FASCIAL WORK: CRANIOSACRAL THERAPY and MYOFASCIAL RELEASE

Hannah, a four year old Dalmation mix was a whirling dervish of activity. To channel her energy in a positive direction, her owner enrolled her in agility training. Hannah took to it with such vigor that she outdid herself, ending up with a minor leg sprain. In an effort to get Hannah to relax enough so that I could work with her, I used a technique where I placed gentle traction on her head and sacrum. With a sigh she laid her head down on the floor, her eyes closed and soon she was snoring softly.

CranioSacral Therapy and Myofascial Release are two separate methods for working with the fascia, so I will address them together.

Fascia is a bodystocking of connective tissue that exists from the brain to the toes. It exists just under the skin and extends three-dimensionally throughout the body. Fascia surrounds every muscle, bone, organ, and all other structures and innervates many of them. Visualize grabbing an area of your T-shirt. Now notice how surrounding areas are also affected.

Collagen fibers compose sheets of fascia that surround all the structures in the body.

An injury, stress or even exercise can cause a restriction in the fascia. This will result in waves of additional dysfunction in the surrounding fascia. Visualize grabbing an area of your T-shirt. Now notice how surrounding areas are also affected. In your dog’s body, as time goes on more and more areas of the fascia will become affected unless you intervene.

Animals (and people) have so much fascia in their bodies, that it encompasses all the structures (and innervates many of them) within the body. Because it occurs everywhere, you can travel anywhere in the body and never leave the fascia. If we didn’t have fascia, we’d be nothing but a bag of water. Fascia gives us our shape. It also is important to the health of an animal by providing a transport system between cells, which in turn contributes to the health of the organs.

An injury, the traumas of daily life, exercise, pain, hydration and nutrition can all result in unhealthy restrictions in the fascia. Left untreated, these restrictions build up and result in ill-health.