Contributed by: Renata Matejko
Fascia contains numerous different sensory neurons. Some of them tend to trigger a relaxation response while others signal potential tissue damage, which is usually associated with a perception of pain. In fact, fascia can be the origin of pain. Another task of fascia is body movement initiation, coordination and fine tuning of that movement. Neurons responsible for that task converge in the brain into the same place, into which also pain and emotional inputs come. There we find the direct link between body movement, pain, emotion and fascia, and it can be argued that by influencing or manipulating one, we can change the other.
For example, studies carried out on patients with back pain, with no visible damage to intervertebral discs, vertebrae, nerves, or muscles, show that their thoracolumbar fascia does not slide and glide as freely as it does in healthy persons. Muscle training does not always help. Since fascia is the origin of pain, one can influence pain through fascia oriented training.
