Fascial therapy relieves pain

Thus, fascial therapy based on the FDM model can alleviate acute and chronic pain

02/10/2014

Deep, the thumb goes into the skin. First the pain swells up, to dissolve the next moment. In the next step, the specially trained therapist works with the help of train and flat movements along the legs, arms and back. In contrast to other treatment methods, not the muscles but a fascia are treated. More and more patients trust fascial therapy to treat pain and restricted mobility.

„Fascia means all collagenous fibrous connective tissue as part of a body-wide network“, says Robert Schleip. The graduate psychologist and human biologist is director of „Fascia Research Group,“ Division of Neurophysiology at the University of Ulm opposite the dpa. „Fascia surrounds every muscle, organ, and ligament structure, linking our entire body.“ As a fascia (from Latin „fascia“ For „tape“, „bunch“, „composite“) is a thin, tendon-like layer of connective tissue, which can surround muscles or muscle groups, but also entire body sections. Fibrosis consists primarily of tight, crossed collagen fibers and elastin, which gives the muscles strength and elasticity. In addition, fascia gives the muscle its shape and function in the sense of a „shock absorber“ as support and protection of the body during movements.

Application indications are, for example, sports injuries such as ligament strains, bruises or torn muscle fibers, but also back pain, shoulder or neck pain as well as numbness, tingling, weakness or instability.

The fascial sheath is associated with many stretch receptors, which is also important for body awareness. It is also a communication system, as explained by the board of the Bundesverband Osteopathie, Norbert Neumann, in Weiden. For example, if an organ swells due to an injury, an SOS alarm will be passed on to the brain.

Complaints due to stress and lack of exercise
It can come to complaints, if wrong or overloaded. In addition, it is „Lack of exercise is a common reason for treatments“. Glue, twist or matt the fascia. The patients then suffer from joint pain, back pain, lack of Belance ability, numbness or tingling in the legs. In addition, it stresses stress and causes contraction of the fascia. The sufferers suffer from stiffness and tension. Because the fasciae are connected throughout the body, the tension is distributed throughout the body.

A relatively new method is fascial therapy of the fascial distortion model (FDM). This treatment was developed by the late American physician and osteopath Stephen Typaldos. Targeted handles can loosen twisted or sticky fibers. Patients should already feel the success shortly after a session. The pain is less and the movement restrictions are often completely eliminated. Treatment areas are both acute and chronic conditions.

A patient example is explained on the side of the FDM umbrella organization: „A patient comes to the doctor's office and reports that she has lost her foot while exercising. The right ankle is clearly swollen and tender. The patient reports pulling, burning pain. She strokes her fingers along the right lateral malleolus. She also causes a stabbing pain on the front of the ankle. She points to these places with her finger. Agility is limited so she can only limp. Conventional Medicine: The doctor diagnoses an ankle sprain and prescribes immobilization, ice application, compression bandage, and elevation. In addition, he prescribes an ointment with analgesic and anti-inflammatory components. The patient may start exercising again after a few weeks. And the FDM view: The doctor attributes the symptoms to two different fascial deformations. He corrects these fascial distortions by manual manipulations, sometimes with great force. After the treatment, the patient can go back to normal, after the second treatment - a few days later - to exercise their sport again fully. (Source: EFDMA-Europe).

Patients can be active in addition to the treatment itself. The network of fascia is constantly being built up and dismantled. Active movement activates this setup and dismantling. To understand the principle, the idea of ​​a spider web is suitable. When the storm comes, small holes are torn into the net. To keep the whole net, the spider sprints to the „injured“ Place to repair it again. In the human body are fibroblasts, the body's own connective tissue cells, the spiders.

However, research is still in its infancy. Some scientific papers and a randomized study by Dr. med. med. Stone from Hannover exist on this topic. More dominant are the experiences and opinions of the therapists. But because the method has been successful, top athletes of the national football team are now treated accordingly. Further information can be read on "fdm-europe.com". (Af)