scar tissue and hairballs — more alike than you imagined

“We can also think of this fascial scarring and adhesion in terms of hair. Remember our example of well-manicured hair that a comb or brush glides through easily? Now think of the exact opposite. Think of a hair tangle. What happens to hair that is not well taken care of, or was slept on wet? Instead of the individual hair follicles lying parallel to each other in a neat and orderly fashion, they become tangled with the individual hair fibers running in every conceivable direction. The result is a tangled mess —— a ball of hair that takes forever just get a comb or brush through it. “Hair balls” can be so restrictive that just trying to get a comb through it, pulls and causes great pain.  This is even more true with fascia.”    Dr. Russell Schierling from his Destroy Chronic Pain site.

“Dr Schierling; just a quick note. My name is Michael Boyle, I’m a strength coach based in Boston.  One of my coaches forwarded me your blog link and I loved the analogy of fascia and hair ( combed vs. uncombed) and I want to tell you that I will eventually use it in a blog or article. Thanks for a great analogy.”  Michael Boyle, owner of one of America’s top gyms as voted on by Men’s Health (Body by Boyle), as well as being the Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Boston University Men’s Hockey Team — the 2009 National Champions.

Fascia is not only the most abundant connective tissue in the body, it is arguably the most pain-sensitive as well.  On top of this, in most areas of the body it is so thin that it cannot be seen with even the most advanced imaging techniques commonly in use today (for example, MRI).  Couple these factors with the fact that fascial injuries are exceedingly common, and you can see a PERFECT STORM brewing on the horizon.  This is especially true when you realize that FASCIA is found everywhere.  It’s a big reason I have written so many articles on this subject.  Below you’ll find a few of them.

• SKULL PAIN

• NECK PAIN

• HEADACHES

• PULLED MUSCLES

• FASCIA AS THE COMMON DENOMINATOR IN SICKNESS AND DISEASE

• THORACOLUMBAR FASCIA

• FASCIA & CHRONIC PAIN

• WHAT IS SCAR TISSUE?

• FASCIA AS A SECOND NERVOUS SYSTEM

• FASCIAL PAIN FROM MASTECTOMY SCARS

• SCAR TISSUE REMODELING FOR HORSES

• STATINS ATTACK BOTH TENDONS AND FASCIA

• FASCIAL ADHESIONS AND THE INABILITY TO HOLD ADJUSTMENTS

• TENSEGRITY AND FASCIA

There are tons of others.  If your doctors are having a difficult time telling you why you are having CHRONIC PAIN, or are treating your Chronic Pain to no avail, take a few minutes to read about Fascia.  These articles may provide a glimpse of hope.  When you are trying to cope with Chronic Pain, a little hope goes a long way.