Fascia & Back Pain…
The Specific reason for your non-specific back pain?
If you go to your doctor with back pain you’ll more than likely get a diagnosis of “non-specific” lower back pain. This is the majority diagnosis – approximately 90% of lower back pain is diagnosed as non specific. Non-specific is a technical term meaning “we’re not quite sure what’s going on”.
The number of nerve fibres can actually increase in chronic pain, making it more painful. Additionally the fascia itself can stiffen by up to 20%, just like a muscle tightening when injured. Fascia itself is a thin layer of connective tissue, like a sausage skin, that sits under the skin and holds everything together. Its everywhere, all through the body.
Superficial fascia sits just under the skin and contains nerve fibres that detect pressure, temperature and movement. There’s also a deeper layer – usefully called deep fascia – which binds muscle, organs, blood vessels and more. This fascia is rich in fibres that sense position and movement (proprioception) and pain.
Fascia And Nerves….
Fascia is an important part of our structure. Most human fascia contains approximately 250 million nerve endings. Roughly the same as you’ll find in skin. If you suffer from chronic pain the number of these nerve fibres that sense pain can grow. Studies in rats have suggested the amount of nerve fibres may almost triple, which may explain why it can be so difficult to treat chronic pain. Its thought that chronic inflammation causes the proliferation of these nerve fibres.
Initial research suggests that the sympathetic nervous system (responsible for the fight or flight mechanism) may trigger inflammation in the fascia, causing it to stiffen and compound the problem. Could it be then that fascia is responsible for a large part of the 85% of non-specific lower back pain? Scientifically this can’t be answered yet, but maybe.
To find out how acupuncture can help stubborn, chronic back pain click here.
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