What is fascia?
Throughout our entire body there is a fine net or web of connective tissue which covers and penetrates every bone, muscle and organ of our bodies. The fascia is a continuous system, and runs as one from head to toe. It is what connects all the parts of our bodies to each other.
How does the fascia affect us?
When the body experiences any kind of trauma or stress, the fascia which is usually soft and wavy tightens up. This tightening of the fascia is what presents itself as stiffness or pain in the form of headaches and migraines or stiffness in the neck and back which we often attribute to stress.
Physical injury to the body, from an accident or a sporting incident will also cause the fascia to tighten and make any movement in that are painful or impossible. These points where the fascia tightens and presents pain are referred to a trigger points.
What causes a trigger point to form?
The list varies and is often open to debate but the consensus is that the following factors do impact on the forming of trigger points:
- Physical trauma – accidents, sharp blow to the body etc.
- Poor posture – many a parent and teacher will jump on this one
- Not being mobile – movement needs to take place often and for substantial amounts of time to prevent that seized up feeling.
- Over-training on the sports field
- Insufficient rest between training sessions
Damage or stress to the fascia can result in:
- Headaches
- Chronic back and neck pain
- Reduced flexibility
- Recurring injuries
- Fascial Release Therapy
This is a hands-on therapy that requires massage and manipulation to restore movement, improved breathing and posture, and reducing the occurrence of repeat injuries.
Fascial release therapy is a regarded as a highly effective therapy, that should be administered by a qualified professional. A consultation and discussion should be your first step before you embark on any therapy.
Each patient is different so the outcomes will vary from person to person but you should be able to notice a difference after a few sessions of fascial release therapy.