It might not be a household word, but Myofascial Release is changing lives for many people.
The treatment is a “hands on” technique, providing sustained pressure into myofascial restrictions to eliminate pain, headaches and restore motion. The fascial system (connective tissue) of the body covers everything from bones to organs.
Physical therapy assistant and nationally licensed massage therapist Grant Hoyt, who performs Myofascial Release at several offices including Dolecki Chiropractic in Lake Orion, began working with the treatment in 1997, but has been in physical therapy since 1994.
“I began studying it because of my own injury,” said Hoyt. “I’m my best patient…I’m very active, I do extreme sports. When you do that, you are bound to get hurt. But I believe in exercise and promote that.”
Hoyt discovered the benefits of Myofascial Release himself after being injured in a car accident.
“I had an injury that was immensely painful,” he said. “I couldn’t sleep at night because of the pain.”
Hoyt said he had taken to sleeping with a special unit, called a T.E.N.S. Unit, which worked as a neuro-transmitter and “fooled” his body into relaxing.”
Then Hoyt discovered Myofascial Release, which he studied under founder John Barnes. Hoyt is now a senior assistant instructor with Barnes and also teaches Introduction to Myofascial Release at therapy schools. To advance his knowledge and skills, Hoyt also attends and hosts advanced study groups every month.
“The treatment is applied pressure for a sustained period of time,” he explained. “It’s not just a stretch…it goes very deep.”
Hoyt said everything in the body is covered by fascia, which he said has a potential strength of 2,000 pounds per square inch.
“It goes undiagnosed because no x-ray, no Cat scan…can tell us what the fascia is doing,” he said.
Hoyt, a member of the American Physical Therapy Association as well as the American Bodywork and Massage Professionals, said he works with the Michigan Chiropractic Association and has instructed dentists, orthopedic surgeons and chiropractors on Myofascial Release.
“I have a patient now, Stacy,” Hoyt said. “Her doctor told her they’d have to do a spinal fusion…she’d had bad occurrences with surgeries and wanted to know what I could do.
“With the release and fitness program, the surgery wasn’t a question,” he said. “Her pain level comes and goes, as active as she is…but sometimes surgery isn’t necessary. The thing we’re overlooking is the second largest component in our body, fascia, or connective tissue.”
Hoyt compares the fascia to a “spider web or knitted sweater” covering the body.
“If you snag it, and you see that one spot, is just that spot affected?” he asked. “The answer is no.”
Hoyt said Myofascial Release can also be use to improve balance, and has been practiced on newborn babies to prenatal mothers.
“My oldest patient was 103 years old,” he said. “She had very poor circulation, off balance. I treated her…she went from bed-ridden to walking again.”
Hoyt said some people can even expect to see immediate results. He related the story of one patient who had Myofascial Release performed around her head, and came running back into the office to report that she could see better without her glasses on after the treatment.
“They feel a change, some may refer to it as pain,” Hoyt said. “But I can not hurt anyone…This is not to eliminate people’s medication or chiropractic care…it’s to enhance it.”
Hoyt said people shouldn’t confuse the treatment with a regular massage.
“(With massage) the effects are there but they are short-term,” he said. “Seventy-two hours later, the pain returns. On the other hand, once you’re released, you remain so unless you have an accident or surgery or something.”
Hoyt said the treatment can help people with pain, headaches, all the way to menstrual problems in women.
“Some months you’re fine, other times you’re miserable,” he said. “That’s your fascia…Even with cranial bones, the human skull moves. The fascia goes around all those bones, so eye sight can even be improved.
“I treat the whole body, from head to toe,” said Hoyt. “Symptoms are not ignored, but when we treat it with Myofascial Release… a therapist doesn’t ignore the symptoms, but also looks elsewhere for the cause.”
Hoyt said he had a 79-year-old patient, Marcella, who was referred to him by her doctor.
“She came in, she couldn’t walk well. Her balance was affected, and she had pain continuously. Now I call her my supermodel,” he said. “She’s done everything I’ve asked her to try.”
Hoyt said he emphasizes the importance of exercise with all his patients, such as Irma.
“Irma was in immense pain,” he said. “Through my teaching of the importance of stretching and taking care of the body…she had knee surgery, then became active in Pilates. She wanted to be an instructor.
“She avoided everything her doctor told her in going to standard therapy and instead came to see me,” Hoyt said. “The normal protocol for normal range of motion after knee surgery is 6-8 weeks. We did it in three weeks with Myofascial Release and exercise.”
In addition to his human patients, Hoyt also performs Myofascial Release on horses, dogs and even cats as well.
“I’ve had horses go from not being able to be ridden to riding trails with children,” he said. “I’ve also treated dogs with hip problems.”
Hoyt said the time immediately after an acute injury is the best time to seek Myofascial Release treatment.
“Or when there are chronic injuries,” he said. “Usually it’s the body talking to you, telling you something isn’t flowing, it’s restricted.
“It’s not just a massage, it’s a treatment,” Hoyt stressed. “With Myofascial Release we can enhance everything. I once saw this baby being treated, this baby had extreme colic…this baby was bawling like crazy. I saw it get treated, and after 30 minutes that baby was fed and slept nine hours.”
In addition to the Lake Orion office, Hoyt also works out of an office in Auburn Hills and Sylvan Lake. He was the official therapist for the Detroit Vipers of the International Hockey League from 1999-2000.
For more information about Myofascial Release, contact Hoyt at 1-800-656-2917, or call Dolecki Chiropractic Clinic at 391-1040.