Frequently, when I’m working on a client, I come across an adhesion, a triggerpoint, a knot-whatever you like to call it. I stop there with my thumb, elbow, knee-whichever tool I happen to be using-and ask the client to breathe deeply. Between the two of us, it’s an attempt to break up the adhesion and release the bunching up of the muscles and fascia.
The client usually experiences a tenderness or sensitivity or even pain at this point. The common response is, “Do you feel that?!”. I always have to chuckle & think to myself (sarcastically, because that’s just how I am), “No, I just thought it was a good place to park my elbow.” I don’t say that, because I know what it feels like. When I get worked on by anyone with a clue, they stop on my triggerpoints, and MY natural response is to ask the same thing, “Do you feel that?!” It’s always so surprising to feel those painful points.
The deal is this: adhesions limit the ideal range of motion of the muscles where the adhesion is, but also limit and affect the movement of the joints to which those bunched up muscles are attached. In addition, adhesions limit blood, lymph, nerve, and energy flow, and, if gone unchecked, can cause pain, dysfunction, and disease. How do we get adhesions? Trauma to the area, faulty movement patterns and bad postural habits are almost always the cause. They may also occur due to dehydration and poor diet.
I personally don’t suffer from any structural (muscle, joint, or nerve) pain (knock on wood), but I have in the past so I know what it’s like. However, whether or not we have structural pain, EVERYONE has some myofascial restrictions. I don’t have pain until someone gets into my myofascial tissues and starts digging around. Getting this kind of deep work releases any of bound up areas, and I feel better than ever.
The point is this: pain is your body’s way of telling you something is wrong, and adhesions in your muscles and fascia gone unchecked for long enough will almost always lead to some kind of structural pain. Getting worked on is a pretty obvious and easy solution. Why wait to have an issue to get worked on? Do you feel “That”?!