Soft-Tissue & Myofascial Techniques

Muscles, fascia, tendons, and other soft tissues play an important role in movement and function. Injury, repetitive activity, training demands, prolonged positioning, and changes in movement patterns can contribute to muscular tension, tenderness, or restricted movement.

Bella Vida Wellness incorporates several hands-on soft-tissue techniques that may be used individually or in combination with joint care, therapeutic stretching, mobility work, and corrective exercise.

Myofascial Techniques

Fascia is connective tissue that surrounds and interacts with muscles and other structures throughout the body. Myofascial techniques use targeted hands-on pressure and movement to work with muscles and surrounding connective tissues.

Treatment may be directed toward areas of tension, tenderness, or restricted soft-tissue mobility with the goal of improving comfortable movement and preparing the area for stretching, mobility work, or exercise.

IASTM — Instrument-Assisted Soft-Tissue Mobilization

Instrument-Assisted Soft-Tissue Mobilization, or IASTM, is a hands-on technique that uses specially designed instruments to assess and treat muscles, fascia, tendons, and related soft tissues.

The instruments allow controlled pressure and movement to be applied to targeted areas and provide the practitioner with another way to work with areas of soft-tissue restriction or sensitivity.

IASTM may be incorporated into treatment to help decrease feelings of muscular tightness, improve soft-tissue mobility and comfortable range of motion, and prepare an area for stretching, mobility work, or corrective exercise.

Pin & Stretch

Pin & Stretch combines targeted pressure on a muscle or soft-tissue area with active or passive movement.

While pressure is maintained at a specific location, the muscle or surrounding tissues are moved through an appropriate range. This allows soft-tissue work to be combined with movement and may be used to address muscular tightness or restricted mobility.

Trigger-Point Work

Trigger-point work involves applying focused pressure to localized areas of muscular tenderness or tension.

Pressure may be maintained or combined with movement and stretching depending on the area being treated. Trigger-point techniques may be incorporated into care to reduce muscular tension and improve comfortable movement.

Cupping

Cupping uses specialized therapeutic cups that create negative pressure against the skin and superficial tissues.

Depending on the treatment goal, cups may remain stationary for a period of time or be incorporated into movement. Cupping may temporarily decrease feelings of muscular tightness and may be used alongside other soft-tissue, mobility, and rehabilitation techniques.

Temporary circular discoloration or marks can occur following stationary cupping and typically resolve over time.

Cupping Massage / Moving Cupping

Moving cupping—sometimes called cupping massage—combines the negative pressure of a therapeutic cup with movement across the skin.

A lubricant allows the cup to glide across a targeted area while maintaining suction. This provides a different form of soft-tissue mobilization than stationary cupping and may be used to address larger areas of muscular tension or restricted soft-tissue mobility.

How Is This Different From Massage Therapy?

Some of these techniques may share elements with techniques used by massage therapists, but their purpose and application at Bella Vida Wellness are different.

Soft-tissue techniques are incorporated into a chiropractic, rehabilitative, and movement-based plan of care and are directed toward specific muscles, tissues, joints, and movement limitations identified during your evaluation.

Rather than providing traditional full-body or relaxation massage, treatment focuses on targeted areas related to your individual presentation and functional goals. Soft-tissue work may then be combined with joint mobilization, therapeutic stretching, mobility exercises, corrective exercise, or strengthening to help translate improvements in comfort and mobility into better movement and function.

Bella Vida Wellness does not provide massage therapy services.