Fasciae as a cause of back pain | Fascias

Fasciae as a cause of back pain

Chronic, non-specific back pain is characterized by muscle tension, stiffening of the body, pain at rest and strain. Often the pain is intensified in the morning after getting up or after sitting for a long time and often improves already after light movement and everyday activities. In the evening, after exertion, the pain returns with the onset of rest.Only about 25% of back pain is caused by disc tissue, nerve compression or inflammation.

Tears after strains or inflammation, so-called micro-traumas (mini injuries of the tissue) in the large-area fasciae (e.g. large lumbar fascia in the lumbar region), ligaments and facet joints (small vertebral joints) are often considered as pain triggers in the development of unspecific pain. Microtraumas occur in the case of unaccustomed everyday/occupational one-sided permanent and excessive strain. An already forgotten accident, an old sports injury, constant incorrect strain due to “permanent sitting” in the office are put away from our body for years until at some point pain occurs due to overstraining the connective tissue.

Intensive, excessive training stimulus, especially during unusual sporting exertion with eccentric muscle work (= sustained muscle work) also lead to mini injuries in the muscle and connective tissue. The body reacts to these smallest tissue tears with its healing processes. Local inflammatory reactions cause changes in the cell structure of the connective tissue, which lead to hardening, adhesions and reduced mobility of the fascial tissue.

The consequences are pain and restricted movement. Since the fasciae – especially the large back fascia – are very densely populated by pain receptors with a low stimulus threshold and high sensitivity, they are considered a potential trigger of back pain. In patients with unspecific deep back pain, ultrasound examinations have revealed a thickening of the large lumbar fascia, which sensitively disturbs the gliding behavior of the three layers of the fascia.

Performance requirements must not exceed the adaptability of the tissue ! The fascial grid and thus all muscles, bones, joints and organs from the large foot fascia to the meninges in the skull, which consist of connective tissue, are interconnected. For this reason, the movement of the arm, for example, changes the tension in the foot.

Fascial tensions somewhere in our body result in changes in tension, overloading and functional limitations in other parts of our body, regardless of whether the damage to the connective tissue is acute or chronic. The balance of tension is disturbed, leading first to local and then to global problems. This “transmitted pain symptomatology” is independent of the area supplied by the nerves and must be taken into account during treatment. An example of such a malfunction is the simultaneous occurrence of deep, lumbar back pain and radiation into the back leg muscles, which is not caused by irritation of the sciatic nerve. Constant cramping in the hand due to PC work can lead to shoulder pain, small injuries in the knee to back pain.

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All articles in this series:

  1. Fascias
  2. Anatomy
  3. Damage to the fascia
  4. How is fascial damage diagnosed?
  5. Fasciae as a cause of back pain
  6. The fascia roll
  7. Fascial Training
  8. Self-help by rolling out – Self myofascial release
  9. Multimodal therapy
  10. FDM: Fascial distortion model according to Typaldos
  11. Active functional training
  12. Rocking stretches – Warm Up
  13. Strength training with catapult effect – Rebound Elasticity
  14. Functional strength training
  15. Three-dimensional stretching
  16. Body perception relaxation – Sensory Refinement