Assessment of Myofascia

Having completed this lesson, you will be able to:

• List two assessment methods used in the myofascial therapeutic paradigm (e.g., fascial gliding, skin rolling, and passive range of motion might be used in addition to health forms and client interviews to identify fascial restrictions, etc.)

Before you can assess your client’s fascia, play with it to get a feel for it. This is easy with the superficial fascia. Start by picking up the skin on your own hand and then lifting it in multiple places as you work up your forearm. The skin pulls up easily in some places and is more difficult to lift in others. If it weren’t attached by fascia to deeper structures, you could pull it off. When you lift the skin, you are also lifting the superficial fascia.

Fascial restrictions can occur anywhere in the body and show up in postural asymmetry. Use the skills you learned in Chapter 19 to identify areas where postural imbalances are causing some myofascia to bunch and pack down. Focus your work on these restricted areas. Three techniques are particularly useful for identifying fascial restrictions: fascial gliding, slow skin rolling, and passive range of motion (Technique 63).

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