myoActivation®: A Powerful Approach to Pain, Scars & Movement
Have you ever wondered why pain keeps showing up in the same spot, no matter how much stretching, massage, or physio you do? Or why a small scar from years ago still feels tight, or maybe just… off? Our bodies hold onto tension in remarkable ways, and often, the key to unlocking chronic pain or stiffness isn’t where it hurts, it’s hidden deep in the fascial web that connects everything together.
Dr. Tara Sloan, ND
Naturopathic Doctor and Certified myoActivation® Provider at Continuum Wellness located in the Yonge & Lawrence Village Toronto.
Tara’s Story
Dr. Tara Sloan first encountered myoActivation® as a patient and it changed her life. After years of dealing with chronic tension and fatigue that resisted conventional treatment, she discovered the profound impact of this unique technique. The results inspired her to train directly under Dr. Greg Siren, MD, the founder of myoActivation® and the Anatomic Medicine Foundation in British Columbia, where the therapy was first developed and widely practiced.
Now certified in myoActivation®, Tara brings this transformative method back to Ontario and to Continuum Wellness. Many long-time clients will remember her as one of our very first naturopathic doctors in the early days of the clinic, and we feel truly fortunate to have her returning to offer myoActivation® here in Toronto. With nearly 20 years of clinical experience and a strong foundation in kinesiology, Tara’s integrative approach beautifully bridges science, experience, and compassion, making this therapy a perfect fit for our Continuum community.
If you’ve been living with pain, noticing persistent tightness, feeling limited in your movement, or unhappy with how a scar has healed, you’re not alone.
These patterns often show up in subtle but persistent ways: an ache that keeps returning no matter how much you stretch, a movement in your body that feels restricted or “stuck,” or a joint that doesn’t quite glide the way it should. Sometimes it’s a scar that looks fine on the surface but feels tight, pulls when you move, or just doesn’t function the way the rest of your tissue does.
These issues can be frustrating, especially when you’re doing everything “right” and still not getting the results you expect.
What many people don’t realize is that deeper fascial and neurological patterns, often formed from old injuries, repetitive stress, surgery, or even long-held protective tension, can continue influencing how your body moves and feels long after the initial event has healed. When these underlying restrictions aren’t addressed, the body can keep compensating, and those familiar aches or tightness keep resurfacing.
myoActivation® is a precise, gentle needling therapy designed to find and release these hidden patterns of tension. The result? Less pain, better mobility, more aesthetic looking scars and a renewed sense of ease in your body..
Understanding the Hidden Impact of Fascial Restrictions
Our fascia, the intricate web of connective tissue that surrounds and links every muscle, bone, and organ, plays a crucial role in how we move and function. When it becomes restricted, it can limit movement, disrupt circulation and lymphatic flow, and even contribute to digestive or postural issues.
For example, roughly one in three women deliver by C-section, and many continue to experience lasting effects such as back pain, pelvic tightness, or digestive changes years later. As surgical procedures and joint replacements become more common, maintaining fascial health is increasingly important, both for preventing future pain and for enhancing recovery after injury or surgery.
By restoring fascial mobility, myoActivation® helps your body move, heal, and function the way it was designed to, offering lasting relief from pain and restriction rather than temporary fixes.
myoActivation offers a way to bridge the gap
between symptom management and true resolution. By addressing the fascial and neurological drivers behind pain, we’re able to create lasting change, not just temporary relief.
“So many people live with tension or pain that’s been there for years, thinking it’s just part of getting older or part of who they are. Once those hidden fascial patterns are released, it’s incredible how quickly the body remembers how to move freely again.”
What to Expect at Your First Visit
A myoActivation® session begins with a movement-based assessment. Tara observes posture, movement, and tension patterns throughout the body, then identifies the key areas, or “drivers”, that are holding restriction and contributing to pain elsewhere.
Once identified, Tara uses gentle, precise, momentary needling techniques to release those fascial restrictions. Clients may feel a mild “twitch” or release as the tissue lets go, followed by a sense of lightness or freedom in movement. The treatment is generally well tolerated, with most people describing it as intense but relieving rather than painful.
After the session, it’s normal to feel mild soreness or fatigue as the body recalibrates, but many clients notice immediate improvements in movement, posture, and pain levels.
Who Can Benefit
Because myoActivation® works at the level of muscle, fascia, and scar tissue, it can support a wide range of conditions and concerns. It is especially suited for people who:
Have chronic pain that hasn’t fully responded to other treatments
Experience back or neck pain
Have been told they have tight or restrictive fascia
Are looking to support lymphatic health, as fascial restrictions can compromise lymph flow and drainage
Struggle with scar tissue issues such as post-surgical and C-section scars, abdominal or joint-replacement scars, and adhesions
Want to improve the appearance and function of scars, including keloids and thickened or discolored tissue
Experience persistent joint or tendon pain, including golfer’s elbow or tennis elbow, frozen shoulder, plantar fasciitis
Seek improved mobility, range of motion, and overall movement symmetry
Healthcare Professionals
For healthcare professionals, referrals include patients whose pain or limited mobility may be linked to fascial tension, scar tissue, or lymphatic compromise, as well as those with post-surgical scars seeking to improve both aesthetic appearance and functional mobility, particularly when traditional treatments have reached a plateau.
How myoActivation® Can Help with Keloid and Post-Surgical Scars?
Keloid and post-surgical scars can create tightness, discomfort, and restriction in nearby tissues. myoActivation® helps improve both how scars feel and look by addressing the fascial tension beneath them.
Releases Fascial Restrictions
Precise needling techniques release adhesions in the fascia surrounding the scar, helping reduce pulling and improve mobility in the affected area.
Enhances Circulation and Lymphatic Flow
By restoring movement in the tissue, myoActivation® supports better blood flow and drainage, encouraging healthier healing and reducing local inflammation.
Improves Comfort and Appearance
As restrictions ease and circulation improves, scars often become softer, flatter, and less discolored, while sensitivity and tightness decrease.
myoActivation is not acupuncture or dry needling
Although it may look similar to acupuncture or dry needling at first glance, it is not. Acupuncture works through specific points and meridians, and dry needling often involves inserting a needle deep into the muscle and leaving it in place.
What sets myoActivation® apart are several key differences in both assessment and treatment approach.
Assessment Driven
Each session begins with a detailed movement and palpation assessment to locate the source of restriction, not just where pain is felt. This process reveals the patterns of tension that are driving dysfunction throughout the body.
Precise, Momentary Needling
Unlike acupuncture or dry needling, the needles used in myoActivation® are inserted with precision and removed right away. They are not left in the tissue. The intention is to target the exact point of restriction and create a rapid reset in the affected structure. This brief stimulation can:
release trigger points and contracted muscle fibers
soften adhesions in fascia and scar tissue
disrupt pain signals in the nervous system
help reset the muscle spindle and improve muscle activation
This approach allows the tissue to relax, often resulting in noticeable changes in movement, posture, or comfort during the same session.
Fascial Focus
myoActivation® targets the fascia, the connective tissue network that links muscles, organs, and nerves. Fascia can tighten and restrict movement due to scars, injuries, inflammation, or repetitive strain. Releasing these restrictions helps restore mobility and ease.
Scar Integration
This therapy incorporates dedicated scar release protocols, making it highly effective for post surgical or traumatic scars. Many patients experience improvements in both the function and appearance of scars, including C sections, keloid scars, and joint replacement scars.
Lymphatic Support
By restoring fascial mobility, myoActivation® enhances lymphatic flow and circulation, reducing fluid stagnation and supporting tissue healing.
Whole Body Impact
Because it addresses both structural and neurological factors, myoActivation® often leads to improvements in energy, coordination, and overall sense of well being. It supports the body in moving the way it was designed to, rather than compensating around restrictions.
So many people live with tension or pain
that’s been there for years, thinking it’s just part of getting older or part of who they are. Once those hidden fascial patterns are released, it’s incredible how quickly the body remembers how to move freely again.
FAQ
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FAQ 〰️
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Low back pain
Plantar fasciitis and shin splints
Tendonitis
Shoulder pain, including frozen shoulder
Rotator cuff injuries
Sciatica and nerve pain
Joint stiffness and mobility issues
Reduced range of motion
Balance impairments
Headaches and migraines
Pelvic pain
Neck pain and whiplash
Post-surgical pain and scar-related discomfort
Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS)
Fibromyalgia
Vertigo and tinnitus
TMJ (jaw) pain
Carpal tunnel syndrome
Keloid scarring
Hip, knee, and ankle pain
Restless leg syndrome
Bursitis
Arthritis
Other medically unexplained chronic pain conditions
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No. As a Naturopathic Doctor, referrals from other healthcare providers are not required before seeking treatment, unless otherwise specified by your insurance coverage provider.
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Each person’s response to treatment will be different. Many patients experience positive changes and improvements after each session. Typically, patients will require between 3-6 treatments to get sustained resolution.
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Pain is a very subjective experience, and many people have some uneasiness when it comes to needles. That said, we work with you to make the experience as comfortable and reassuring as possible.
Most patients are often surprised that the treatment is not as uncomfortable as they had imagined, and that the benefit of having treatment far outweighs any discomfort experienced during treatment.
Curious about the science behind myoActivation®? Click here to visit The Anatomical Medicine Foundation for Scientific Support and Research on myoActivation®.
Ready to Experience the Difference?
If you’ve tried multiple therapies for chronic pain, post-surgical scars, or stubborn movement issues without lasting results, myoActivation® may be the missing link.
Book a myoActivation® session with Dr. Tara Sloan, ND at Continuum Wellness and discover how releasing fascial restrictions can restore mobility, relieve pain, and help your body heal the way it’s meant to.
“I’ve started referring some of my chronic pain patients to Tara for myoActivation®, especially those with post-surgical scarring or movement restrictions. The results have been impressive, clients report better range of motion and less pain even after one or two sessions. It’s a great complement to the work we do in physiotherapy.”
“I’d been dealing with golfer’s elbow and a friend told me about Tara’s work with myoActivation®, so I figured I’d give it a try. The session felt different, more specific, like she was finding the exact spots that were causing the pull. Within a few days, the deep ache was gone, and I’ve been able to swing again without pain. It’s made a huge difference.”