Image: Shutterstock, credit to "VectorMine".

by Eric Winder, DC  

A fibrous tissue called fascia covers, connects and protects almost every other tissue in the human body. Fascia is becoming well-known as a possible source of muscle, spine and joint pain. This fibrous, connective tissue is arranged in fabric-like sheets around your muscles, bones, organs and more. Remarkably, fascia also surrounds all nerve tissue and contains hundreds of millions of its own nerve endings.  

Beyond just causing aches and pains, restrictions in the fascia can also cause symptoms expressed through the nervous system. The brain and spinal cord have their own fascia, called the meninges. This fascia seals in the cerebrospinal fluid that cushions the central nervous system. Nerves to the rest of the body exit through the meninges, and are then covered with a fascia called the paraneural sheath, with more layers of fascia inside the nerves.  

Most types of fascia can stiffen due to trauma, and this will sometimes become relatively permanent. Stiffness in meningeal and nerve fascia can be caused by car accidents, falls, sports injuries and repetitive stress. In my practice, I have seen fascia stiffness in the nervous system develop into a wide range of problems—from tension in the spinal meninges caused by whiplash, to neuropathy in the feet, poor balance, sciatica and leg weakness.  

With head injuries that cause stiffening of the cranial fascia, it’s not unusual to see nausea, vertigo, poor mental focus, insomnia or hand tingles. Carpal tunnel syndrome, meralgia paresthetica (a numbness of the upper thigh) and other types of numbness or tingles can be due to restriction in a peripheral nerve.  

Stiff or restricted fascia can be treated by stimulating it to relax and release its tension. Fascial therapies like Residual Strain Therapy (RST) use gentle pressures from the surface of the body to trigger release of even deep tissues like the meninges and peripheral nerve tissue. If the symptoms are caused by the fascia, they will improve when it is released.  

A thorough history and examination is necessary to determine if symptoms are caused by fascia restriction. Permanent injury and other causes must also be evaluated. Below are some examples of cases seen in our clinic, with names and details changed for privacy. 

Neuropathy 

Bill sought help for nearly constant numbness and tingles in all five fingers of his left hand. This 

had been occurring for six months, and the symptoms were starting to worsen to the point of disrupting his sleep. Examination showed stiffness of the meninges at the neck and upper mid-back, probably due to a car accident three years prior. These restrictions were treated, along with several more in muscular and joint fascia. The numbness and tingles disappeared, and Bill also found relief from his neck and back pain. 

Having tried medications and other kinds of therapy, Lisette underwent RST treatment for her meralgia paresthetica. This painful condition is caused by problems with a nerve that runs forward over the pelvic bone and down the thigh. Tingles and numbness of the front or outside of the thigh usually worsen when standing or walking, and Lisette’s case was no exception. Her pain had been limited her to walking shorter distances for over a year.  

To treat this problem, we released restrictions causing the muscle tensions that pinched the nerve. In order to help Lisette achieve more relief, however, we had to treat the fascia of the nerve itself in the area where it was pinched. As a result, she is now able to walk long distances with only occasional mild pain. 

Head Trauma 

“Lazy eye,” or amblyopia, can slow a young child down. Brianna was in high spirits when we first saw her, but walked slowly and was less active than a typical three-year-old. Examination showed weakness of the left arm, weakness of left head rotation and inability to track an object well with her left eye. She had significant stiffening of fascia on the left side of the skull.  

Her parents could not recall a head injury, but Brianna’s birth was difficult, with a long labor and forceps delivery. Treatment of the cranial fascia with gentle manual therapy proved successful. Brianna’s weakness disappeared, and her eye tracking improved to almost within the normal range. Her improved vision gave her the confidence to move about with the speedy abandon of a typical child her age. 

When it comes to vertigo, conventional medical treatment focuses on evaluating the inner ear as a probable cause, and that is certainly important to consider. However, most of our position sense comes from the millions of pressure- and tension-sensitive nerve endings in the fascia. In my experience, this is a major source of vertigo. 

Just a week before writing this article, a patient in our clinic, whom I will refer to as George, complained of recent spinning sensations and nausea when lying down at night. His main reason for scheduling an appointment was to treat chronic neck pain, but he was pleased when RST release of his cranial meningeal tension and neck muscle fascia also greatly reduced his vertigo. With continued treatment we hope to eliminate that vertigo entirely, as we have been able to do for many others. 

Severe concussions can result in symptoms that continue years after the injury. Sometimes the underlying cause is stiffened fascia of the meninges, caused by the original impact. Sarah came to our office for help with intense migraine headaches that she felt were related to being knocked unconscious by an impact several years prior.  

She also related that she experienced cognitive decline, with difficulty concentrating, remembering information and performing complex tasks. She was pleasantly surprised when treatment of cranial meningeal stiffness not only relieved her migraines, but also gave her mental clarity, the capacity to do mentally demanding work and improved recall abilities. 

The Gut 

In addition to nerve endings for position sense, fascia has millions of nerve endings that are part of the sympathetic nervous system. Disturbance of these nerves by restriction in fascia can cause a spill-over effect that disturbs gut function, causing symptoms like nausea, diarrhea, constipation and intestinal pain. This is a likely outcome of restrictions around the abdomen, lower rib cage, pelvis and spine.  

Ingrid is a recent patient who came to see us for chronic low back pain. While she is pleased with her continually improving back pain, she is also thrilled that she no longer needs to take medication for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). She hasn’t had IBS since her third treatment to release fascia restriction from muscles of the pelvis and low back.  

As mentioned above, a careful and expert evaluation is needed to find the cause of any neurological symptoms, and restriction in fascia is just one of many potential causes of problems like neuropathy, vertigo, IBS and post-concussion syndromes. However, fascia treatment is worth exploring for these types of conditions. Fascia therapies like RST are safe and non-invasive, and the relief from these treatments usually last for a long time.  

Dr. Eric Winder has been practicing chiropractic for 26 years. His practice emphasizes relieving pain to restore alignment and motion with gentle fascia release therapies. For more information, call 941-957-8390 or visit Gentlebay.com.