Dealing With Myofacial Pain

A lot of folks have pain in their knees and/or hips and they immediately believe it to be a joint issue.  While certainly a possiblity, in my experience most "knee pain", "hip pain", lower back pain, and even shoulder pain can be resolved by releasing the myofacia.  What in the world is myofacia, and how will releasing it help me, do you ask?  The myofacia is the protective sheathing that the muscles are in which connect it to organs and bones. 

One of the most common pain areas is in the knees; however much of the pain is actually rooted to the Illiotibial Band or IT Band.  The IT Band is located in the hip and stretches down to the knee joint.  It is a muscle that you can feel on the side of your leg.  Most likely you have tight spots there and a major source of your inflammation which then transfers into your knee, hip, or both.  One of its purposes of the IT Band is to keep your body laterally stable.  There are numerous causes to how injuries, tightness, inflammation, and trigger points can begin in this area, but ultimately what matters is the resolution. 

No matter if your IT Band has the problem or your upper back, or wherever you can apply the principles of this article.  When your body is inflammed, whether it be chronic or acute, your immune system is not at its strongest and so therefore neither are you. Just because you don't have symptoms does not mean you are well. Always focus on the balance of your body and you will be working on staying well. Staying well is an ongoing practice.



1. Foam rolling works very, very well. I do this daily. You can also grab a golf ball and toss it in a sock and get those trigger points just like a massage therapist's elbow. Instead of simply rolling you need to find the heart of the heart of the heart of the center of the pain. Then apply pressure and hang out there for about 15-20 seconds. Focus on relaxing all the relative muscles and breating. Your breathing will get you through all pain.

2. Pineapple by day and ginger by night will decrease inflammation.  Pineapple has an enzyme in it called Bromelian and it works very well to decrease inflammation as well as breaking down protein.  I suggest eating fresh pineapple during the day due to the sugars within the fruit.  Ginger at night(or any time) will have almost no impact on spiking your insulin and it will do the same job.

3. Schedule a deep tissue massage for further and regular work.

4. Soak in an Epsom Salt bath and then use the foam roller and golf ball.

5. If you put your body through a cleanse and then eat organic you will definitely notice great improvements.

6.  The most important one, and I am writing this last so you remember it, is drink LOTS AND LOTS of water.  I cannot stress that enough.  If you desire to remove toxins and drive out inflammation from your body it will not happen without water.   A gallon of water a day, minimum, is what I recommend.

By applying these tips you will decrease pain, increase your range of motion, and bring your body closer to a state a balance.