4 Treatment Options for Fascial Injury

Fascia may well be the most fascinating part of your body. Yet for many years, doctors studying anatomy simply cut away the fascia so that they could see the tissues underneath, such as muscles and bones. As it turns out, however, the fascia has an important function to play. It covers your entire body in what appears to be thin webbing about two millimeters beneath the skin. Fascia helps to hold your muscles in place and prevents them from stretching too far. It helps to give you shape and to make your movement possible.

Unfortunately, fascia can also become injured. Doctors have known about certain fascial injuries for years, such as plantar fasciitis, which causes pain in your feet, and IT band syndrome, which affects the knee. However, because fascia is so widespread and interwoven, any persistent, ill-defined pain of the musculoskeletal system you experience may actually relate to the fascia.

If you have a fascial injury, the good news is that it is treatable. Here are some treatments that may help.

1. Fascial Stretching

You may be able to accomplish this on your own, but it is important to go gently because of the strength of the fascia. It may be beneficial to seek out assisted fascial stretch therapy Burlington ON. A therapist with specialized knowledge can take you through a series of stretches that can help restore elasticity to the fascia that has become stiff due to injury.

2. Movement

When you experience pain from an injury, you are reluctant to move that part of the body. However, when fascia is not in use, it not only becomes stiff, but it also starts to form adhesions. Essentially, the different parts of the fascia start sticking together, which makes it difficult to move. However, you can prevent adhesions from forming by doing exercises and activities that cause it to move. Your doctor or physical therapist can give you suggestions for appropriate exercises to prevent adhesions from forming.

3. Relaxation

Applying heat helps the fascia to relax, similarly to the way it does for the muscles. You can apply heat to the affected area or soak in a nice, hot bath to improve blood flow and encourage the release of tension.

4. Surgery

Left untreated, fascial adhesions can severely limit the range of motion of a particular part of the body. An example is adhesive capsulitis, also known as a frozen shoulder, which can reduce the range of motion to practically nothing. If physical therapy, stretching, and other treatment methods are not sufficient to resolve this, you may need surgery to break up the adhesions.

Orthopedic surgery is usually only recommended after other treatment options have failed.