Tip #3: Fascia and Back Pain
Back pain isn’t always black and white. Pathologic changes in connective tissue result in changes to the tissue properties – thickening, shortening and calcification. These changes result from sudden (traumas), sustained/chronic forces, bend and shear mechanical forces (like a golf swing), and a lack of proper movement. Sustained inappropriate forces causes the fascia to adapt resulting in reduced pliability and may lead to varying degrees of nerve entrapment in the fascia/connective tissue, common with sciatic pain that is not pinched at the spine-nerve root exist. Nerve receptors in the fascia communicate with the CNS as part of the adaptation process. The sensory input via paciinian corpuscle inform the CNS about the rate of acceleration in an area and therefore, affect reflex responses. Fascial srtuctures, tendons and ligaments, contain highly sensitized receptors in the form of mechanoreceptors and proprioceptors. These receptors can be influenced by bio-mechanical changes and fascial changes that adversely affect the sensory mechanisms in pain syndromes. High-quality manual therapy used in combination with specific or analytical exercises, like the ELDOA or Myofascial Stretching, normalize these pathologic changes in the tissue and communication signals. Often times, after a surgical procedure, the pain still exists, even though the joint has been stabilized/fused simply due to the fact that ALL of the tissue was not properly addressed.