True JFB MFR is a full-body, handson technique developed and refined by John F. Barnes, PT. This technique releases the fascial system, a three dimensional web connecting and surrounding every system and cell in the body. To help people get the idea of the role of the fascial system, I like to compare the human body to an orange.

Outer layer: the thick, white, hard tissue that attaches an orange to the peel is similar to the fascia that holds the skin to our body.

Inner Layer: When you cut an orange in half , the white fibers separate the different chambers of the orange. Fascia in our body helps to separate our organs and keep them in place. If it didn’t when we stood up, all our organs would drop down into our legs!

Cellular layer: When you look at an individual orange slice, you see the white fibers weaving throughout the slice, holding the slice together and also holding in the juice. Again, this is very similar to the fascial system holding our bodies together down to the cellular level. Our bodies are over 70% fluid and the fascial system is what keeps all this fluid (along with all the vital organs, nerves, veins, and artierties) in the right place.

Through trauma and repetitive motion or positioning (lifting all day and sitting all day), restrictions can form in the fascial system. These restrictions can exert forces up to 2000 pounds per square inch! This force can literally crush any of the vital structures near it. Since the fascial system runs throughout your entire body, there restrictions can cause pain anywhere in the body and comprise any system.

By “system”, I mean vascular, neurological,muscular, reproductive, circulatory, digestive ect. Fascial restrictions can cause digestive problems, fertility problems, circulation problems, neurological problems, cellular problems, muscular problems ect. These restrictions can become tighter over time, leaving you feeling like you are in a straitjacket and sending symptoms throughout your body.

JFB MFR helps to remove the straitjacket from the body. A skilled therapist look at and treats the entire body, helping to restore balance. Releasing the fascial restrictions throughout the body decreases the crushing forces of fascial restrictions, which in turn increases function, decreases pain, increases blood flow and nutrition to the body, and increases overall health down to the cellular level

Credit: Cathy Covell, PT