When I meet someone new and they ask me what I do for a living, I tell them that I have been a practicing chiropractor in the northern suburbs of Pittsburgh for 35 years. Most of their responses, in some way, indicate that they believe I treat back problems with chiropractic adjustments. This is certainly true. I am able to provide patients with pain relief for their back and neck problems by adjusting their spinal misalignments. In fact, I have always considered spinal adjustments to be the gold standard in the treatment of most back problems. However, there are complementary methods of treatment that I also use. This article will discuss a particular adjunctive treatment modality that I also use sometimes called the Myofascial Disruption Technique (MFDT).
The myofascial interruption technique is a hands-on technique commonly used by chiropractic physicians that involves applying gentle, sustained pressure to connective tissue restrictions to help eliminate pain and restore motion.
Let’s explore MFDT further. Myo is a term that means muscle. fascia fascial notes. Fascia is a type of connective tissue that supports and connects different parts of our body. Fascia is not muscle tissue, ligaments, tendons, skin, or organs. It is the broad, fuzzy, fibrous tissue found throughout the body that is somewhat flexible and allows our bodies to move properly. A good example of fascia is the one found on the bottom of our feet called the plantar fascia. This fascia inserts into the forefoot and extends to the bottom of the heel. It joins the bones and small muscles of the arch of the foot. When this fascia becomes irritated, it is called plantar fasciitis.
There is fascia throughout the body. There is a broad sheet of fascia along the side of the thigh called the Tensor Fasciae Latae. Another fascial area is found in the lower back, called the lumbar fascia.
Normally, muscles and fascia are smooth, and the fibers form a seamless matrix. However, sometimes the muscles and fascia can be disturbed. Fibers can separate, pull out of their inserts, wrinkle, or otherwise be damaged.
MFDT is a method I like to use for this type of injured tissue. By applying pressure to these damaged muscle and fascial tissues, we can repair the fascia and muscles and relieve pain.
In October 2019, a research study was published in Clinical interventions in aging which documents how well this technique works. In a study involving 45 elderly patients with nonspecific low back pain, those treated with a combination of the myofascial interruption technique and core strengthening exercises three times a week for six weeks experienced improvements in low back pain and function , lower body flexibility, fear avoidance behavior, and overall quality of life.
As mentioned above, while I love using chiropractic spinal adjustments to relieve neck and back pain, I also use the Myofascial Disruption technique as an adjunct to better and faster healing for my patients.