MFR Treatment Tips: The Anterior Cervical Region

I've posted a new video onto YouTube that covers treatment to the anterior cervical/throat region. I've treated this area for over twenty years with very nice results in the treatment of neck region pain as well as issues relating to radiculopathy-like symptoms into the arm and chest/shoulder regions. More recently Ive learned the value of treating this area when dealing with issues relating to dysphagia (swallowing difficulties), as well as a host of voice and related issues. Each time I teach this in my Neck, Voice, and Swallowing Seminar I am intrigued at the comments I hear from the various speech language pathologists in the audience as they "play" with this treatment sequence.

Unlike similar techniques, my version is remarkably gentle intended to be very tolerable to the patient. I have been treated in this area in a manner that was quite pain provoking, both locally as well as with radiation into the arm and shoulder. While aggressive versions may have benefit I feel that such force is not necessary in order to foster change. Views the tightness, scar tissue, etc., needs to be "broken up" have little if any basis in fact. Our touch has impact and benefit, just probably not for the reasons most were taught. Also, if one knows the anatomy of the anterior cervical region, including important blood vessels, extreme caution should be the norm, not the exception, as injury is a possibility.

I offer this video not as instruction for those who have never learned to treat this area, but as a refresher to those who have taken one of my Foundations in Myofascial Release Seminars and felt that they were not completely comfortable with finger placement. If you've learned this technique from other sources and you can see enough similarity to make it relevant, lighten your touch and treat respectfully. The pressure in a posterior direction is the most common form of this technique, but please gentle explore medially and anteriorly, as shown in the video. Learning to feel for "tightness" that connects a patient to their symptoms, whether pain, dysphagia, or similar, is the key to this technique and my approach.

 I'd love to hear your thoughts, either here or on YouTube and please share this post with your peers! Just use one of the sharing links directly below. Regards,Walt Fritz, PTFoundations in Myofascial Release Seminars