Fascia
On these pages we will do our best to answer your questions about fascia, including:
- What is fascia?
- What do we know about fascia pathophysiology?
- How is fascia different in connective tissue disorders like EDS and hypermobile spectrum disorder?
- How does fascia change in pain and musculoskeletal/sports problems?
- What does healthy fascia look and behave like?
Read on below and get educated on fascia and how we can treat it.
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- Written by Tina Wang, MD
What are Some Common Types of Pelvic Floor Dysfunction?
Pelvic Floor Dysfunction (PFD) is defined by the International Pelvic Pain Society as a condition when the pelvic floor muscles do contract, relax, or work together. The pelvic floor is made up of bones, muscles, fascia, and ligaments and functions as a hammock to support the pelvic organs including the uterus, bladder, and rectum. If the muscles become overactive, strained or uncoordinated, they may cause pain in the pelvis. This pain may lead the muscles to not contract, relax, or work together.
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- Written by Tina Wang, MD
Fascia: The Human Web
What is Fascia?
Fascia is all the connective tissue in the body. The official working definition of fascia from the 4th Fascia Research Congress is:
Fascia is a sheath, a sheet or any number of other dissectible aggregations of connective tissue that forms beneath the skin to attach, enclose, separate muscles and internal organs."
What does that mean? Fascia is all the connective tissue that connects the body and because of how it connects the whole body, it allows for interaction and communication of the body as a whole.
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- Written by Tina Wang, MD
Key Points About the Connections Between Cancer and Fascia
Thiamine/Vitamin B1's role in fascia and connective tissue health and disorders like Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and hypermobile spectrum disorders
- The connective tissue environment plays a role in cancer metabolism.
- Chronic inflammation contributes to cancer development by acting on all stages of tumorigenesis.
- Optimization of inflammation and the fascia works synergistically with cancer treatment.
The connective tissue environment including inflammation influences the cancer development process. Adjunctive interventions to cancer treatment involves optimizing this extracellular environment.
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- Written by Tina Wang, MD
What is Fascial Layer Specific Hydromanipulation (FLuSH) Technique?
Fascial Layer Specific Hydromanipulation (FLuSH) is a novel technique developed by Dr. Wang to diagnose and treat myofascial pain. The FLuSH technique involves using ultrasound guidance to inject approximately 0.5 mL of normal saline into a specific fascial layer of the myofascial unit. The term “hydromanipulation” differentiates this technique from “hydrodissection”, a technique used to treat nerve entrapments. The pressure of the injectate is used to open the deep fascia from the superficial fascia and the underlying muscle. In the deep fascia, the same process is repeated with the needle targeting the hypoechoic extracellular matrix layers between organized fascia layers. The injectate is used to incrementally separate the soft tissues in front of the needle. In the muscle and superficial fascia, a similar process is used to disperse saline to dilute aggregates in areas of stiffness corresponding to changes that are seen under elastography.
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- Written by Tina Wang, MD
Thiamine Vitamin B1 role in fascia and connective tissue health and disorders like Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and hypermobile spectrum disorders.
Key points:
- Thiamine plays a role in the function of connective tissue.
- Thiamine influences inflammation through connective tissue proteins.
- Supplementation with thiamine (usually in its salt form) is warranted in connective tissue disorders like EDS and HSD.
- Trial of lipothiamine (a form of thiamine that crosses the blood brain barrier) may be needed in severe cases.
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- Written by Tina Wang, MD
Key Points:
- The eye is composed mostly of collagen and is affected by both aging and connective tissue disorders.
- Anti-inflammatory vitamins, minerals, and oils are an important aspect in the management of eye disorders.
- Adequate sleep between 7-9 hours is important to keep the eye healthy.
- High intensity exercise of short duration is effective at reducing intraocular pressure.
- Meditation can lower pressures in the cranium and eye.
- Manual therapies like Osteopathic Manipulation and Fascial Manipulation can be used as adjunctives to treating ocular disorders
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