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The over emphasis on fascia
I’m sure this will be controversial. But like everything I write in here, it’s my truth.
There is too much emphasis on fascia. And I feel that is one of the reasons that holds our profession back. I never once think about fascia when I’m working(doing my best to help people out of pain). I do however think about muscle. Muscle has a much, much, much sronger contractile force then fascia. There is really no comparison. Muscles move bones. And can certainly distort posture. Then when you consider the fact that muscles work in chains and groups that function as one powerful muscle. You are going to be a much more effective therapist if you concentrate on releasing tight painful contracted muscle tissue, instead of of releasing fascia. My opinion only. Something to think about?
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Kit Lofroos on
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(PS- the chart above is from Tom Meyers's Anatomy trains, the Deep Front Line, which is focused on facial lines.....)
A video on 'Proprioception of fascia' by Jaap Van der Wal:
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Tom Myers and Dr Robert Schleip discussing proprioception and interoception
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Permalink Reply by Gordon J. Wallis on
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Kit, I watched the video. But for me personally, it means nothing? No practical value. Just cool intellectual stuff. That’s why I started this thread. This over emphasis on fascia, on a practical level, is only good for continuing education credits.
70% of all pain on the planet is trigger points. That’s where the emphasis needs to be. If you wanna help people out of pain(as a massage therapist).
A hundred chronic pain people come to you. You are going to dramatically help 70 of them. If you are checking for trigger points.
Recently a new patient came into the clinic suffering from two years of plantar fasciitis. Even the name fasciitis implies fascia.
She went through weeks of physical therapy. They had her exercising her feet. Stretching her feet. All in order to loosen up the plantar fascia. None of that workeed. Exercising a trigger pointed muscle is the worst possible thing to do.
So now she is in a big time pain management clinic. Her plantar fasciitis Pain she rated at a 9/10 on the pain scale !! She limped when walking. Medication did not touch it.
One of the doctors I work with wanted me to check her out, because he suspected myofascial pain. Which means, in the clinic I work in, trigger points.
In 15 minutes her plantar fasciitis was gone. It was one trigger point on the plantar surface of her heal. If I did not work there, the anesthesiologist or Osteopathic physician I work with, would have Injected that trigger point with the same result. Pain gone.
She was freaked out happy. She was hobbling when she walked into the clinic. After 15 minutes she said, “I can walk”.
Only one trigger point!
I have an advanced way to eliminate trigger points. But it was just a trigger point. Someone else, not brainwashed about fascia, would have helped her in a relatively brief amount of time, if they were thinking about trigger points.
It’s way more practical for a massage therapist to think in terms of trigger points rather then fascia(If you want to help people out of pain). That’s all I’m trying to say.
My opinion.
Not telling anyone what to do or how to think. This is just what I know. What I know can change.
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Gil Hedley on integral human anatomy, fascia and the link between body fat and consumer culture. Gil Hedley talks to Doerte Weig about how discovering our inner bodies allows us to experience our bodies as continuous, to accept muscles as scientific mental creations, to understand how our connective tissues fascia enables movement, and how with appreciation for our bodies we can even come to love our fat.
http://somaticstoolkit.coventry.ac.uk/s02-episode-1-gil-hedley-inte...
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Gordon- You may or may not be interested in this article:
https://www.dynamicchiropractic.com/digital/index.php?i=1254&s=...
Also, have you read any AT Still or other osteopaths for their understandings and inquiries into
the depth of fascia in the body?
Gordon J. Wallis said:I will check his videos out.
Kit Lofroos said:Your initial statement was incomplete only because only in your follow-up did you mention any of your issues and ideas.
Whatever you are doing is helping your patients/clients, which is good for them.There is no one way, to offer healing- except not causing more pain!
There is no way of doing Trigger points, etc. (enter most any modality here) without affecting fascia since yet again, you are affecting fascia when you are doing trigger points. Even Acupuncture needles affect fascia at the Meridian points.
The Tp's fascial collagen and viscoeleastic fibers are stuck together encumbering movements of muscles.
Still recommend Gil's reverent dissection videos. They gave me a deeper appreciation of the functional form of ALL of the body's tissues that are interconnected----- through fascia.
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Kit, I appreciate the interaction. Everyone talks about fascia. You can believe all that stuff if you want. It’s like all these people believing in chi. A mysterious energy that flows through imaginary vessels. I know that muscles move bones. One can argue that fascia moves bones if they want.
With the system I’ve discovered. I can release, by initiating a neurological reflex, a tight contracted muscle instantly. Because it has a kabillion times more contractile ability then fascia. If you don’t believe me. Try contracting your biceps fascia?
Now, one can argue theory all they want. A successful procedure will work regardless of theory. So in that sense, it doesn’t matter. If the technique works, it works. And for our clients. That’s what matters.
But I have been able to help a great many people that other educated trained professionals were unable to help. Not because I’m so great. But because the other professionals were not thinking trigger points(which is only 80% of pain on the planet).
You watch or attend a seminar taught by Rolfers. They are the big time guru Continuing education people in our profession. You will hear the word fascia. You will not hear the word trigger point. Watch them on YouTube.
That’s why I write in here. All this fascia emphasis( as interesting as it is), somehow distracts from the truth of trigger points.
There are two attachments below which state the truth.
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I found this in my phone photo album. It’s obviously an opinion. I totally agree with it. See attachment below.
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Ok.
Regardless of all of the above opinion and discussion, fascia is still the most abundant protein in our bodies. Without fascia, our lungs would be two deflated balloons, and our livers would resemble a plastic bag filled with jelly.
Fascia not only covers our muscles, but it interweaves itself throughout our entire body all the way down to the cellular level, makes its way through the intercellular matrices (& intracellular) of cells as well.
Healthy and vital fascia presents has a dynamic elastic quality that gives us the ability to twist, bend and re-coil; it demonstrates exceptional strength, while remaining freely movable and elastic.
Checkout the history of dissection, esp. of Andreas Vesalius, (1512-1564).
https://web.archive.org/web/20100820152848/http://archive.nlm.nih.g...
http://archive.nlm.nih.gov/proj/ttp/vesaliusgallery.htm
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Ok fascia is important. But so is the liver.
As a massage therapist trying to help clients/patients out of pain. It’s very helpful(I’d say essential) to be able to eliminate trigger points. It has a profound effect at eliminating pain. You don’t have to know anything about fascia.
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