FASCIA
- Admin
- Dec 14, 2016
- 4 min read
FASCIA
Fascia therapy is an absolute must for those people who have done a lot of repetitive physical movements at a high intensity. If you’re an athlete this therapy is definitely for you. For this same reason if you’re a combat veteran please before you try other therapies do this one first. I’ve done Cognitive Processing Therapy, Dialetical Behaviour Therapy, Horse Equine Therapy, Rolfing, Deep tissue massage, shamanic work. And these are all great in and of themselves but if you feel constantly on edge, anxious, and wound tight then myofascial therapy or cranosacral fascia therapy are for you. First I’am going to discuss what fascia is, then how the therapies are effective, and then what you can expect to get from them.
Fascia is the most widely overlooked system within the human body.
It is the biological fabric that holds together every cell within your body. It’s a collagen like substance that holds everything from your organs to your muscles to your bones in place. It’s a thin spidery web of tissue that runs from the top of your head to the bottoms of your feet. It is one single biomechanical regulatory system. If one part of it is strained then then entire system won’t be functioning properly or to maximum efficiency. In traditional medicine we view the body from a reductionist standpoint. We break the body down top to bottom and have specialists for each system. You have heart specialists, kidney specialists, lung specialists the list goes on. If you have a problem with one of these then you go to a specialist who views your body like a mechanic would a car. Bad engine, replace it. But the human body doesn’t just work like that especially the fascial system. It’s interconnected so when trying to find a problem you need to take a holistic approach.
Your fascia system weaves throughout your entire body like a web.
And overtime the physical movements you make will shape this web. Repetitive movements will start to solidify this web. So for instance, if you have bad posture and tend to slump your shoulders then the fascia system would be stretched on your back and tightened around the chest. After awhile if you continue this posture the fascia will tend to solidify or become rigid in that way which will then compress your ribcages making it harder for you to breathe and feel relaxed. Suppose had some form of PTSD and you feel anxious all the time no matter what you do. You can’t seem to take a deep enough breathe. You can decondition your body’s response to stimuli and not have an anxiety attack but because of your past physical conditioning your body is still stuck in certain postures which have an effect on all your systems (circulatory, respitory).
When you loosen and free the fascia then your body is able to open up restoring healthy function and vitality.
For instance, let’s say that you have a web of fascia that is tightened around your ribcage. You cannot breathe deeply so your respiratory system struggles. You feel anxious because of this constriction. With this therapy you can loosen the fascia around these systems so they can function and flow at a more efficient rate. The same works with the circulatory system. If your veins and arteries are being squeezed by the fascia then blood flow is minimized thereby restricting the delivery of oxygen to certain organs. Fascia is responsible for so many conditions that the mainstream healthcare system isn’t noticing.
What is myofascial release?
Myofascial release is a simple hands on technique that allows a person to gain back free range of movement and reduce pain. Repetitive motions, trauma, inflammatory responses, and surgeries all create fascial restrictions on the human system. A fascia therapist will place his or her hands on the person and feel for these restrictions. He will apply a certain amount of pressure to that zone until the fascia starts to release and loosen. By the end of the session you will feel that your body has opened up in certain ways and that you have a deeper awareness of parts of your body that you did not have previously.
For me this was the most effective and lifechanging therapy ever. After my first session I finally felt less tense and anxious. Beforehand, no matter what I was doing, I always felt tense, tight, and stressed. I could be doing relaxing activities such as chilling in a jacuzzi but still my body felt very tight. After my first fascia session I felt my entire body and mind open up. It was as if someone had reached into my inner being and starting mixing everything in there. I felt more in flow and present minded. If you’re a tight and anxious person who gets locked up in the mind a lot then I strongly suggest you do this therapy as it will change your life. I cannot stress this enough. If you’re a combat veteran or have done a lot of heavy movements with your body try this therapy. It will bring you to a state of permanent ease quicker than any modality.
Here is a list of the symptoms that it treats.
Back Pain
Headaches
Whiplash
Pelvic Pain
Neck Pain
Sports Injuries
Chronic Pain
Disc Problems
Migraines
Pelvic Floor Dysfunction
Neurological Dysfunction
Fibromyalgia
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Adhesions
Carpal Tunnel
Jaw Pain (TMJ)
Painful Scars
Scoliosis
Infants/Children
Sciatica
Myofascial Pain Syndrome
Women's Health Issues
This therapy is essentially about loosening your entire body up.
Think about your postures. When you get angry at a person what posture do you take. You usually cross your arms and close your body off to that person. However, with someone you feel affection for you open yourself up. So when you have physical trauma a lot of the times the body has a quick response to close itself off. It’s a self protective mechanism. However, once you leave that trauma the body stays closed off and in a safeguarded position. It needs to open back up. Myofascial release will help you open your body back up. And remember you are your body. So if your body is closed up then your mind and emotions will follow.
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