Foam Rolling 101 January 22, 2018
How Fascia Shapes Us
The connective-tissue net known as facia, weaves the body into one integrated whole.
We tend to view the body in mechanical terms i.e. the heart a pump, the brain a computer as we live in a industrial age.
In anatomy books we see the body as muscles, ligaments as if assembled like a car or an iPhone.
Our bodies are much more like plants vs machines. We are not glued together in tine parts. As adults we are approximately 100 trillion cells weaved together by a fluid fascial network. A strong, greasy and sticky fabric holding us firmly together.
The entire body works together not as individual’s parts in which our bodies are often described and by some, “treated.”
No tissue or cell exists on its own. They blend together into periosteum – vascular connective tissues and the surrounding muscles and fascial sheets. Your body grew up together vs was assembled.
Your quadricep muscles are connected / intertwined by fascial to muscles above, below, under, over and to the ligaments deep in the hip, pelvis. If you contract the quadriceps all the structures connecting/ knitted to each other will be influenced.
i.e. a release in your tricep can impact your shoulder, forearm and hand.
The function of the fascia – Fascia impacts tension, proprioception, and interoception that embed the neuromuscular network helping keep our shape, guide movement, and coordinate postural patterns as controlled by your nerve system.
A fascia (/ˈfæʃə/, /ˈfæʃiə/; plural fasciae /ˈfæʃɪ.i/; adjective fascial; from Latin: “band”) is a band or sheet of connective tissue, primarily collagen and proteins, beneath the skin that attaches, stabilizes, encloses, and separates muscles and other internal organs.
Fascia
Imagine your body being wrapped entirely in plastic wrap. When you tug on one part of the wrap, it will tighten elsewhere. If you tugged hard enough, the wrap could tear anywhere there is enough tension placed upon it. Your body actually has a system like this in place — only it’s on the inside where we can’t see.
Fascia is internal connective tissue that wraps around organs, providing support and holding parts together. It has the appearance of a very thin spider web, connecting layers of muscle and surrounding all internal body tissues.
Fascia Elasticity
When in a normal, healthy state, fascia is somewhat relaxed and wavy, much like a gentle yet supportive hug. The elasticity of fascia is due to many interlocking collagen fibers, or strands of proteins that act like coiled springs: being strong, but stretchy. This allows the fascia to be responsive and flexible when it comes to movement and activity. But when excessive physical strain or trauma occurs, the fascia becomes tense and strained. This can not only cause pain and discomfort, but also limit the body’s range of motion.
Fascia is a specialized system of the body that has an appearance similar to a spider’s web or a sweater. Fascia is very densely woven, covering and interpenetrating every muscle, bone, nerve, artery and vein, as well as, all of our internal organs including the heart, lungs, brain and spinal cord. The most interesting aspect of the fascial system is that it is not just a system of separate coverings. It is actually one continuous structure that exists from head to toe without interruption. In this way you can begin to see that each part of the entire body is connected to every other part by the fascia, like the yarn in a sweater.
Trauma, inflammatory responses, and/or surgical procedures create Myofascial restrictions that can produce tensile pressures of approximately 2,000 pounds per square inch on pain sensitive structures that do not show up in many of the standard tests (x-rays, myelograms, CAT scans, electromyography, etc
We will explore an exciting new paradigm of the Myofascial system that is emerging and the important concepts of piezoelectricity, fiber optics, mechanotransduction, fluid dynamics, quantum physics, fractal geometry, complexity and chaos theory, and cellular consciousness.
Fascia plays an important role in the support and function of our bodies, since it surrounds and attaches to all structures. In the normal healthy state, the fascia is relaxed and wavy in configuration. It has the ability to stretch and move without restriction. When one experiences physical trauma, emotional trauma, scarring, or inflammation, however, the fascia loses its pliability. It becomes tight, restricted, and a source of tension to the rest of the body. Trauma, such as a fall, car accident, whiplash, surgery or just habitual poor posture and repetitive stress injuries has cumulative effects on the body. The changes trauma causes in the fascial system influences comfort and function of our body. Fascial restrictions can exert excessive pressure causing all kinds of symptoms producing pain, headaches or restriction of motion. Fascial restrictions affect our flexibility and stability and are a determining factor in our ability to withstand stress and perform daily activities.
Fascia like all cells, organs and tissues, are controlled by the nerve system – Fascial patterns of tightness can impact chronic subluxations and hold memories of trauma; physical mental and emotional like muscles and cells. Patterns of subluxation can be interrupted and re-patterned or trained with repetition and consistency of resetting the neurology with a chiropractic adjustment, balancing physical, mental, emotional and nutritional stress impacting hormones, catecholamines and more.
Dr. Wendy Coburn www. chiropracticbalance.com 780-484-2272
