By Dr Feelgood Team · bodywork practice with certified MER practitioners. Updated and editorially checked 17 October 2026.
Similarities in touch
Both MER and massage can include manual work with muscles and connective tissue. Pressure and pace vary between practitioners. A label therefore does not tell you everything about what actually happens in a session.
Your participation
In MER, your awareness, breathing and movement may be more explicit parts of the session. At our practice these are invitations. You do not have to breathe forcefully or express emotions to take part. We ask how the work feels and let your response guide it.
Deeper is not automatically better
Strong pressure is not a measure of quality and pain does not prove a treatment is working. Choose a setting where you can report discomfort without being told to endure it. A gentler approach may be more appropriate depending on your health and wishes.
What does research say?
Systematic reviews of myofascial release report improvements in pain and function in chronic low back pain. MER uses a broader format in which manual work is combined with presence, breathing, movement and active participation. The choice between MER and massage can therefore be based on which approach best fits your wishes.
References
Wu Z, Wang Y, Ye X, Chen Z, Zhou R, Ye Z, Huang J, Zhu Y, Chen G, Xu X (2021). Myofascial Release for Chronic Low Back Pain: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Frontiers in Medicine.
DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2021.697986