Knots, Kinks, and Trigger Points: A Love Affair with Fascia

If you’ve been treated by me, then you know that one of my favorite, and I mean FAVORITE, things to do in my work is something called myofascial release. The controversy of physical therapists choosing this as their all-time favorite treatment protocol is ripe for assessing, but in order to best understand the complexities of the human body as well as the intricacies of the human form, fascia is the underlying web we weave.

So let’s start with the basics. What even is “fascia” anyway? You may think this is a simple question, but it’s far more detail-driven than anything else you could ask about the human body. For one, fascia can’t be defined nor confined to one single medium or element. It’s a combination of states and in free-flowing transition between liquid and solid, at all times.

Let’s get a little gross to best understand. Have you ever eaten a piece of steak? When you take a look at the piece of meat you’re about to eat, that’s the muscle, fat, and fascia of the animal. Take the specific example of steak, when you look at the meat itself— that’s the muscle tissue! The white swirls throughout or at the surface is the fat tissue. THEN when you cut and pull it apart and see the strands of clear in between the fibers of the muscle? *Ding, ding, ding* that’s the fascia!

All muscle tissue of any animal— from birds to fish to cows to humans, they all have fascia surrounding, holding, and melding them together. Fascia is important, because it allows all the fibers to move against one another, it also holds the “form” of the body. Without completely nerding out on you, fascia is composed of collagen—  an important part of elasticity and function in the body which keeps everything supported, structurally. Some even say that if we were to remove all of the skin, muscles, and organs of the human body and JUST leave the fascia— we would still be able to recognize ourselves! That’s how much we rely on this system to hold our form— it even expresses WHO we are.

In this moment, I’m going to go off on a tangent for a bit (that’s right I’m not already on one haha). In addition to all the other cool things, there’s even evidence out there that our fascial system is a network of communication all on its own! We’ve always been aware that nerves move signals from our brains to our bodies and our bodies to our brains but we never, in a million years, would have guessed that the matrix of our bodies— this highly evolved, pseudo-solid matter— is also relaying information. So many bodyworkers can tell you, when you put your hands on someone’s body and really listen, it tells a story— the pull of a muscle or the tug of the skin communicates. It communicates with the rest of the system (and with the practitioner,) a detailed interweaving of what’s happening and what has been happening in this person’s system, physically and energetically. Reiki practitioners and energy healers, alike, all know that the energy we feel from the fascia and the cells communicate with one another to give information on the vibrations within that person system. It’s similar to looking at a bowl of Jello or a cup of water— one small vibration moves through the system creating an energetic blueprint of movements within.

Now to get back on track— when it comes to the inner workings of the human body and the fascia that keeps us all together, what exactly happens when things get a little “mixed up?” Have you ever fallen asleep on the couch only to awaken with a weird “crick in the neck?” Or a stiff back/shoulder? Or worse— have you ever been in a car accident where you were moving forward and were suddenly jerked to a stop? You felt fine… until you didn’t— and now your neck is killing you? Or maybe you’re even just sitting at the computer in the same posture and position every day and when you finally do move, you just feel “stiff and uncomfortable?” Or, maybe, you’ve been chronically holding stress and discomfort in your pelvic floor? And maybe now you’re finding it difficult to rest/relax the muscles— or you have pain with intercourse, bowel movements, or basic gentle stretches that you think are totally unrelated?

Well, all of these things can (and often are) contributed to by the restriction of the fascial system through this intracellular matrix. If anything similar to these scenarios have happened to you, then you have probably have felt a “knot” or a “trigger point.” This firm, little bundle can be felt with your fingertips and can manifest as, either, a localized discomfort (where the pain is occurring directly under your fingers and does not move further,) or it can be a referral spot (where there is pressure under your fingertips, but the pain shoots to elsewhere in the body). This “knot” is a knot in the fascia. This is where the complications of having this web of liquid/solid throughout the body comes into play. Sometimes, it becomes built up in a specific area that can cause these restrictions to occur. When there’s a kink in the fascial system, it can also impede nerves, blood flow, and general function of the area of the body it’s restricting. Think of it like gathering a cloth— when the cloth is flat on the surface of your table, you can easily move it. BUT if you put a paperweight on it, and it gathers and bunches around that paperweight unable to move freely— it will prevent the rest of the table cloth to move, as well.

There are several causes of a kink in the fascia— each of which we will go into with more detail, in the future. As a general overview for now, the fascia can be restricted by things like: repetitive use in an improper way (hello, poor posture or bad running form!) scar tissue (this one is a doozy that we can talk about forever, but ANY surgery you have no matter how “minor” leaves scar tissue behind,) endometrial adhesions/scars, injuries, bumps/bruises, and last, but certainly not least – general movement, exercise, and just living your life!

There are many things that you can do prophylactically (before the injury happens,) to help care for your fascia, and after reading this, I hope you’re inspired to! Some basic and really amazing measures to take are: drinking plenty of water, using a foam roller to help with recovery after exercise, and stretching/yoga for flexibility and movement. Motion is lotion, people! And the more you move in a pain-free, gentle, and supportive way— the more your body will be able to move readily to help you. If you’re lucky enough, you can get regular massages to help care for your body, as well— this helps to further move the fascia and keep the cells hydrated and happy! If you have a specific area of discomfort that you feel needs more tailored work, I would recommend seeking out a skilled physical or massage therapist who can give you further information on the fascial restrictions and how to work through them. A physical therapist may also be able to give you an exercise program and regimen to keep the fascial stiffness and knots at bay. For many, fascial discomforts are often caused by improper body awareness and repetitive stress that can be managed with some daily changes and alterations!

For others, fascial work requires further investigation and more education on the causation of the restrictions. If you are in pain caused by any of the above disclosed topics (such as, endometriosis or scar tissue), there are plenty of mobility techniques that can help to lubricate and reintegrate the fascia. Things like cupping, acupuncture, massage (as previously stated), fascial rolling, and many “myofascial” techniques that a physical therapist is highly trained to perform can help to “break up” the knot or fascial restrictions and improve the movement of the body to ideal form.

If you think this is you, comment below or write me an email— even if you’re not in the area, there are plenty of steps to be completed at distance that can help to assist the movement and mobility of fascial restrictions to aid in the recovery and help with optimal movement of the system.