Fascia Explained: Discover the link between fascia and chronic pain

Is it tired muscles or stiff joints that are causing your pain? Or could it be something else?

These aches & pains can also be caused by a part of your body you might not fully understand, namely, the fascia. Fascia is quite the buzzword at the moment and for a good reason, but do you really know what fascia is, and why this word has become such a hot topic? 

Until recently, fascia received very little attention despite the huge role it plays in every move you make. Science is growing and we are learning more every day about this previously mysterious collagen-dense tissue.

So what is fascia?

Fascia is basically a thin casing of connective tissue throughout your whole body, it is literally everywhere! It is layered between other tissues like skin and muscle. It is woven throughout, wrapped around & holds each muscle fiber, organ, blood vessel, nerve fiber & bone in place. Fascia not only holds everything together, but it actually has nerves that make it nearly as sensitive as skin.  

Healthy fascia is slippery, smooth & flexible & is supposed to stretch as you move. However, certain things can cause this connective tissue to dry up & become sticky & thick. The fascia then tightens around the muscles which then leads to limited mobility & the development of painful ‘knots’. As a result, you end up with all these aches & pains.

The elastic and flexible nature of fascia is vital to everything we do.

How do you know if the pain you are experiencing is fascia-related & not muscle or joint-related?

This can be quite tricky.  Generally however, if the pain is due to muscle injuries & joint problems, the pain tends to be worse the more you move.

In comparison, fascia-related pain tends to feel better with movement & responds well to things like heat therapy (heated beanbag applied to the painful area), massage therapy, foam rolling, etc. These forms of treatment help to bring back the connective tissues' elasticity.

When fascia-related problems are not treated, these adhesions can get worse over time and the fascia actually squeezes & twists the muscles that it covers. This can result in painful trigger points (painful knots in the muscle) developing.

Myofascial pain syndrome is a syndrome characterized by "knots"/trigger points in the muscles and fascial constrictions which can occur in any part of the body.

Typically these trigger points cause:

• Pain in that area during movement
• Reproduction of pain when pressure is applied to that area (to the trigger point)
• Referred pain (pain in seemingly unrelated parts of the body)
• Limited range of motion

In our next blog, we will discuss the different treatment options with video links. Subscribe to our newsletter if you would like it emailed straight to you.