Fun Fascia Facts!

Check out the latest research!

While working on my upcoming, in person fascia fitness classes, I did a little research online looking for studies on the fascia.  I was blown away to see that the medical community is FINALLY getting on board with the fascia and how it is connected to chronic pain!

"Muscle Pain: It May Actually Be Your Fascia" ~ Johns Hopkins Medicine

Have you ever blamed a stiff neck or backache on tired muscles or stiff joints? It turns out, there’s another culprit you might not have heard of: fascia. Despite its crucial role in every movement, this network of tissue throughout the body has long been overlooked.

What is fascia?

Fascia is a thin casing of connective tissue that surrounds and supports every organ, blood vessel, bone, nerve fiber, and muscle in your body. It does more than just provide structure—it's as sensitive as skin, with nerves that react to stress by tightening up.

Though it might appear as one sheet of tissue, fascia is actually made up of multiple layers with a liquid called hyaluronan in between. It's designed to stretch as you move, but certain factors can cause it to thicken and become sticky. When it dries up and tightens around muscles, it can limit mobility and lead to painful knots.

Your fascia is like a sponge.  Would you use a dried up crusty sponge to wipe up a spill?

No.  You hold the sponge under the faucet of running water, squeeze it and soften it up, then then you wipe up the spill.  Your fascia is meant to be moist, supple, and moveable.

Fascia-Related Muscle Pain and Stiffness

Healthy fascia is smooth, slippery, and flexible. However, factors such as limited physical activity, repetitive movement, or trauma like surgery or injury can cause fascia to become gummy and crinkle up, a condition known as adhesion.

Is it fascia pain?

Distinguishing whether your pain stems from muscles, joints, or fascia can be tricky. Generally, muscle injuries and joint issues worsen with movement, while fascia adhesions often feel better with movement and respond well to heat therapy, which restores the tissue’s elasticity.

Over time, adhesions can worsen, compressing and contorting the surrounding muscles, leading to hard, tender knots known as trigger points. Myofascial pain syndrome can occur when these trigger points cause pain during movement, when pressure is applied, or even in seemingly unrelated parts of the body (referred pain).

Treatment focuses on relieving pain and relaxing tight fascia and muscle fibers. Modern day medicine options include pain relievers, physical therapy, and injections of medication directly into trigger points.  But in my experience...these don't work.  What works is myofascial release using the Melt Method® techniques.

Did you know that Myofascial Pain Syndrome (MPS) is often misdiagnosed as Fibromyalgia?

Check out this research article here.

Understanding Fascial Adhesion: Causes and Consequences

Fascial adhesion occurs when fascia, the thin casing of connective tissue in the body, heals in a disorganized manner, forming clumps instead of returning to its smooth texture. This condition can have painful consequences as the fascia adheres to muscles or scar tissue, restricting movement and causing nerve entrapment.

The Problem with Fascial Adhesion

Unlike its original flat and smooth state, fascia may heal into a tangled mess, known as fascial adhesion. This can lead to various issues:

• Nerve Entrapment: Fascia, rich in nerve endings, can entrap surrounding nerves as it stiffens through adhesion, causing conditions like radiculopathy and resulting in pain.
• Limited Motion and Muscle Dysfunction: Fascial adhesion restricts independent motion and the friction-reducing capabilities of fascia, leading to muscle cramps, spasms, and consistent misfiring of nerves.

Global Pain and Discomfort

• Improper healing of fascia can result in pain and discomfort not only locally but also globally throughout the body due to its interconnected nature. 

For instance...

Plantar Fasciitis: Damage to the fascia in the foot can cause discomfort in seemingly unrelated areas such as the shin. In rare cases, it can even lead to pain as far away as the shoulder.

Understanding the Impact

Fascial adhesion is more than just a localized issue—it can have widespread consequences, affecting various bodily functions and causing discomfort in unexpected places. Recognizing its effects is crucial for effective treatment and management of pain and dysfunction associated with this condition.

The Challenge of Diagnosing Fascial Pain

One of the challenges with fascial pain is that medical practitioners struggle to image and visualize fascia effectively. Modern imaging techniques often fail to detect fascia with enough clarity for doctors to make a definitive diagnosis. As a result, pain caused by fascia is frequently overlooked by the medical community. This can lead to frustration as patients may visit multiple specialists without receiving useful information about the source of their pain.

However, there's good news! Despite past skepticism from some doctors about fascial pain, an increasing number of clinicians now recognize the close relationship between fascia and chronic pain. This awareness has led to the development of a diverse range of options to address and resolve fascial pain. So, while diagnosing fascial pain may still be a challenge, there are more treatment avenues available than ever before.

• Fascia focused movement
• Massage therapy
• Rolfing
• Adhesion removal
• Melt Method

Are all examples of natural solutions to treat myofascial pain.

As I work to become a Certified Fascia Fitness Trainer, I believe more and more in the Melt Method techniques for achieving a pain-free life.

If you can attend one of my in-person sessions below, I highly recommend it.  I promise not to disappoint.

Click here to learn about upcoming Dynamic Fascia Fitness classes starting in the end of June, 2024.

Cheers!

Nicole