What Is Myofascial Release?
By Josh Kennedy, RMT, July 11, 2026
Myofascial release is hands-on treatment of fascia, the connective tissue that wraps around your muscles. In most cases, though, fascial tension is a response to dysfunction in neighbouring joints and muscles, so lasting relief comes from treating those structures, with direct fascial work reserved for the situations that genuinely need it. LYKE Massage uses it within in-home Functional Massage sessions across Durham Region, Ontario.
What is fascia?
Fascia is the web of connective tissue that surrounds and separates your muscles, holding them in place while letting them glide against each other as you move. It is also rich in nerves, which is why it plays such a large role in how tension is felt. When the fascia around an area tightens, movement can feel restricted even when the muscle underneath is not injured.
What does fascial tension feel like?
It has a particular signature. The area feels tight, but the tissue has a softness to it when squeezed or pressed, and it responds very little to massage, stretching, or sustained pressure. A common sign is a pulling sensation in a certain stretch or position that never improves, no matter how often you stretch it. If that describes a spot you have been fighting for months, fascial tension is worth considering.
Why doesn't stretching the fascia give lasting relief?
Because in most cases the fascia is tightening for a reason. When a joint is limited in its mobility, tension increases in the fascia surrounding it. The nervous system senses the dysfunction, a weak muscle here, an overloaded one beside it, and tightens the tissue to protect the area from injury. Release the fascia directly and you get relief, but the dysfunction that produced the tension is untouched, so the tension returns. It is the same reason the relief from a joint adjustment often fades within days: the compensating structures that limited the joint were never addressed.
How is fascial tension actually reduced?
By treating the imbalance underneath it. Reduce the load on the overworked structures and help the weak ones activate again, and the fascial tension can drop significantly, often without the fascia itself ever being stretched or manipulated. Direct myofascial techniques still have a place in specific situations, and they are used when the assessment shows the tissue genuinely needs them. But they are one tool within the session, not the whole plan.
Is myofascial release a separate service?
No. It is one of the hands-on techniques used within a Functional Massage session, applied where the assessment shows it is needed rather than booked on its own.
Assessed, then applied where it's needed.
Every Functional Massage session starts with a look at how you move, so techniques like myofascial release are used where they'll actually help, not as a default.
Frequently asked questions
What is fascia?
Fascia is the connective tissue that wraps around your muscles, holding them in place and letting them glide against each other. When it becomes restricted or stuck, it can limit movement even when the muscle itself is not injured.
What does fascial tension feel like?
The muscle feels tight, but the tissue has a softness when you squeeze or press it, and it responds very little to massage, stretching, or sustained pressure. A pulling sensation in a stretch that never improves, no matter how often you stretch, is another common sign.
Why does fascial tension come back after treatment?
Because fascial tension is usually a protective response to dysfunction in neighbouring joints and muscles. Until the weak and overloaded structures around it are addressed, the nervous system keeps tightening the tissue, so releasing the fascia directly gives only temporary relief.
Is myofascial release its own service?
No. It is one of the hands-on techniques used within Functional Massage sessions, applied where the assessment shows it is needed, not booked as a separate service on its own.
Questions about your condition?
Book a session - we assess before we treat. Insurance receipts provided.