Continuous, 3-dimensional, full body system which gives shape and stability. It’s useful to envision a finely woven net that wraps around and infuses every muscle, bone, nerve, blood vessel, and cell of our bodies. This fibrous, fluid filled net has the ability to contract, tighten, and solidify to protect and stabilize our bodies. Invisible on X-rays, MRIs, ultrasound, and scans, the system of fascia is often dismissed, yet it is the culprit for poor posture, chronic pain, headaches, fatigue and unexplained symptoms.

When fascia is tight, it can exert incredible pressures on the bodily structures, similar to  a horse standing on top of us or steel cables tugging and twisting inside of us. While ignoring the pain, taking medications, and receiving other therapies can get us through, there comes a point when symptoms become too intense and persistent to push aside. Dealing with symptoms at the source becomes the pathway to returning to the activities we love and feeling good in our bodies again.

A form of bodywork that exclusively uses gentle pressure from the therapist’s hands (no machines, tools, or oils) effective for lengthening and releasing the fascia of the entire body. This treatment method follows sensations and symptoms the client is experiencing and relies exclusively on therapists’ hands and gravity-assisted positional lengthening. Focused, attuned hands are required to assess, locate, and gently pressurize the web-like fascial system throughout the body to facilitate its’ release. Therefore, every session is different but always reliant on the combination of the client’s feedback and what the therapist is noticing and feeling.

While the roots of manual therapy and myofascial release are ancient, we owe a heap of gratitude to modern day developer of myofascial release treatment, John F Barnes. A weight lifting injury left this elite athlete in pain and struggling to participate in the activities he loved. Unable to help himself as a trained physical therapist, he resorted to surgical back fusion which took the edge off the debilitating pain but suffering continued. Trialing every modality and treatment method available with limited results, John turned inwardly to rely on his intuition. Through treating himself and then his patients he discovered the mysterious system of fascia and how to best treat it to elicit change that lasts. Fast forward more than 50 years, we now have videography of live human fascia thanks to French hand surgeon Dr Jean Guimberteau. In his videography, we see fascia’s intricate network move and morph based on pressures it endures just as John Barnes imagined. We now have science, research, and videography to support what John intuitively discovered and experienced decades ago.

Clients are provided with an invoice which can be self-submitted to insurance providers. Please note, reimbursement is not guaranteed and varies based on the individual’s policy, deductibles, and coverage of therapy services. Payments are due in full at time of service and interactions with insurance companies and attempting to receive reimbursement for services are the sole responsibility of the client.

If receiving sessions from Joni: no prescription or doctor’s referral is required. However, if planning to self-submit invoices for reimbursement, please verify prior to scheduling a session whether or not your insurance company requires a prescription for physical therapy in order to submit a claim to ensure optimal success for reimbursement. If receiving sessions from Roger: no prescription or doctor’s referral is required. If your insurance company reimburses for massage therapy services, you may self-submit your invoice to your insurance company for reimbursement.

Cash, check, debit card, HSA & FSA cards are accepted and incur no service fees. There is a 3% convenience fee applied for all credit card transactions.

Myofascial release can include treatment for all of the body, head-to-toe, front-to-back. Craniosacral therapy focuses touch on the head, spine, sacrum, and tailbone to focus on balancing the craniosacral rhythm. Where does this rhythm come from? The cerebral spinal fluid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord flows and pumps around these structures creating a rhythm that can be felt when touching the skull bones or tailbone, as well as other parts of the body. When this rhythm is unbalanced, it can lead to symptoms of unexplained pain, headaches, migraines, and cognitive issues. Using maximum of 5 grams of pressure (the weight of.a nickel) during this style of body work, the craniosacral rhythm can be brought back into balance and a smooth rhythm can be re-established.
With myofascial release, the connective tissue of the body is the focus knowing that every structure of the body – muscles, bones, nerves, and even every cell is surrounded by fascia. When fascia is restricted and tight, it inhibits not only the craniosacral rhythm but also the rhythm of the cells elsewhere in the body.
Therefore, the whole body is treated during myofascial release sessions.
There is crossover between myofascial release and craniosacral therapy. John Barnes, developer of myofascial release, and John Upledger, developer of craniosacral therapy, had some collaboration back in the 1980’s but had a parting of the ways. Barnes felt the whole body needed to be treated with the rationale that untreated fascial restrictions in other parts of the body beyond skull and spine would disrupt the balanced craniosacral rhythm achieved by the CST therapist as soon as the patient got up off the table and was under more direct influence of gravity. Barnes also felt the body calls for a spectrum of pressure from off the body energy work, to light pressure, medium, and firm pressures. Every restriction in the body needs to be catered to, never forced and not limited to the super light 5 grams of pressure as advocated by Upledger. Both of these men were highly gifted, pioneers in their field, and had the courage to follow their intuition to develop techniques that have revolutionized the bodywork industry and have helped thousands release a myriad of symptoms and heal mind, body & spirit.

Stress and trauma can cause the fascia to tighten and pressurize nerves, bones, muscles, and blood vessels. For example, forces from tumbling down a few steps or whiplash from a minor car accident can ricochet through the body and tighten down the fascial system. The unique patterns in which fascia thickens and tightens in protection can lead to pain at the site of the injury as well as symptoms radiating out to other body areas. Likewise, the internal pressures that build when we need an outlet for stress or carry unresolved emotional traumas can restrict fascia.

Fascia has both a fluid and elastic component. While many therapies and exercises focus on stretching the fascia, releasing it effectively requires a combination of gentle pressure and time. In addition to clinical experience, research demonstrates that complete release of tight, knotty, gristly restrictions require a minimum of 5 minutes of sustained pressure to begin to soften and return to its natural, fluid state. Some restrictions require even longer sustained pressure to capture the full cascade of releases in a particular area. It’s important to note that using strong, forceful pressures causes the body to tense and fascia to lock down into protection. Therapies that push through this natural barrier of protection lead to micro-trauma and persistent return of symptoms.  Likewise, rubbing, massaging, exercising, and quick stretching the area may feel good, but these address only the elastic component of fascia and the tightness springs back. Working with a practitioner trained in eliciting releases utilizing a spectrum of sustained pressures coupled with ample time to achieve full releases leaves those bodily pain sources powerless to remain.

What is the myomunchee?
Developed back in the 1970s for hygiene purposes by Australian dentist, Dr Kevin Bourke, this device quickly started showing benefits far more than just “clean teeth”. Now available in multiple sizes to suit 6 month old babies all the way through to adults, this flexible, silicone device gently surrounds the teeth or gums on all sides, is held in the mouth, and just 10 minutes a day of gentle munching with it offers the following benefits:
For babies and toddlers the myomunchee helps with oral fascial development including symptoms of plagiocephly, soothes teething pains, and helps decrease drooling. Excessive drooling even when teething is an indication of poor oral motor control and can be helped by using the myomunchee. For babies beyond 6 months of age who are still using the pacifier, the myomunchee can help gently transition away from pacifier use.
For young children it can help direct the positioning of teeth and decrease the incidence of ear infections as chewing helps to pump and naturally keep the eustachian tubes clear.
For all ages, encouraging tongue resting posture on the palate, the myomunchee helps with maintaining proper palate width, establishing nose breathing patterns, decreasing snoring and sleep apnea symptoms and recovering from lip and tongue tie surgeries.
All sizes are available at the clinic. Instructional and demo sessions for just the myomunchee are available or learning how to use the myomunchee can also be included in any myofascial release bodywork session.

Myofascial release is bodywork for all parts of the body to help release tension and tightness. Bodywork sessions can include treatment inside tbe mouth to help release symptoms related to TMJ (jaw) pain, high and narrow palates, and lip and tongue ties.
Myofunctional therapy is learning exercises and stretches to strengthen and develop coordination of the mouth, including tongue, lips, and jaw. It’s designed to assist with establishing nose breathing patterns, help prepare for and recover from lip and tongue tie surgeries, help with snoring, develop proper swallowing sequencing, help with sleep apnea symptoms, and encourage palate and airway expansion. Think of myofunctional therapy like having a personal trainer for your mouth.
While only myofascial release is offered at our clinic, if you are currently working with or thinking about working with a myofunctional therapist, adding in myofascial release is a beautiful catalyst for progress. Asking a mouth that is tight, restricted, or hurting to do myofunctional therapy can be overwhelming for the body and feel like results are plateaued. Whereas, a mouth and body that has had a chance to release with myofascial release bodywork can perform the myofunctional exercises more smoothly, comfortably and easily!

Myofascial release treatment is gentle, sustained pressure or stretch directly on dry skin. No oils or creams are used. For women, comfy bra and underwear or a pair of loose fitting shorts and for men, a pair of loose fitting shorts allows great access to the skin as well as ample ability to see posturing of the body during assessment. For children, a comfy pair of underwear or shorts works well. For babies we treat them in their diaper.