The word “fascia” has made its way into modern day health vocabulary as more and more people seek natural pain relief and recover from injury without medications, injections or surgical procedures.  

Once considered nothing more than the white filmy layer wrapped around muscle (think of the stuff you shave off of a piece of meat before you cook it,) fascia is now recognized as a vitally important organ system responsible for stabilizing your entire body and affecting health in a variety of ways.  

 Once considered nothing more than the white filmy layer wrapped around muscle (think of the stuff you shave off of a piece of meat before you cook it,) fascia is now recognized as a vitally important organ system responsible for stabilizing your entire body and affecting health in a variety of ways.  

Closely resembling a giant network of spiderwebs, fascia is extremely strong and tough while also being very flexible, similar to the nylon pantyhose women used to regularly wear!

A distortion in the fascia, when not taken care of, can “run” (like those nylons) the full length of the fascia band causing intense chronic and referral pain that limits mobility and flexibility in athletes and sedentary people alike.

Fascial distortions result in pulled muscles, muscle spasms and muscles pinching on nerves. Over time, they can also lead to things like frozen shoulder, tennis elbow and tension headaches.

Conventional medicine generally treats this kind of pain in one of two ways: passively by prescribing compression and rest, or aggressively with pain killers, injections, MRIs and/or surgery.

A BETTER WAY

With the Fascial Distortion Model (FDM) practitioners use a hands-on technique utilizing varying degrees of pressure to fascial trigger points and bands to remove pain-causing kinks, wrinkles and stiffness in the fascial layers.

Many patients are surprised to find out that pain in one area is actually caused by a wrinkle or separation discovered in an entirely different section of the fascial band.  Because fascia runs the full length of the body, it’s common occurrence for patients to find out their plantar fasciitis may be a fascial restriction in the calf muscle, or the tight/pulled hamstring is from a weak hip flexor. 

Since many acupuncture points run directly along the fascial pathways and planes, doctors may precede FDM with acupuncture to make fascia more pliable. Patients often feel immediate pain relief, along with increased flexibility and mobility allowing them to return to regular activities with no pain meds, injections or surgery — or even extended rest.

Physically active people will find it useful in both the treatment and prevention of injuries, while sedentary desk-bound people can use it to restore posture and circulation.

Like other holistic remedies, FDM is a very individualized therapy and is applied based on specific patient input including verbal description of pain, patient gestures when describing pain, and overall body language prior to and during treatment.  Utilizing patient input detailing exactly where the pain is and when and how it hurts guides the doctor toward proper treatment.

The Fascial Distortion Model enables you as the patient to be proactive in injury healing and prevention. If you have nagging pain, we recommend making an appointment with a Fascial Distortion Model practitioners for a more natural pain relief approach.