First, what is facia? Facia is a system of densely woven covering that intertwines every muscle, bone, nerve, internal organ and our nervous system including the brain and spine. It is not a system of separate coverings, but a continuous structure that connects from head to toe.
Every part is connected like yarn in a sweater. Repetitive motions, postural distortions, trauma, emotional responses, surgical procedures all can produce areas of pressure on the facial system, which in turn can create pain or sensitive areas that do not show up on x-rays or MRI’s. Using this modality, the therapist checks the body for symmetry in texture and movement of all of the above areas, feeling for tensegrity of the structures being palpated. The structure of facia is resilient by nature, so with skilled hands the therapist assists the restricted facial area into heating.
The nervous system will then allow the area to soften, relieving the pressure of the structure where the restriction was.