Any reduction in the body’s water content affects the fascia adversely causing it to become gel like and stick to itself.

 

Imagine you are covered by a huge pair of tights.  Snag one part of it and it causes runs and strains elsewhere in the material.  This is how the fascia of the body behaves.  

 

It provides the “interconnectivity” between parts of the body and helps to explain why for example if you strain your ankle, a seemingly innocuous injury at the time, it can cause inordinate amounts of discomfort in other parts of the body such as your shoulder – quite a way from the original cause of pain. 

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Fascia has a slower rhythm & longer term “memory” and reacts to long-term patterns of movement.  Holding oneself in certain positions for long periods of time (e.g. sitting at a desk, always mounting your horse one sided) can lead to tissue restrictions; or tissue might build-up at injury sites more than necessary where it is perhaps no longer needed as it has already healed. 

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Fascial tensions follow lines of meridians around the body – snag or tear one part of it will have consequences elsewhere.

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Fascial thickening in the wrong areas can lead to restrictions in the body which change posture and balance and can reroute tensional forces in the body and so overload pain sensitive areas.  These restrictions can cause chronic pain over time. 

 

It can start as a dramatic injury or even something as minor as sitting at a desk all day holding yourself in a particular position.  In this instance the fascia will start to remodel itself to help support your head and neck in that forward position, and over time it actually can become hard to stand up straight – because your body is trying to support itself in the unusual hunched position - & over time the body thinks that’s normal, compensates with tissue growth to support the new position and then eventually the simple act of standing up straight starts to become a difficult and painful act.  The issue then becomes chronic and terribly painful.