Fascia can be the reason for numerous complaints, including back, shoulder or neck pain. Because fascia can contract and relax in a similar way to muscles, it can be treated with a wide variety of methods. In orthopedics, there are numerous traditional and alternative therapies to loosen or support fascia.
Compression stockings
Compression stockings are designed to facilitate the return of blood from the legs to the heart. They exert pressure on the veins and ensure that they are compressed. The higher pressure thus enables even weak veins to reliably pump blood back to the heart. In this way, compression stockings prevent fluid from accumulating in the tissue and causing the legs to swell. They thus support the stability of the tissue and thus the fasciae. If these are overloaded due to increased fluid accumulation in the legs, micro tears can form. Here, the stocking can help regenerate the fasciae by partially taking over their function by compressing the tissue. This relief allows overstretched fasciae to regenerate.
Orthopedic shoe insoles
Many people suffer from foot pain - discomfort in the heel region is particularly common. In plantar fasciitis, the fascia becomes inflamed at the point where it attaches to the bone of the sole of the foot. This can be triggered by overuse, a malposition or age-related due to reduced elasticity. When this happens, the attachment of the fascia to the bone becomes so stressed that it can become inflamed or even tear.
To relieve the fascia, orthopedic shoe inserts can help. They reduce the pressure on the heel and take over part of the fascia functions through their cushioning effect. In addition, the position of the foot can be corrected with orthopedic shoe insoles, which reduces the tension on the fascia. This relieves the tissue and allows it to regenerate permanently.
Furthermore, in addition to conventional orthopedic insoles, there are also sensorimotor insoles. While the conventional insoles support the foot skeleton so that it regains its optimal shape, it is only a passive support. Without the passive insoles, the arch of the foot falls back into its original malposition. With sensorimotor insoles, however, the stimulation of trigger points has an additional effect.
Injections
In the fight against pain, injections can sometimes be the only way to provide relief when other methods have no effect. Especially in the case of discomfort in the back, neck or shoulders, agglutinated fasciae can be the reason for this pain. Due to poor posture or tension, the tissue can become matted and cause painful inflammation. Since fasciae contain numerous pain receptors, this can cause discomfort that cannot be explained at first glance.
Often such pain is resistant to other treatment methods. To locate the stuck fascia, an ultrasound scan can help. Local anesthetics can then be injected directly into the affected areas. Depending on the findings, other agents, such as micronutrients or neurotoxins, such as Botox, may also be injected into the fascia. The injections can loosen the tensions and relieve the pain.
Another therapy option is injections, which are applied directly into the attachment sites of fasciae on the vertebra. The active ingredients contained are composed of anesthetics and an irritant. This is intended to cause a planned inflammation in the tissues in order to stimulate the natural healing processes. This method is called proliferation therapy and is mainly used for chronic back pain.
Another possibility is neural therapy, also called wheals. Here it is assumed that pain is caused by so-called interference fields, which cause chronic inflammation. By injecting anesthetics several times into the interference fields, the complaints are supposed to be eliminated. The syringes are injected into a specific zone. Depending on the location of the pain, certain nerves are responsible for its transmission to the brain. In order to dull the transmission, and thus the pain, several applications are injected into this zone. The application of the active substances into the fasciae can calm or block pain receptors that trigger strong discomfort there.
It is also possible to place the injections at the affected joints, muscle attachments, bones or vessels to achieve the desired effect on the nervous system. If this does not lead to complete freedom from symptoms, active substances can also be injected into the deeper-lying ganglia. These nerve ganglia are located outside the spinal canal in the so-called border cord.
Extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT)
In addition to treating ureteral and kidney stones, extracorporeal shock wave therapy can also relieve pain from muscle and tendon disorders. The shock waves that penetrate the body in the process cause certain vibrations. If these are bundled and hit solid bodies, such as a kidney stone, the latter absorbs some of the energy and reflects the vibrations. This creates forces that can shatter the solid.
This mechanism of focused ESWT works not only for kidney and ureteral stones, but also for calcified tendon attachments. In radial ESWT, the waves penetrate the body close to the surface of the body, where they act on the muscles and fascia in a similar way to a massage. Here they can release muscular tension and matted fascia. Scientists also assume that the shock waves cause the release of messenger substances and the activation of nerve cells, which trigger the body's own repair processes.
Deep laser therapy
Deep lasers are focused beams of light that can activate various metabolic processes in cells - not to be confused with lasers used in ophthalmology or surgery. The laser beams penetrate through the skin into the body without causing injury or pain. Deep laser therapy can stimulate deep layers of tissue such as fascia. Similar to acupuncture, the focused light beams strike a specific point, causing the tissue to respond to the stimulus.
Two different wavelengths are used in laser therapy: one wavelength that is absorbed closer to the surface of the body and has a pain-relieving effect due to its warming effects; a second wavelength that penetrates deeper into the tissue, where it stimulates metabolism and accelerates cell regeneration. This can help regenerate the tissue, especially in the case of agglutinated fasciae.
