Fascia is a form of connective tissue and is found throughout the body. Imagine a layer of cling film enveloping almost everything in your body from head to toe. Every bone, muscle, blood vessel, nerve and organ is covered in a layer of fascia. It is one continuous layer meaning that the fascia in your foot is connected to the fascia in your neck.
If you cut a piece of meat or peel an orange you can see the white membrane between the different sections- this is fascia.
Why is fascia significant?
Well, because it is one continuous sheath, an injury such as a sprained ankle for example, can have repercussions in the fascia in your neck which could lead to tension and headaches.
Fascial restrictions can cause blood vessels and organs to constrict & muscles to contract. This leads to a reduced blood supply which can cause pain, tightness, pins and needles or numbness.
Operation scars (i.e hysterectomy or appendectomy) may lead to reduced movement of the fascia in that area or anywhere else within the body for that matter.
Physical injuries such as those sustained in accidents rarely occur on their own, there is normally an element of emotional disturbance too. We can hold emotional tension in our organs and if we hold on to our feelings this may lead to pain.
How can craniosacral therapy help?
Craniosacral therapy can help in unwinding and releasing fascial tension and tightness in the body on both a physical and emotional level. Fascial unwinding still uses a gentle touch but there is more visible movement of the body. As you can see in the video below the therapist is barely holding the head. There is no manipulation involved. The most common areas requiring fascial unwinding are the neck, arms and legs. However, the trunk and individual organs may also benefit from unwinding.
Conditions in which fascial unwinding might be useful
- Torticollis in newborns (twisted neck)
- Headaches/migraines
- Sprained ankle
- Frozen shoulder
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
- Restricted hip joints
- Twisted knee
- Tennis elbow
- Sports injuries
- Old fractures
- Scar tissue
- Dizziness or vagueness in the elderly