How fascia creates chronic pain

By Patricia Delzell, M.D., Advanced Musculoskeletal Medicine Consultants, Inc.

Fascia is a thin casing of connective tissue that surrounds and holds in place every organ, blood vessel, bone, nerve fiber and muscle in our bodies. I like to call it the body’s “scaffolding.” But fascia does more than provide internal structure; it is a complex neurovascular network made up of connective tissue, water and nerves.

As a neurovascular network, fascia sends signals to the brain about our muscular health. If the fascia becomes damaged or dysfunctional, it can cause painful conditions including fibromyalgia and myofascial pain syndrome.

Dysfunctional fascia—which can be caused by scar resulting from a lack of lubrication or movement—gives signals to the brain that something is seriously wrong even when that’s not true. For example, fascia can misfire sending pain signals to the brain indicating there is a severe muscle or tendon injury when there is only fascial scar and dysfunction present.

There are lots of sympathetic nerves in fascia and when we are nervous or experiencing high stress or anxiety, the system starts firing. This is fundamental to the mind-body connection. For example, we often hold stress in our shoulders which can manifest as a pain sensation.

Treating the fascia includes drinking lots of water to increase lubrication, slow, methodical stretching which helps break up scar tissue and reset fascia, and meditation which activates the parasympathetic nervous system. Activating the parasympathetic nervous system downregulates the sympathetic nervous system, effectively modifying pain sensations throughout the body. This is why moving meditations such as yoga, tai chi and qigong are so effective.

Fascia is important both physically and emotionally for people experiencing musculoskeletal pain. This is why our integrative treatment—involving the body, mind and spirit—works so well in helping our patients find relief from chronic pain.

Advanced Musculoskeletal Medicine Consultants’ new offices are at 8401 Chagrin Rd., Suite 20A, in Chagrin Falls. To schedule a chronic pain phone consultation, call 440-557-5011. Visit AdvancedMMC.com for more information, including blogs and videos.