Hands-On Fascia Therapy in Setagaya, Tokyo

Case Reports

Individual results vary.

Plantar fasciitis — road cyclist, 50s

Six months of left heel pain, worst with the first steps in the morning. The article looks beyond the sole itself, to the sustained load on the whole lower leg from road cycling, and reports that the first-step pain eased after one session, with the heel reported still pain-free at a return visit five years later for a different issue.
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Left arm numbness and weakness — string player, 40s

Left ring-finger numbness and whole-arm weakness that made holding an instrument, a teacup or a bottle difficult, after orthopedic tests showed no abnormality. The article traces it to years of string playing plus a night sleeping on the arm, and reports that after four sessions over about two months she could play for over an hour without pain or discomfort in the left hand.
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Ankle pain that wouldn’t settle after a sprain — yoga teacher, 40s

Pain around the right outer ankle in padmasana (lotus pose) and in seiza, two and a half months after missing a step on stairs. The article reports the pose became pain-free in the first session, pain fell to about 15% of its original level, and remaining discomfort eased in a second session about a month later.
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Chronic low back pain — restaurant worker, 20s

A dull pain across the pelvis and lower back for about two years, in a man in his 20s working in the restaurant industry, bad enough to interfere with work and to stop his weight training. The article reports that the pain halved after the first session, was barely noticeable in daily movements after the second, and had almost resolved by the third, when he was able to resume training.
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Sciatica-like symptoms — futsal player, 40s

Tightness, pain and a tingling numbness in the buttock the day after weekly futsal, sometimes running into the thigh, and pain when sitting for long periods — going on for about a month and a half. The article reports that the buttock symptoms improved after the first session, and that after a second session two weeks later the tightness fell to zero and he could bend forward far enough to touch the floor.
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Tennis elbow — chef, 40s

Six months of pain on the outside of the right elbow that built up after his daily knife-sharpening doubled, until he could not grip a knife and had to take leave from work. The article reports that after four sessions of Fascial Manipulation® — working not only on the elbow, but on stiff fascia found from the shoulder to the fingers and across the back — the pain in everyday life was gone and he felt ready to return to work.
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Carpal tunnel syndrome — Buddhist priest, late 40s

Constant numbness in both hands, worst across the palm into the index and middle fingers, after three and a half years of heavy manual work in a training monastery. The article reports that the right hand’s numbness disappeared on the spot in the first session, which worked from the trunk to the right hand, and the left hand’s numbness did the same a week later — and that two years on, the constant numbness had not returned.
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Thumb-side wrist pain (De Quervain’s) — office worker, 60s

Pain on the thumb side of the left wrist that had not improved in three and a half months, despite orthopedic care, massage and stretching — she could not even hold a dish to wash up. The article reports that after the first session she could close her thumb into her fist and move the wrist a little, felt more than 80% better by the second session three weeks later, and described herself as 99% recovered after the third.
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Achilles tendon pain — marathon runner, 50s

Five weeks before the New York City Marathon, strong Achilles tendon pain stopped him at 7–8 km, with a feeling it might tear. The article reports that over five sessions of Fascial Manipulation® he built back up to a pain-free 35 km run, and finished the marathon in 4 hours 18 minutes at an even pace, with no cramps and no worry about the Achilles.
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Inner knee pain — trail runner, 40s

Inner right knee pain that came on after about 5 km of running, in a trail runner in her 40s who had started the sport four years earlier. The article reports that the knee pain dropped to zero after the first session, and that at a follow-up about two weeks later the pain had settled and she had resumed running.
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Heel pain that stopped pointe work — ballet instructor, 50s

Six months of right heel pain that stopped her standing in pointe shoes or rising into relevé, after orthopedic care and other manual therapy had not helped. The article reports that over three sessions in about six weeks the heel pain disappeared, pointe shoes and relevé came back, and the morning back pain she had lived with for years also eased with continued care.
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Ankle pain that lingered eight months after a sprain — futsal player, 30s

Eight months after spraining his left ankle in futsal, pain around the inner ankle still lingered whenever he planted his foot — though he could still play. The article reports that in a single session the pain eased on the spot and, at follow-up, had improved by more than 80% without returning.
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