We tend to attribute it to sore muscles or stiff joints when we experience low back pain, neck pain, or shoulder pain. However, many chronic back pain symptoms are caused by a thin casing of connective tissue surrounding and holding every organ, blood vessel, bone, nerve fibre and muscle in place: the fascia. While receiving little attention in the modern western world, fascia plays a critical role in every movement you make. 

Like ligaments and tendons, fascia is primarily composed of elastin and collagen, making it flexible and stretchy when the body moves. Interestingly, fascia also contains pain receptors and mechanoreceptors, which detect stretching or changes in pressure within the body. For this reason, some scientists consider the body’s fascia to be one giant sensory organ! Healthy fascia has a smooth and slippery texture and can shift its consistency between a gel-like state and a more fluid one when needed. However, when unhealthy, fascia can become sticky, clumpy, tight, and flaky when unhealthy. It forms restrictions, adhesions and distortions, causing various problems, including chronic back pain.

What is Fascia?

Have you eaten chicken breast or lamb shoulder recently? Notice that clear-like film that covers it? That’s fascia. At the same time, it looks like one sheet of tissue, but in reality, it’s made of multiple layers of liquid called hyaluron, intertwining all the muscle fibres. This provides the internal structure of the body, rather than it being just the skeleton that holds the body up, the facia and connecting soft tissue that keeps the skeleton upright also. The fascial tissue has so many nerve endings it’s almost as sensitive as skin. The fascial tissue is designed to stretch as you move. However, when the fascia is stressed, it tightens up. If the fascia dries up and tightens around the muscle fibre, it can impact mobility and cause painful knots to develop.