What is myofascial unwinding?

… and how it can help you heal muscle and joint pain.

You may have also heard it called Pandiculation, but I find that a lot of us in the hands-on therapy world know it as Myofascial Unwinding.

It looks like how one would stretch in the morning after waking up. A nice, slow, deeply intrinsic movement that may be accompanied by some funny faces and a yawn or two. This is your body “dusting off” the cobwebs so to speak, and regaining mobility after laying down all night. If you have a dog or a cat around the house, you have surely seen them do this after a nap.

It is hard to give a technical explanation of this because although I’m sure there is fascinating science behind it, it is more of an intuitive connection. Sometimes the ability to feel this gets clouded and what used to be natural, is now a found by practicing at a very intentional state of mind to get rid of stress and tension. This response may feel this different to each person but the body knows where to go if you give it the opportunity.

Myofascial unwinding can help you to treat your pain symptoms by allowing your body to work through these stuck “cobwebs” which increases mobility, and also creates balance within the musculoskeletal system. The “cobwebs” occur in the fascia which is continuous throughout the whole body, so what is stuck in one part, can affect something much further away. Typically with unwinding, the whole body is involved, so you are really working through the whole kinetic chain with these subtle movements.

Getting to the point of being able to trigger an unwinding response can be tricky for some people, but quieting your mind and visualizing your muscles can get you started in the right direction. Then all you need is a slight stretch or reach from your muscles and they will take it from there.