Fascia Part 1: An Important Piece Of The Pain Puzzle
Pic: cgines
Things hurt sometimes. You get pains and aches. It’s ok, because generally you can fix it. However, sometimes the issue may not be so simple. Got hamstring problems? How about tight calves? Get constant pain in your arches? Back get sore occasionally? All these problems can be, and often are related to fascia. What in the world is Fascia? Read on…this 3 part series will tell you all you need to know about this important piece of the pain puzzle. Part 1 is going to cover what fascia is, how it becomes tight and why it causes you pain. Problems and solutions come in the next two parts. I am a firm believer in understanding a concept makes it easier to apply.
What Is Fascia?
Fascia is a massive sheath of connective tissue that surrounds everything inside your body. Really, everything. Right from top to bottom you are covered in fascia. There are three different types that can be located in the body.
- Superficial- Surrounds face, neck and sternum
- Visceral- Surrounds Organs
- Deep- Surrounds muscles
We are concerned with the deep fascia. The deep fascia is a tough, thick and fibrous connective tissue that surrounds all of your muscles. Deep fascia does what your muscles can do, it contracts and relaxes, and it has sensory receptors that detect pain and proprioception.
Every single muscle in your body is wrapped tightly in many directions of fascia. The interconnected nature of fascia means that everything in the body is connected to everything else. Fascia is basically all joined in various lines throughout the body. Here are the 5 lines of fascia.
- Superficial back line- starts at the bottom of your feet and goes up and over the top of your head.
- Superficial front line- Starts on the top of your feet at the toes and ends behind the ear.
- Lateral line- Runs along the side of your lower body, hips, and obliques.
- Spiral line- Wraps from side to side along the body.
- Deep front line- Runs along the spine and jaw.
Front and Back Fascial Lines Pic: Kayaprajna
Everything is really connected by your fascia! You can see how if it is not functioning how it should be in one area, you may be in for some trouble. If your fascia is too tight, it can restrict your muscles ability to perform optimally, not to mention grow and repair. Remember, it’s like it’s holding the muscle together, if it’s too tight, there’s no room to move. It can also alter your biomechanics and cause you problems in other areas.
How Can Fascia Cause Pain?
When one part of the fascia is injured or tight, it can affect tissues that are pretty far away from the actual site of tightness or injury. We will go through more examples of problems caused by tight fascia in Part 2, however here is a small example to get your head around how fascia can really make a meal of your body functions. I read about this test in t-nation.
- Stand up, with your legs straight try to touch your toes, note how far you get,
- Grab a tennis ball, standing on one leg, place the tennis ball under the other foot and roll around for about 30 seconds. Go slowly, and stop on any extra sore points.
- Repeat with the other foot.
- Do the toe touch test again.
Most of you will find you got a little bit further, or felt much less of a pull on your hamstrings, This is because your fascia starts at your feet, and runs right up through to your hammies. If you have tight fascia in your feet, you will have tight fascia in your hammies. See how interconnected you are?!
Do this test and you might be able to get further than this guy Pic: ninjapoodles
But How Does It Get So Tight?
There are three ways in which your fascia can become tight.
Trauma
When you injure a muscle and it’s fascia, your body responds by trying to fix it. Fascia is healed with a special collagen fibre. These are laid down in many different directions over the injured point. Your body is basically overcompensating. If the fibres don’t align normally, they can contract and cause a tight spot. Therefore the mobility of the whole fascial unit is compromised.
Chronic Strain
When a tissue is overloaded chronically (long term) your body will produce more collagen. It then accumulates in the fascia that has been overloaded. Same deal as above, thicker tighter fascia leads to many problems. This is probably the number one cause of fascia pain for people. When you sit down at a desk, your Psoas is constantly shortened. When you use the computer, your shoulder is under the same strain everyday. This strain every single day will cause the fascia to react and become tighter, causing trigger points through it and the muscle. Your fascia will change and mould with what you are doing. Incorrect biomechanics or repeat movements will cause your fascia to adapt and take on the abnormal movement patterns and structure.
Immobility
When you are immobile for as little as four weeks, collagen forms on the affected fascia. When immobile there is also an issue of less water binding within the fascia, and the collagen fibres become closer to each other. The flexibility of the fascia then decreases. You see how if you have your leg in a cast for an extended period of time, why you are so stiff when you get out. Same with any injury that causes you to be immobile.
Until Next Time…
If you got your head around all that you are doing well. The most important things to take out from this post is that
- Your fascia is connected right throughout your body.
- It is very adaptable and will change with repeat movements and strain, causing tightness, and therefore trigger points, pain and biomechanical issues.
- If one area isn’t functioning chances are another will be greatly affected, everything is connected.
Take a break and digest this info, but stay tuned….Part 2 ( next thursday) will go through some of the more common problems associated with abnormal fascial function. Part 3 is even better.
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11 Responses to “Fascia Part 1: An Important Piece Of The Pain Puzzle”
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Looks like the makings of another great series here, Lauren. I love the pic of the front and back fascial lines!
I think it’s important people understand the interconnectedness of the body. We get locked into trying to develop one area and forget the others. This, as you know, can can cause imbalances of all kinds, leading to posture problems and eventually to chronic pain and stiffness. We also tend to feel pain in one area and assume its cause must be in that area, not realizing that a pain in the neck could be (and most likely is) the result of a combination of issues elsewhere in the body.
Thanks again for another informative post.
I’m with Philip…great post, and looking forward to more info in the next part of the series. I like how you combine a general topic with a specific example that people are able to do right in their homes.
Guys, thanks for the kind words. This is a concept that is important to understand. The body is very much interconnected and a problem in one area will almost always cause or be caused by a problem in another area!
Cheers
hey good post,
i have a problem with my shins, i really don’t think its shin splints, as i only get pain when walking at a fast pace. the problem is that during the time i walk at a fast pace my shins start to burn and feel really tight, i can only reproduce the pain if i flex my toes towards my shins against a rubber band and hold, the longer i hold the more similar the pain. i don’t get this with running just walking fast, and i don’t have trouble once i stopped. i read a little about compartment syndrome, i think that fits the symptoms.
i was just wondering if this post could be related, i have many sprains on my ankles, and my shins have been bashed about throughout my teens, i blame bmx’s lol.
if you have any thoughts they’d be much appreciated
thank you. joe
@Joe - Sounds like it could be compartment syndrome, particularly if you have had trauma to your shins due to the BMX-ing. If that’s the case, being a yoga guy, I’d suggest spending some time in hero’s pose. It’s a great posture for stretching the ankles and connective tissue along the fronts of the legs.
If it’s not compartment syndrome, I might suggest it could be a lack of strength in the tibialis anterior, which is the main muscle on the front of the shin. It crosses the medial side of the ankle joint, which means it is also effected by ankle sprains. To strengthen this, you might try sitting in a rolling chair, flexing the feet, and moving your chair along the floor using your heels. If you experience pain, take a break. If you’re consistent, this may help.
Peace,
Philip
@ Joe
Philip has given you a great answer but I’ll try and back that up. It could be compartment syndrome, which is often characterized but a weakness in the tibialis anterior, where you are saying you are getting pain. it could also just be an overactive tibialis anterior. Either way my suggestion first and foremost would be to see a specialist, this stuff usually happens from bad biomechanics and you may need insoles/ orthotics in your shoes.
In the meantime do a lot of self massage through that area. The exercises Philip suggested are great too. But if they cause you any pain, stop. If it is a weakness in that muscle it may be whats needed. I suggest start with some self massage and icing after pain. Go from there. Definitely see a specialist though it seems as though you may need some help with your shoes!
If it is compartment syndrome it has a lot to do with fascia. Stretch your hip flexors. They are connected and a lot of people find relief this way.
Cheers.
thanks alot, i try the things you both said, and ill go and see a doctor, see whats what.
Great article! I can’t wait for the rest of it. I’ve recently figured out that I have something called Plantars Fasciitis and its killing me. I sit at a computer all day - and have put on lots of weight and now I think the combination of the added strain of the weight and the sedentary lifestyle has caused this fascia to become inflamed. Its awful. I can hardly walk any more. If I sit for more than 15 minutes it becomes painful to walk on it. As it stretches the pain dissipates, so after five minutes of walking I’m ok again.
Can’t wait for part 2!
Hey Private Idaho, I’m glad you liked it. Part 2 and 3 have a specific focus on plantar fascia, so keep an eye out next thursday! It is a very painful condition.
Hi Lauren,
Very interesting, this reminds me of the “Body Human” exhibit I saw.
I don’t know if that has anything to do with fascia as you’ve described, but I do know that when I’ve had a pain “here” it often is coming from someplace else….over a year ago I could hardly move my right arm and it turned out to be a pinched nerve in my neck. I had to do several sessions at the chiropractor to get that worked out, it was really bad.
I really, though, saw this as going beyond the physical and to the mental/emotional; it started with how I was feeling about my job and manifested in my body.
Thanks for this very informative article, it’s always interesting to learn more about the amazing workings of the physical body.
I thought that I had a basic understanding of most things in the body. I was wrong - I had no idea that the fascia had such an impact throughout the entire physical being.
Great post - I am looking forward to reading parts 2 and 3.