Many people commonly associate pain in the body with muscles, joints, or bones first. But sometimes, pain can be linked to a lesser known tissue called fascia. Fascia is like a connective web that forms a network throughout the body. It can influence movement, flexibility, posture, and comfort. Fascia is just one component that goes in to the bigger picture of body mechanics that a physical therapist can use to diagnose and treat clients’ pain.
Fascia is a thin, web-like structure that connects and supports the rest of the body. It is like a flexible wrapping that allows for movement while helping to maintain structural integrity among all the parts. This continuous network of tissue surrounds many of the structures in the body, including muscles, bones, nerves, blood vessels, and organs.
In addition to providing structure and support, fascia contributes to the transmission of force during movement, and allows muscles and other tissues to move relative to one another.
Fascia also contains sensory receptors that provide information to the nervous system about movement and body position. So it isn’t simply a passive layer of tissue, it’s an active part of the body’s complex system for sensing and coordinating movement.
How does fascia contribute to pain?
Just like muscles, fascia can become tight or restricted, affecting normal movement patterns that can lead to pain. Unhealthy fascia can form adhesions, where layers of tissue get stuck together when they lack movement or sufficient hydration. Tight spots in both the muscle and its outer fascial layer can form painful nodules, known as trigger points. And tight spots in your fascia can pull on nearby tissues and cause referred pain in other parts of your body.
Common causes of fascial restrictions include:
- sitting too long without breaks
- doing the same repetitive movements every day
- past injuries or surgeries that left scar tissue
- dehydration
Can fascia be manipulated or adjusted?
Physical therapists may use hands-on techniques that influence how tissues move and feel.
These may include soft tissue mobilization, massage, myofascial techniques, stretching, and other forms of manual therapy.
You may hear about fascia being “released,” “stretched,” or “broken up.” While these descriptions are common, they can oversimplify what is actually happening. Manual techniques do not necessarily break apart fascia or dramatically reshape it. Instead, hands-on treatment may help reduce discomfort or tissue sensitivity and make movement feel easier.
This can create the opportunity to move more comfortably in order to then work on improving mobility, strength, and overall function.
So, now you know that fascia is an important component that physical therapists can analyze and address as part of a treatment plan. It is an interesting tissue that not many people are aware of. Along with muscles, joints, bones, tendons, ligaments, and nerves, and more, it forms a complex and interconnected system that works in symphony to power our movements.