for Increased Cellular Hydration
John F. Barnes, PT
March – April 2025 • Vol 4, No 15
Q. Someone recently asked me, “It seems like we’ve become a society that’s obsessed with hydration. Every-where you go, people have their water bottles in tow. How does our fascial system correlate with cellular hydration? How do we keep our cells truly hydrated?
A. Yes, it seems everyone is guzzling copious amounts of water these days. How can we be sure this water penetrates into the interior of the cells? Or is it sometimes like pouring water over stones?
The “stones” I’m referring to are the collagenous restrictions of the fascial system that do not show up on any standard testing now being done. The “ground substance” of the fascial system—the environment of every cell of our body—should be in a gelatinous-to-fluid state. When we undergo trauma or a “thwarted” inflammatory process, this ground substance dehydrates and becomes hard, producing crushing pressure on the cells and blocking the flow of not only water, but also nutrition, oxygen, hormones, and/or medicine into the cells’ interior. These fascial restrictions also block the excretion of toxins from the cell. In these locations, no matter how much water you take in, it doesn’t get to where your body needs it the most. Myofascial Release (MFR) releases these restrictions and enhances cellular function.
MFR applies gentle, sustained pressure into the myofascial connective tissue restrictions to eliminate pain and restore motion. Along with this work, we promote movement therapy, education in body mechanics, self-treatment instructions, and improvements in strength, flexibility, and posture. Each MFR session is performed directly on the skin without oils, creams, or machinery. This enables the therapist to accurately detect fascial restrictions and apply the appropriate amount of sustained pressure to facilitate release of the fascia.
The most interesting aspect of the fascial system is that it’s not just a system of separate coverings. It’s one continuous structure that exists from head to toe without interruption. Each part of the body is connected to every other part by the fascia, just like the yarn of a sweater.
Trauma, inflammatory responses, scar tissue, and/or surgical procedures create restrictions that can produce
tensile pressure of approximately 2,000 pounds per square inch on pain-sensitive structures. A high percentage of people suffering from pain and/or lack of motion may be having fascial problems, but are not diagnosed.
Originally published in John F. Barnes’ Myofascial Release Newsletter, this article is sponsored by Mary Loveless, LMT, PDA, C.Ped, a practitioner of the John F. Barnes Approach to Myofascial Release. To find an MFR therapist near you, visit: MyofascialRelease.com, or visit the offices in Great Falls or Florence, MT.
Back in Motion • Great Falls, MT • 612 1st Avenue South • (406) 750-2655
Eastside Physical Therapy & Body Restoration • Florence, MT • 5501 Hwy 93 N • (406) 777-2679