_{Massage Therapy and IIH
IIH ans Massage Therapy
Massage Therapy
Myofascial Unwinding}

Ok, this is the hoo doo of Massage Therapy for me..lol. I feel like I am possessed every time the practitioner cups my head. I've talked about the muscle tension and discomfort I experience in other entries. I refer to it as a "tortoise shell of pain" because my muscles completely contract..my shoulders roll forward and slump over, my neck disappears, and my earlobes completely touch my shoulders. The unwinding takes care of it. It's my understanding that our muscles learn how to deal w/ our pain and develop certain pathways. I don't know about you, but for me it seems like every condition or infection I develop feels exactly the same..my body has learned that when I have pain it goes in these areas, so I can't differentiate. The Myofascial Unwinding is supposed to help your body unlearn these patterns/pathways. It is completely bizarre and I don't understand it at all, but it works! I can actually see a physical change, which we measure by how long my neck becomes..lol..there really are just no words to describe it. I think John F Barnes (myofascialrelease.com) is credited for developing the technique, but the explanations from that site seemed very technical and focused a lot on releasing past trauma/emotions, so I got the following explanation from the Isis Holistic Center in reference to "tissue memory and development of chronic pain":

As a result of replaying body movements and restrictions that are associated with past traumas, issues and habits, we will develop a pattern of movement that is a reflection of our past and limits our future. This can twist and distort our muscles and connective tissue causing strands of dense fibrous tissue to continue holding and protecting various parts of our structures in painful and unbalanced positions.

In Myofascial Unwinding the therapist gently begins to unwind these tissue tensions, allowing the memories to begin to be released. This will cause the body to "replay" body movements that are associated with the memory which is a rather amazing and unpredictable process. As the body relaxes in the therapist's hands, the Nervous System takes over and releases stored tensions like the uncoiling of a spring, allowing nerves which have been trapped for a very long time, to elongate and restore normal function. This can remove years of pain and discomfort
This type of therapy is particularly recommended for anyone whose body issues, pain and restricted motion can be traced back to an initiating injury, accident or physical trauma. Signs for Myofascial Relase would be pain that returns only hours or days after your massage, unconscious muscular resistance to movement, twitching during relaxation especially before sleep, emotional release during massage. It is especially wonderful for those suffering with chronic pain, as it is gentle, painless and relaxing while providing the most needed of therapies.

for that! That was really interesting and I'm going to have a look into to that as my neck is really bad and even catches a nerve which runs from my neck and down my arm paralysing my arm. xx

Your welcome..I'm glad it was helpful. It really has been amazing for me, but I would recommend you start w/ a massage and only try unwinding once trust is built. I have trust issues so may be overly cautious, but it's a very unique experience. I hope it helps you find some relief!

Let me know how it all works out.
Good luck,
Julie