-up removal;
• oil or talc is applied to the skin of the face (depending on skin type);
• the surface of the face is kneaded with light movements over the entire area;
• the skin under the chin curls;
• after twisting techniques are carried out in the area near the ears, their back surface is moved back, the ears are massaged using the thumbs;
• The skin of the cheekbones and forehead is stretched.

Price for myofascial massage

Fascial plastic surgery is included in the price list of any major beauty salon in Moscow. At the same time, the cost of one session is quite affordable for people of average income, but the full course can hit the wallet. Thus, in the capital, the price for a one-time visit to a cosmetologist-massage therapist varies between 1300-3500 rubles. The average course consists of 7-8 sessions.

Video

It will be interesting to learn about such a procedure as myofascial facial massage.

This method combines elements of aerobic breathing and short-term endurance exercise of one or more muscle fibers of the face, neck and décolleté.

This technique belongs to one of the varieties of traditional – Shia-Tsu therapy.

Myofascial facial massage is based on working out the tissues that fill the space between the tendons and muscle fibers on the face and neck.

The process is purely individual; for each person, the strength and intensity of pressure is selected after assessing the condition of the skin.

The procedure includes the following mandatory manipulations:

• development of the muscular frame;
• breathing exercises;
• activity of the eyeballs.