Cross-Fiber Friction

 Written by Shawn White, LMT

Cross-fiber friction is akin to sanding wood against the grain. Using light to firm pressure, this technique presses into the soft tissues, moving back and forth along a line, perpendicular to a muscle’s fibers. Depending on its usage, cross-fiber friction may be an uncomfortable experience for the client, triggering sensations such as ticking or pain. When employing this massage technique, it is important to remain aware of the client’s involuntary reactions and maintain communication with them.

Notable Involuntary reactions include

  • Feet and leg wiggling.
  • Feeling the contraction of a muscle while performing the technique.
  • Laughter or unusual sounds made by the client.

History of Cross-Fiber Friction

The creation of cross-fiber friction is often inaccurately credited to Per Henrik Ling, the father of medical gymnastics. While Ling sometimes integrated cross-fiber friction into the exercise-focused movements of medical gymnastics, he is not the creator of this technique or Swedish massage. Johan Mezger, the father of physiotherapy and a Dutch physician who codified the five classic massage techniques, is sometimes credited with its creation; however, this is also incorrect.

Who created cross-fiber friction? Searching for a specific person responsible for its creation is a fool’s errand. Every massage technique that exists came to be long before it was given a name. Massage has existed since the dawn of humanity and has been practiced by mothers since they started having children. To assume any technique is new is a silly notion.

With an hour of creative exploration, you could discover and name dozens of techniques. Though new to you, it is guaranteed that every movement you name has been made by someone else, sometimes during the many millennia of human history.

What are the Benefits of Cross-Fiber Friction

What are the benefits of cross-fiber friction? Johan Arvedson (1862-1936), the medical gymnast who coined the first usage of Swedish massage in print and argued for it to be its own field in Sweden, wrote that friction was used to break down pleural thickenings and inflammatory products. This meant that friction was used to treat conditions like pleurisy. Through the use of deep, circular, or transverse rubbing on the chest, Arvedson believed fibrous tissue and inflammation from within the lungs could be broken down and absorbed by the body. Today, we know this technique cannot mechanically break up adhesions within the pleural cavity, so why do massage therapists use it?

In the context of the friction used by Arvedson, the technique was employed because it yielded a positive benefit to his patients. Clearly, it was not the breakdown of adhesions, so what were his patients likely experiencing? They likely experienced pain relief due to the benefits of mechanical stimulation, improved local circulation, and a positive perception of the treatment.

Here are a few ways cross-fiber friction may provide pain relief and improved range of motion in a therapeutic massage.

  • Neurotag retraining: Friction entails pressure, shear, vibration, and temperature changes that are applied in a predictable, controlled, and non-threatening way. As a result, it can retrain our brain’s interpretation of sensory input, thereby encouraging positive neurotags, which, over time, reduce our brain’s tendency to create pain (Neurotags are the positive and negative thoughts and feelings our brain uses to determine if we should experience pain).
  • Scar tissue massage: Cross-fiber friction is a non-invasive massage technique often used in the treatment of linear surgical scars to help with pain reduction and increased movement [1], pruritus, and pliability [2].
  • Neuromuscular reflexes: Friction can help to reduce motor neuron excitability temporarily.  Excessive motor neuron excitability can lead to pain, spasms, stiffness, poor coordination, and fatigue [3].

Citations

  1. Deflorin C, Hohenauer E, Stoop R, van Daele U, Clijsen R, Taeymans J. Physical management of scar tissue: a systematic review and meta‐analysis. J Altern Complement Med. 2020;26(10):854‐865. 10.1089/acm.2020.0109 [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar][Ref list]
  2. Shin TM, Bordeaux JS. The role of massage in scar management: a literature review. Dermatol Surg. 2012;38(3):414‐423. 10.1111/j.1524-4725.2011.02201.x [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar][Ref list]
  3. Lee, H.-M., Wu, S.-K., & You, J.-Y. (2009). Quantitative application of transverse friction massage and its neurological effects on flexor carpi radialis. Manual Therapy, 14(5), 501–507. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.math.2008.09.005