Connective Tissue Health & Myofascial Release

Abstract

This article provides a brief overview of the importance of connective tissue health as well as the benefits of myofascial release in the group & clinical setting with promising outcomes in enhancing mobility, increasing proprioception, supporting injury prevention, promoting tissue healing, regulating inflammation and immune function and optimizing tissue resilience.

Full text

Well Being Journal™
Grounding • Emotions & Health • Prolotherapy • Singing & Happiness
Heralding tHe integration of Medicine witH PHysical, Mental, eMotional, sPiritual & social asPects of HealtH
VOL. 27 NO. 2 March/April 2018 U.S. $6.95/Canada $8.95
Pesticide-Free
Communities
The Gut & Nutrient-
Dense Foods
Power of Intention
& Vital Force
Connective Tissue
Release
The Grace of
Forgiveness

16 March/April 2018 Well Being Journal
Vol. 27 No. 2
C  has a long history of
being overlooked in favor of what seem to
be more important features in the body. In
medical school cadaver dissections, the connective
tissue is carefully extracted and thrown away to reveal
the more precious structures and organs, but our low
prioritization of it is nally being reconsidered in light
of recent research putting fascia and other connective
tissue in the spotlight. With so many new studies
opening our eyes to the crucial functions of this tissue,
the need to reexamine our understanding
of it and its potential contributions to our
health and quality of life is undeniable.
Fascia, a type of connective tissue, has a
broad array of functions, including linking
nearby tissues, supporting organs, reducing
friction that comes with muscular force,
forming compartments that enclose groups
of muscles and other structures, separating
tissues, investing the tendons (thereby
adding to their strength and resilience),
creating functional chains of muscles that
allow us to move more smoothly and
eciently, and much more. is tissue also contains
important immune cells, protective adipose cells,
myobroblasts that assist tissue healing, and a complex
communication system to help oversee it all. Another
important feature of fascia is that it is a continuous
intermeshed system of brous tissue that weaves
through the body, from head to toe. is interconnected
system can be the reason your pain in one area may be
inuenced by changes in another part of your body,
and it is also a big part of how we adapt and respond
to stress via a body-wide tension-distributing system.
Every year, half the fascial bers (collagen) are replaced
in a healthy body, providing us a powerful intervention
point to steer these changes in the tissues at any time.
Myofascial Release
e term myofascial release refers to any technique that
works on the muscles and the fascia. ere are many
dierent modalities; however, the most common self-
myofascial release (SMFR) techniques
usually involve the use of balls or foam
rollers. e beauty of SMFR is that it can
be done with simple tools and training,
making it accessible to the general public.
ere are numerous articles and studies
showing positive outcomes for these
modalities. e main limiting factors of
these studies are that many of them are small
and their methods can vary considerably.
Nevertheless, most of them show signicant
positive outcomes with only minor side
eects, which usually involve temporary
soreness and/or bruising.
Fibroblasts, cells within the fascia that are responsible
for producing the fascial matrix, play a large role in
how the tissues remodel over time in response to the
demands placed on them. ese demands can have
relatively positive (as in yoga, stretching, exercise, or
myofascial release) or negative (in the case of poor
posture, repetitive motions, or injuries) eects on the
way the broblasts remodel the components of our
Connective Tissue Health
& Myofascial Release
By Tiffany Cruikshank, LAc, MAOM, E-RYT
“e term
myofascial
release refers to
any technique
that works on
the muscles
and the fascia”
©istock.com/ microgen

well Being Journal Vol. 27 No. 2 March/April 2018 17
connective tissue. Myofascial release is thought to
both stimulate and regulate broblasts; it helps break
down excessive connective tissue deposition as well
as stimulates them to produce new, more resilient
connective tissue. It also enhances hydration of this
tissue.
Probably the most well-known uses of SMFR are
to increase mobility and relieve pain and injuries. e
eects of SMFR on mobility are probably the most
commonly studied, with positive but often temporary
eects seen. Immobility, repetitive movements, poor
posture, and injuries can all cause excessive collagen
deposition that leads to brosis or adhesions between
the tissues, resulting in diminished range of motion and
mobility. SMFR helps to reduce and
prevent excessive collagen deposition
by increasing collagen turnover to
keep the tissues strong, elastic, and
resilient. is feature is critical both
for working with injuries and helping
to prevent them. Also, one of the great
advantages to using SMFR is that the
increases in mobility do not initiate the
temporary decrease in muscle power and
performance seen with stretching.
A key feature of connective tissue
that we are still learning about is its function as a
communication system. With six times as many
sensory neurons than are found in any other tissue
(besides the skin), the fascia is a huge sensory organ
important both for proprioception (spatial awareness)
and interoception (internal body awareness). One of the
often-overlooked benets of myofascial release is this
increase in proprioception, which you feel right away.
Try, for instance, rolling out your feet before attempting
a challenging balance position, and you can experience
this rsthand. Research suggests that increasing
proprioception can also decrease pain. What’s even
more interesting is the new research pointing to
the fascia having its own internal communication
system, which functions independently from the
nervous system via vibration, crystallinity, and
electricity. is suggests an inherent body-wide
intelligence within this system.
Within the fascial layers, we also nd important
immune cells that help to modulate inammation and
tissue healing. Many people think of the fascia as just
surrounding the muscles, but this tissue also interweaves
through the muscles and surrounds organs, bones,
nerves, and blood vessels throughout every part of the
body. Since it envelops just about every structure of
the body, you can imagine how important the immune
function in this protective internal fascial layer is. ere
is increasing evidence that the physical and mechanical
environment of the tissues can inuence cell behavior
and tumor progression. In fact, some of the newest
research on fascia focuses on its eects on cancer and
suggests that healthy fascia could be an important
component in treatment and prevention.
e hydration of the connective
tissue is a key component in its health,
inuencing communication, adhesions,
and immune function. Imagine dry
tissues rubbing over each other with
every movement. Impaired hydration
of the fascia causes increased friction,
stimulating the broblasts to lay down
more collagen cross-links between
layers of tissue, eventually leading to
adhesions between the layers. You might
think drinking more water would solve
the problem, and though that may
be part of the answer, it doesn’t necessarily equate to
connective tissue hydration. Gentle SMFR techniques
help to increase the hydration of the connective tissue
to decrease adhesions, enhance communication, and
facilitate healthy immune function. ink of the
connective tissue as being like a sh bowl; not only do
you need to add more water, you also need to clean it
out from time to time.
ere are also other body functions that SMFR
inuences—the parasympathetic response, the blood
and lymph circulation, and possibly many more
that may be revealed as the studies
continue. In
“Within the fascial
layers, we also
nd important
immune cells that
help to modulate
inammation and
tissue healing”
©istock.com/Serhiy Stakhnyk

18 March/April 2018 well Being Journal
Vol. 27 No. 2
addition, there are mental and emotional implications of the connective
tissue system that we don’t fully understand yet. Practitioners may
observe this in their clients as an unexpected emotional release that may
spontaneously arise with SMFR. e beauty of SMFR is that you don’t need
to understand the emotional history of a trauma or injury to let it go; you
need only provide the space to allow it to pass.
Studies suggest that receiving SMFR just once or twice a week will
yield a more resilient fascial system in six to twenty-four months, so slow
and steady wins the race for connective tissue health. As with any healing
modalities, it’s important that you consult your doctor before using SMFR
and seek the help of someone trained to use it.
Conclusion
ough there is still a lot of research needed to show the extent to which
the fascial layer may be involved in many pathologies, there is already more
than enough to indicate the need for further
inquiry into how the health of this tissue
can aect so many interconnected systems.
Myofascial release techniques show promising
outcomes in enhancing mobility, increasing
proprioception, supporting injury prevention,
promoting tissue healing, regulating
inammation and immune function, and
optimizing tissue resilience. As SMFR has so
few side eects, I believe it’s our opportunity to pursue further study to see
how we can best use this simple, cost-eective modality that could have a
signicant impact on pain, inammation, injuries, tissue
health, and possibly pathologies such as cancer. 
T C, LAc, MAOM, E-RYT, is an
internationally recognized expert on myofascial release, yoga,
and wellness. Tiany is the founder of Yoga Medicine, a school
that trains yoga teachers to work with healthcare providers, and
the founder of the non-prot Yoga Medicine Research Institute.
She leads myofascial release trainings for teachers, healthcare
providers, coaches, and others throughout the world. Go to www.
YogaMedicine.com to nd an instructor or training program near
you.
Author note: anks to the Fascia Research Congress
for promoting the work of so many researchers who
help bring this information to the public, and many
thanks to all the researchers out there doing the work.
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Gut Bacteria &
Parkinson’s
A new study from Caltech
highlights the key role intestinal
bacteria may play in Parkinson’s
disease. The ndings may also
support more optimal treatment
strategies for the disease.
The landmark study supports
a growing body of research
examining the connection between
the brain and microbiome—the
diverse community of organisms
living on and within the body. The
Caltech microbiologists, led by
Sarkis Mazmanian, discovered for
the rst time that changes in gut
microbiome may play a critical
role in triggering Parkinson’s. In
fact, changes in the composition
of gut bacteria populations may
be actively contributing to the
deterioration of motor skills—the
hallmark of the neurodegenerative
disease.
Researchers have long
suspected a direct connection
to the gut since gastrointestinal
symptoms often precede
Parkinson’s disease. To test
the theory, the research team
compared the motor skills of mice
with and without the gut bacteria
associated with Parkinson’s. Though
both cohorts overproduced a
protein related to Parkinson’s,
germ-free mice performed
signicantly better at running on
treadmills, crossing a beam, and
descending from a pole.
The experts conclude, “The
discovery that changes in the
microbiome may be involved in
Parkinson’s disease is a paradigm
shift and opens entirely new
possibilities for treating patients.”
—Adapted from “Parkinson’s
Disease May Start in Gut,” by James
Gallagher. http://www.caltech.edu