01/09/2026
FASCIA 101 —
The John F. Barnes’ Myofascial Release Approach®
John passed away last month but we are all carrying the torch and continuing to spread his treatment approach and his search for excellence to all.
This is a summary of Chapter 2, “Fascia”, in Myofascial Release: The Search for Excellence by John F. Barnes, PT.
John F. Barnes would always teach that the body should not be understood as separate “muscles,” but as a unified myofascial system, because fascia surrounds and penetrates every muscle fiber, fascicle, and cell. Fascia ultimately determines muscle length, function, and coordination. It forms a continuous, three-dimensional web throughout the body that maintains shape, supports organs, resists mechanical stress, and enables communication and force transmission.
When fascia is restricted by trauma, poor posture, inflammation, or repetitive strain, it can bind down tissues and create abnormal pressure on muscles, nerves, vessels, and organs. These restrictions often cause pain, dysfunction, and seemingly unrelated symptoms that do not follow nerve or dermatome patterns and frequently go undiagnosed, since standard imaging does not visualize fascia. Fascial dysfunction can impair circulation, lymphatic flow, cellular metabolism, immune function, and shock absorption, setting the stage for chronic pain, injury, and disease.
At a molecular level, fascia is composed of collagen (strength), elastin (elasticity), and ground substance (hyaluronic-acid–rich gel that allows glide and absorbs compressive forces). When the ground substance becomes more solid due to restriction, forces cannot disperse properly, leading to injury—even from relatively small stresses. This explains recurrent injuries and chronic breakdown despite strengthening or flexibility programs.
Fascia has multiple essential roles: structural support, efficient movement, postural balance, nutrition and fluid transport, immune defense, detoxification, and tissue repair. Because fascia and muscle are inseparable in function, treating them as separate systems is an illusion.
Myofascial Release (MFR) uniquely addresses the entire fascial system. Rather than forcibly stretching tissue, MFR works by engaging the elastic components, reducing cross-linking, and changing the viscosity of the ground substance from a more solid to a gel state, improving glide and shock absorption. It also positively influences proprioceptors and the nervous system. John concludes that without MFR, conventional therapies treat only part of the problem; including it allows for a truly comprehensive, whole-body approach to healing. — John F. Barnes
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