The Connection Between Stress and Fascia
by Eric Winder, DC
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oc, can these treatments affect my mental and emotional states? I feel more relaxed and less anxious after them. My pain is decreasing, but I also noticed that I feel more calm and centered now.” Tom was not the first patient to ask me this question, and as I explained to him, positive mental and emotional effects can often result from fascia release work. This does not happen in all cases, but many people report a sense of well-being, an increased ability to cope with stress, and even decreased symptoms of anxiety or depression. There is a scientific basis to explain the “emotional releases” that sometimes occur with hands-on fascia therapy. As a member of the Fascia Research Society, I attended a webinar this spring by Dr. Joeri Calsius, a clinical psychologist and research scientist who uses fascia therapy as part of his treatment. He discussed how the neurology of fascia can be involved with a person’s emotional state. I was interested in this because of the emotional responses that my patients often experience following a treatment. Fascia contains innumerable nerve
endings that are dedicated to feeling pain and creating position sense, but it also has other less-known nerves linked to pathways that continue along the spine to an area of the brain called the insula. This part of the brain regulates pain, love, emotion and self-awareness. A brief summation of the insula’s role in daily function would be to answer the question, “How do I feel right now?” The insula would play a role in that response. Dr. Calsius suggested that in addition to improving pain sensations and position sense, it is also possible that the release of fascia restriction can improve the emotional state by restoring normal signals on those pathways to the insula. While this is still just a hypothesis, it would help to explain many of the reactions that I observe in my patients. These include endorphin releases and deep relaxation during treatment, better stress management and overall well-being. Shelly, a patient of mine, once told me at the onset of a treatment visit that she had a new concern. “I’m worried that I don’t feel worried,” she remarked. She went
on to explain that she was used to living in a constant state of mild worry about many different facets of her life, both small and large. However, since her recent fascia release treatments for a painful shoulder, her constant worry had dissipated, and she was mostly focused on just to the largescale issues in her life. Because she was not used to this, she felt concerned that it was abnormal. As time went on though, she learned to enjoy this decrease in stress. I will point out that I do not treat mental or emotional issues, and the above case was unusual, mentioned only to illustrate how fascia can affect emotional states. More commonly, people tend to experience mild but pleasant changes, or sometimes no change at all. However, this does raise an important question: If fascia can affect how we feel, what can you do in order to maximize its health? Fascia needs hydration, so making sure that you consume an adequate supply of water each day is important. This fibrous connective tissue does not respond well to inflammation, so eating a nutritious, noninflammatory diet can also help to maintain its function. A simple place to start is to cur back on portions of red meat and fried foods, as well as increase vegetables and greens. In addition, yoga is an excellent form of exercise for stimulating and toning the fascia. In particular, restorative yoga can activate the fascia nerve pathways to the insula which leads to that sense of well-being which helps to relieve stress. Research into the effects of fascia therapies on emotional well-being is continuous, so it is possible that someday these hands-on therapies will be incorporated more in conventional psychological therapies. For now, I will enjoy hearing about my patients’ positive side-effects when I treat them for other problems such as back and knee pain. Eric Winder D.C. uses gentle fascia release treatment methods, without forceful manipulation, to help patients with a wide range of pain and injury problems. For more information, call 941-957-8390 or visit Gentlebay.com. December 2020
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