You might attribute a painful neck or a backache to tired muscles or stiff joints. But these symptoms can also be caused by a part of your body you probably haven’t heard of: the fascia. Until recently, this network of tissue throughout the body received very little attention despite its major role in every move you make.
What is Fascia? Fascia is a thin casing of connective tissue that surrounds and holds every organ, blood vessel, bone, nerve fiber and muscle in place. The tissue does more than provide internal structure; fascia has nerves that make it almost as sensitive as skin. When stressed, it tightens up.
Although fascia looks like one sheet of tissue, it’s actually made up of multiple layers with liquid in between called hyaluronan. It’s designed to stretch as you move. But there are certain things that cause fascia to thicken and become sticky. When it dries up and tightens around muscles, it can limit mobility and cause painful knots (trigger points) to develop.
Fascia-Related Muscle Pain and Stiffness
Healthy (Left) vs. Unhealthy (Right) Fascia
Healthy fascia is smooth, slippery and flexible. Factors that cause fascia to become gummy and crinkle up (called adhesion) include:
-A lifestyle of limited physical activity (too little movement day after day)
-Repetitive movement that overworks one part of the body
-Trauma such as surgery or injury
Is it Fascial Pain? Determining whether your pain is due to muscles, joints or fascia can be difficult. In general, muscle injuries and joint problems feel worse the more you move. Fascial adhesions tend to feel better with movement and also respond well to heat therapy, which helps bring back the tissue’s elasticity.
For some people, adhesions can worsen over time, causing the fascia to compress and contort the muscles it surrounds. This can result in hard, tender knots in the fascia, called trigger points. Myofascial pain syndrome is a condition in which those trigger points cause pain to occur during movement, when pressure is applied, and pain in unrelated part of the body (referral pain).
To Learn More About Fascia, find my favorite resources here:
How to Keep Fascia Flexible Keeping your fascia healthy has many benefits. You’ll move more easily, have better range of motion and experience less pain. Things you can do to prevent and lessen fascia problems include:
Moving more: In addition to a consistent but varied exercise routine, it’s important to be active throughout the day. Have a desk job? Take at least a two-minute break every half hour to hour to stand up and move around, which helps fascia stay supple. Consider walking meetings or stand up and walk while participating in conference calls.
Stretching regularly: Stretching is essential for good health. It reduces the risk of inflammation and structural problems in the body.
Focusing on posture: Slumping over a desk or a phone or walking in an awkward way to compensate for an injury can cause fascia to tighten. Try to maintain good posture while sitting or standing. Perfect posture is described as "anatomical neutral".
Tools to help you keep good posture:
Receive Regular Massage: A licensed massage therapist trained in myofascial, fascial, trigger point or neuromuscular massage can encourage your fascia and muscles to work together by applying sustained pressure to the fascia/connective tissue resulting in pain relief, restored range of motion and no more trigger points.
If you can not get in as regularly as you would like for massage or if you need help keeping up between appointments here are my favorite self-care tools:
OR
Check out my article "21 Best Self-Care Gifts To Help Your Loved Ones Relax"
Drink Water
The fascia relies on how hydrated it is to function properly. Staying hydrated can insure that the fascia will stay ooey, gooey and pliable, which, in the long run will make sure that you can move your body without limitations.
Find my favorite water bottle here:
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you.
*Cited from John Hopkins University
留言