MYTH: I am stiff because I am old.
Whilst there is a bit of truth that as we get older, our tissues behave a little differently, it is not a given that we have to stiffen up as we age. One of the best antidotes for this is ensuring we keep ourselves moving as best we can. This does not mean you need to running marathons or lifting weights at the gym (though if this is your preferred form of movement then that’s great!).
Gentle day to day movement, perhaps with some mindfulness added in, can work wonders. If you need some ideas, our Myofascial Yoga classes can help you learn gentle, accessible ways of moving. Our belief systems can be very powerful and if we believe we will stiffen up when we get older, then we may be more likely to experience this. Therefore, it is important we do no fall foul of this particular myth!
MYTH: I am too old for it to get any better.
Similarly to the above myth, this can be a very damaging belief to have floating around in our minds. Sadly, it if often bolstered by medical professionals who tell us that this just is how it is now. Thankfully, a lot of the time, the gentle, mindful myofascial release approach can help to improve symptoms, reduce pain, and return at last a little quality of life.
Whilst myofascial release cannot promise miracles (though we do see them every so often!), what it can do is help support you to live the best life you can, as comfortably as possible, no matter your age. We have clients well into their 80s and 90s who benefit hugely from treatment, seeing vast improvements in their day to day experience of their bodies. They can sleep more comfortably, they can do more things independently, they can play with their grandchildren, see their friends and families and generally enjoy their lives!
MYTH: I am hypermobile so release work isn’t for me; I’m loose enough already!
Now this myth is one that can be in the way of people living with hypermobility getting some relief from their symptoms. Our bodies function in something called biotensegrity. What’s that? Well, in layman’s terms it’s what keeps us together and gives us shape and structure. More scientifically, it is the interplay of the forces of tension and compression in the body. The relationship between tension and compression gives us form.
Hypermobility is an imbalance in this relationship meaning some areas are far too loose, and subsequently, other areas are far too tight. Ironically, a lot of people with hypermobility have no idea about it until they start presenting with symptoms of pain and tension. They are not aware of the laxity, only the tension. Even in conditions such as Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (which is a very extreme form of hypermobility), often sufferers are far more aware of acute tension. This is where myofascial release can help.
Sometimes we at Holisticare think it would be more aptly named something like “myofascial rebalancing” or “myofascial redistribution” as what treatment can do, is help address some of the imbalance in the biotensegrity of the body. This can then help the “tight” areas be less painful, which can place a hypermobile body in a position where work can begin on building up some integrity and resilience in the system to help reduce symptoms and risk of injury from the overly lax areas.