Fascia, Chronic Pain & Emotions

If a therapist was to talk to you about your muscles or bones, it’s a tangible body part that we all know and can relate to. When it comes to Fascia, the vast majority of people don’t know or understand what it is, what it does, and importantly that it is one of the most integral systems in our body. 

What is Fascia?

Fascia is a stringy web of connective tissue. I’d like you to close your eyes and imagine a three dimensional web that starts at the top of your head reaching all the way down to your toes. In amongst that web, it’s surrounding and holding every organ, blood vessel, bone, nerve fibre and muscle in place. It holds our body’s structure and if we didn’t have fascia our tissues, organs, muscles and bones would be a puddle at our feet.

When our fascia is healthy, it is a smooth fluid-like structure adapting and moving seamlessly with our body. When the fascia is unhealthy it can become dehydrated, harden and in some chronic cases, crystallise. These cause restrictions in our body, which can limit movement, tighten around our nerves & muscles and cause painful knots to develop. 

Restrictions can be caused by scar tissue from surgical procedures, poor posture, physical trauma and it is now widely accepted emotional trauma. 

So where does the emotion come in?

We have all experienced some form of emotional trauma in our lives and when we have repressed these emotions they can become held in the soft tissues of the body which can manifest into physical holding patterns. 

I'm sure we can all identify a time where we have braced our body if something has frightened us or at a near miss in the car. Our muscles bracing is our body's natural defence to the ‘threat’, but if our body is continually experiencing being threatened, for example in periods of chronic stress, the consistent bracing will inevitably have an impact on our physiology. 

If the physical or emotional trauma is not released, that is when our pain can become Chronic pain*. 

There are also injuries where the physical and emotional trauma are combined. For example with a whiplash injury, you have the physical trauma stored in the tissues from the impact and the emotional trauma from the accident; the shock, the bracing, the event itself.

In my experience clients that present with chronic pain more often than not will have an unresolved emotional element attached to their pain and this is where the pain can return again and why some physical therapies have not been able to relieve the symptoms long term. As they deal with the presenting symptom and are unable to get to the underlying cause.

“We have learned that trauma is not just an event that took place sometime in the past; it is also the  imprint left by that experience on mind, brain, and body"

The Body Keeps The Score | Bessel van der Kolk

Fascial Release Bodywork works with all four layers of fascia and is gentle & extremely effective treatment for chronic pain, reduced mobility and releasing negative emotional holding patterns from the body. It recognises and works with the connection between our physical & emotional health allowing the client to heal at the deepest level. 

If you would like to discuss your treatment or to book your appointment please contact Hanna on 07950 116 496 or visit roseandbirdbodywork.com.

*Chronic pain is a longstanding pain in an area of our body that persists beyond the usual recovery period.

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Emma gilmore | 2021 | Physical and Emotional Holding as a Result of Injury, Stress and Trauma | issue 267 | Positive Health Online