Myofascial Release Therapy, Myofacial or Myofunctional Therapy? What Did Your Provider Mean?

Have you ever been told you need “myo” therapy and then gone home wondering what exactly that meant?

You are not alone.

In Ottawa, where many patients move between French and English terminology, words such as myofascial, myofacial and myofunctional can sound remarkably similar. It is especially easy to leave an appointment remembering only that your provider recommended some type of “myo” therapy.

The confusion is understandable — and there is actually more overlap between these approaches than their names suggest.

Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy works with the muscles of the face, tongue, jaw, head and neck — along with the soft tissues and fascia that surround and connect them. We use stretching, strengthening, mobility, flexibility, coordination and repeated functional movement to help this interconnected system work more efficiently.

Myofascial release also works with muscles, fascia and soft tissues, but usually through hands-on manual treatment.

So the difference is not simply:

fascia versus muscles.

The bigger difference is how the tissues are being treated and what the therapy is designed to accomplish.

If you are new to the field, you can also read our guide to What Is Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy?

Key Takeaways

✔ Both approaches can influence muscles, fascia and surrounding soft tissues.

✔ Myofascial release therapy primarily uses hands-on techniques to address areas of soft-tissue restriction, tension and mobility.

✔ Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy uses active stretching, strengthening, mobility, flexibility, coordination and functional retraining.

✔ Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy addresses how the tongue, jaw, lips, face, head and neck work during breathing, chewing, swallowing and rest.

✔ Repetition helps new neuromuscular patterns become increasingly automatic while the surrounding soft tissues adapt to those new demands.

✔ Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy may also be used before and after certain procedures to improve mobility, prepare function and retrain movement afterward.

✔ Some patients benefit from both approaches. When additional hands-on release would be helpful, we collaborate with a myofascial release provider.

In this article you'll learn:

  • Why myofascial, myofacial and myofunctional are so easily confused
  • What “myo,” “fascia” and “function” actually mean
  • How Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy works with muscles and fascia
  • What makes myofascial release different
  • How Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy can support pain, tension and mobility
  • Why therapy can be useful before and after procedures
  • When someone may benefit from both approaches
  • How to tell which type of “myo” your provider meant

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First: What Does “Myo” Mean?

The prefix myo- refers to muscle.

That is one reason these therapies are related.

But muscles do not function independently. They are integrated with fascia, tendons and other connective tissues. Movement, stretching, loading and changes in muscle use also place mechanical demands on the surrounding connective-tissue system.

The word that follows myo tells us more about the treatment approach.

Myofascial

Myo + fascia

Fascia is connective tissue that surrounds and supports muscles and many other structures in the body.

Myofascial treatment focuses specifically on this interconnected muscle-fascia system, often using hands-on techniques to address tissue restriction, tension and mobility.

Myofunctional

Myo + function

Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy focuses on how the muscle-soft tissue system functions.

We work with the muscles and surrounding tissues involved in:

  • Breathing
  • Tongue posture
  • Jaw movement
  • Lip seal
  • Chewing
  • Swallowing
  • Oral rest posture
  • Head and neck support
  • Repetitive oral habits

ASHA describes orofacial myofunctional disorders as atypical movement and resting patterns involving the oral and facial musculature that can affect functions including tongue posture, breathing and swallowing.

What About “Myofacial”?

This is where the terminology gets especially confusing.

People frequently say or search for:

myofacial therapy

when they actually mean:

myofascial therapy

or

myofunctional therapy

“Facial” and “fascial” sound almost identical when spoken quickly.

That confusion can be even easier in Ottawa, where patients may move between French and English throughout their healthcare.

Someone might hear a French term during one appointment, an English term during another, remember the word “myo,” and later search online for myofacial therapy.

If that is how you arrived here, you may very well be looking for Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy.

The easiest question to ask is:

Was your provider talking about hands-on release of restricted tissue, or were they talking about breathing, tongue posture, swallowing, jaw function or retraining muscles?

That usually tells you what they meant.

Speak to our Therapists about your concerns

What Is Myofascial Release Therapy?

Myofascial release is primarily a hands-on soft-tissue treatment approach.

The practitioner works directly with fascia and surrounding tissues using manual pressure, stretching and other techniques intended to address areas of restriction and improve movement.

Someone may be referred for myofascial treatment because of:

  • Jaw or facial tension
  • Neck and shoulder tightness
  • Soft-tissue restriction
  • Scar restriction
  • Trigger points
  • Restricted movement
  • Musculoskeletal discomfort

Myofascial release can therefore be very useful.

At Oral-Facial Advantage, we do not provide dedicated hands-on myofascial release therapy. When additional manual release would benefit a patient, we collaborate with a provider who specializes in it.

But that does not mean fascia is outside the work we do.

Does Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy Work With Fascia?

Yes.

This is an important distinction.

Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy works with the muscles and surrounding soft tissues as an interconnected functional system.

We simply influence those tissues differently.

Rather than primarily having a practitioner manually release tissue, the patient actively works through:

  • Stretching
  • Strengthening
  • Muscle toning
  • Relaxation of overactive muscles
  • Mobility exercises
  • Flexibility training
  • Controlled movement
  • Coordination
  • Postural retraining
  • Functional repetition

As muscles repeatedly move through improved ranges and develop new patterns of activation, the surrounding soft tissues are also exposed to different movement and loading demands.

The objective is to create lasting neuromuscular and soft-tissue adaptation so the healthier pattern becomes increasingly automatic.

Your muscles and fascia are not treated as two unrelated systems.

We train them to work together.

This active functional approach is one of the reasons Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy can be useful for people experiencing facial or jaw tension, limited mobility or repetitive compensation.

For a broader overview of how we work with adults, visit Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy for Adults. Your adult program specifically includes work aimed at improving jaw range of motion and toning facial muscles and tissues.

Myofascial vs. Myofunctional: The Simple Difference

Myofascial Release Therapy

  • Primarily hands-on
  • Works directly with fascia and soft tissues
  • Targets areas of tissue restriction
  • Uses manual pressure and stretching
  • Often aims to reduce tightness or improve mobility
  • The practitioner performs much of the treatment

Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy

  • Primarily active retraining
  • Works with muscles and their surrounding soft tissues
  • Uses stretching, strengthening, mobility and flexibility
  • Balances overactive and underactive muscles
  • Retrains breathing, tongue posture, chewing and swallowing
  • Builds new patterns through repetition
  • The patient actively participates in changing function

The easiest way to remember it:

Myofascial release = hands-on release of restricted tissue.

Myofunctional therapy = active retraining of the muscle-fascia system for better function.

Neither approach makes the other unnecessary.

Sometimes they work extremely well together.

Can Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy Help With Pain and Tension?

It can help when discomfort is associated with dysfunctional muscle use, repetitive oral habits, restricted movement, muscle imbalance or compensatory patterns.

Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy may work on:

  • Jaw and facial muscle tension
  • Imbalanced facial muscles
  • Overactive muscles
  • Underactive muscles
  • Clenching-related muscle overload
  • Restricted tongue or jaw movement
  • Head and neck compensation
  • Poor tongue posture
  • Repetitive oral habits
  • Dysfunctional chewing
  • Dysfunctional swallowing

Importantly, therapy is not always about strengthening.

Some muscles need more tone.

Others need to relax.

Some need better endurance.

Others need more flexibility or a greater range of motion.

The goal is to help the entire system become more balanced and efficient.

This also connects strongly with posture. Low tongue posture, mouth breathing and compensatory head and neck patterns can interact with one another. You can read more in our article on Forward Head Posture, Neck Pain and the Forgotten Role of the Tongue.

The Tongue Is Part of This System Too

The tongue is not simply something that sits inside the mouth.

It is a muscular structure that interacts with the jaw, floor of the mouth, palate, hyoid region and surrounding head and neck system.

Its habitual position and movement can influence how other muscles compensate.

For example, someone may have:

  • Low tongue posture
  • Tongue thrust
  • Limited mobility
  • Excessive jaw recruitment during swallowing
  • Lip or cheek compensation
  • Neck tension during oral movements

Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy works to retrain these relationships rather than simply exercising one muscle in isolation.

If tongue thrust is part of the concern, see our guide to Tongue Thrust in Adults: Causes, Symptoms & Treatment. Your site already covers this topic as a distinct swallowing and tongue-posture pattern.

Mouth Breathing Can Also Change the Muscle Pattern

Chronic mouth breathing is another example of why muscles and soft tissues need to be considered together.

When the mouth repeatedly hangs open, the tongue tends to rest differently, the lips are used differently, and the jaw, face, head and neck may develop compensatory patterns.

Therapy is therefore not simply about telling someone:

“Close your mouth.”

We work on the muscle balance, tongue posture, breathing pattern, coordination and functional habits that make a comfortable closed-mouth, nasal-breathing posture possible when the airway allows.

Your popular article The Mouth Breather's Dilemma explores those relationships in much greater detail. Your adult overview also identifies jaw range of motion and facial muscle/tissue tone among the areas addressed in therapy.

What About Before and After Surgery or a Procedure?

This is another area where the distinction between release and retraining becomes particularly important.

A procedure can change anatomy.

It does not automatically teach the muscles and surrounding tissues how to use that new anatomy.

Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy can be used before certain procedures to work on:

  • Awareness
  • Strength
  • Mobility
  • Flexibility
  • Coordination
  • Existing compensatory patterns

Afterward, therapy helps patients learn how to use the new mobility effectively rather than simply returning to the same movement patterns they relied on before.

This is particularly relevant around tongue-tie release.

A frenectomy can release restricted tissue, but the tongue still needs to learn how to:

  • Elevate
  • Move independently of the jaw
  • Rest appropriately
  • Coordinate swallowing
  • Work through its available range of motion

That is why preparation and retraining matter.

You can read more in our article on Pre- and Post-Frenectomy Therapy and Exercises. Your site describes this as an important component around tongue-tie release.

There is also published research examining Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy following orthognathic surgery. A recent scoping review found postoperative programs involving isometric, isotonic, postural and functional exercises, with reported improvements in muscle tone, mobility and orofacial function, although protocols remain variable and more rigorous research is needed.

Release Creates Opportunity. Retraining Teaches the Body What to Do With It.

This may be the most important concept in the article.

A restricted tissue can sometimes be released manually or surgically.

But greater mobility alone does not create a new habitual movement pattern.

The nervous system still needs repetition.

The muscles still need coordination.

Some tissues may need stretching.

Some muscles may need strengthening.

Others may need to stop compensating.

And the person needs to repeatedly practice the new function until it becomes increasingly automatic.

That is the role of Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy.

Can You Need Both Myofascial Release and Myofunctional Therapy?

Absolutely.

Some people have both:

  • Significant soft-tissue restriction
  • Jaw or neck tension
  • Limited tongue mobility
  • Muscle imbalance
  • Mouth breathing
  • Poor tongue posture
  • Dysfunctional swallowing
  • Repetitive compensation

Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy works on movement, strength, flexibility, coordination and habitual function.

Myofascial release can provide additional hands-on treatment when a particular area of tissue restriction would benefit from manual care.

Research has even evaluated Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy together with myofascial release as separate but complementary interventions.

The therapies do not need to compete.

They can address different components of the same functional problem.

Why This Mix-Up Happens So Often in Ottawa

Ottawa is highly bilingual.

Patients frequently receive healthcare in both English and French.

You may see your dentist in French, orthodontist in English, physiotherapist bilingually — and then try to remember exactly what type of “myo” therapy someone recommended.

Add these three words:

myofascial
myofacial
myofunctional

…and the confusion is understandable.

That is why we recommend describing what your provider wants addressed, rather than worrying about remembering the exact terminology.

If they said:

“We need to work on the tongue posture and swallowing.”

that points toward Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy.

If they said:

“You have significant tissue restriction that needs hands-on release.”

they may be recommending myofascial release.

And if they mentioned both?

You may benefit from both.

Which One Did Your Provider Mean?

They may mean myofascial release if they mentioned:

  • Fascial restriction
  • Trigger points
  • Scar restriction
  • Soft-tissue tightness
  • Manual therapy
  • Hands-on release

They may mean Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy if they mentioned:

  • Mouth breathing
  • Tongue posture
  • Tongue thrust
  • Swallowing
  • Chewing
  • Lip seal
  • Facial muscle imbalance
  • Jaw muscle function
  • Snoring or airway concerns
  • Tongue-tie preparation or rehabilitation
  • Orthodontic relapse
  • Oral habits
  • Pre- or post-procedure retraining

If all you remember hearing was “myo,” that is okay.

Tell us why you were referred, and we can usually help determine what your provider intended.

How We Approach Fascia at Oral-Facial Advantage

At Oral-Facial Advantage, we provide Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy.

We do not view fascia as something completely separate from the muscles it surrounds.

Instead, we work with the muscle-soft tissue system as a whole through:

  • Stretching
  • Strengthening
  • Muscle toning
  • Relaxation
  • Mobility work
  • Flexibility training
  • Coordination
  • Breathing retraining
  • Tongue posture
  • Chewing and swallowing retraining
  • Habit change

The goal is to create healthier movement and resting patterns that become increasingly automatic with repetition.

So if you searched myofascial therapy in Ottawa because you are experiencing facial tension, jaw discomfort, restricted movement or concerns surrounding a procedure, Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy may still be highly relevant to what you are trying to improve.

When additional hands-on fascial treatment would complement that work, we collaborate with a myofascial release provider.

For the complete overview of what we treat in adults, visit Oral-Facial Advantage for Adults.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Is myofascial release the same as Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy?

No, although there is overlap in the tissues being influenced.

Myofascial release primarily uses hands-on techniques to work with fascia and soft-tissue restriction.

Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy uses active stretching, strengthening, mobility, flexibility, coordination and functional retraining to change how muscles and surrounding soft tissues work together.

2. Does Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy work with fascia?

Yes.

Muscles and fascia function together. Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy influences this muscle-soft tissue system through movement, stretching, strengthening, mobility, posture and repeated functional activity rather than primarily through manual release.

3. Can myofascial release help jaw tension?

It may. Myofascial release is commonly used to address fascial tightness and musculoskeletal pain, including tension involving the jaw and surrounding tissues.

4. Can Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy help jaw or facial tension?

It may help when tension is associated with muscle imbalance, overactivity, repetitive oral habits, restricted movement, poor tongue posture or compensatory patterns involving the jaw, face, head and neck.

Treatment may involve relaxing some muscles while strengthening, stretching or coordinating others.

5. Which therapy helps mouth breathing?

Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy specifically retrains breathing patterns, oral rest posture, tongue position and lip seal when the airway is structurally capable of nasal breathing.

Structural nasal or airway obstruction may require assessment by an appropriate medical provider.

6. Which therapy helps tongue thrust?

Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy.

Tongue thrust is a functional pattern involving tongue posture and swallowing. Treatment focuses on changing those patterns through active retraining.

You can learn more in our Adult Tongue Thrust Guide.

7. Can Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy be used before or after surgery?

Yes, depending on the procedure.

Therapy may help prepare mobility, coordination and function beforehand and retrain movement afterward.

Research involving orthognathic-surgery rehabilitation reports improvements in several orofacial functional measures following structured myofunctional intervention, although the evidence base continues to develop.

8. Can I do myofascial release and Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy at the same time?

Yes.

When both tissue restriction and dysfunctional movement patterns are present, hands-on release and active functional retraining can complement one another.

At Oral-Facial Advantage, we collaborate with a myofascial release provider when we feel that additional manual therapy would benefit the patient's treatment.

Not Sure Which “Myo” You Need?

Mouth breathing

Tongue posture or tongue thrust

Swallowing or chewing concerns

Snoring or airway concerns

Tongue-tie preparation or retraining

Jaw or facial muscle imbalance

If your provider mentioned fascia, trigger points, soft-tissue restriction, or hands-on release, they may have meant myofascial therapy.

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Scientific & Clinical References

- American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders. ASHA Practice Portal.

- Cleveland Clinic. Myofascial Release Therapy.

- Cleveland Clinic. Fascia: What It Is and What It Does.

- Shortland HAL, Hewat S, Vertigan A, Webb G. Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy and Myofunctional Devices Used in Speech Pathology Treatment: A Systematic Quantitative Review of the Literature. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology. 2021.

- Impact of myofunctional therapy on orthodontic management and orthognathic surgery outcomes: a scoping review. European Journal of Orthodontics. 2025. The review found the available evidence promising in some applications but emphasized limitations in study quality and the need for stronger trials.

- Orofacial and cervical myofunctional intervention programs for adults undergoing orthognathic surgery: a scoping review. The included programs used postural, isometric, isotonic and functional exercises and reported improvements in several aspects of orofacial function, tone and mobility.

Alicia Proper, RDH, OMT, has served families for over 19 years and founded Oral-Facial Advantage in 2020 to provide dedicated Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy. She works collaboratively in Ottawa with orthodontists, ENTs, and family doctors to address the root causes of breathing, chewing, and swallowing dysfunction.