Fascia is able to contract in a smooth muscle-like manner and thereby influence musculoskeletal mechanics
Three pages on PainSci cite Schleip 2006: 1. The Complete Guide to Trigger Points & Myofascial Pain 2. Trigger Point Doubts 3. Does Fascia Matter?
PainSci commentary on Schleip 2006: ?This page is one of thousands in the PainScience.com bibliography. It is not a general article: it is focused on a single scientific paper, and it may provide only just enough context for the summary to make sense. Links to other papers and more general information are provided wherever possible.
This research established that there are muscle cells in fascia. The finding is relatively straightforward. What makes it interesting is that they concluded that fascial contractions are “strong enough to influence low back stability and other aspects of human biomechanics.” This conclusion seems suspiciously consistent with the interests of the organizations that funded the study.
The data they present clearly shows that fascial contractions are orders of magnitude weaker than what the same mass of muscle tissue can produce. Weak fascial contractions strike me as being scientifically fascinating but clinically boring. I analyze this paper in detail in the article: Does Fascia Matter?.
This page is part of the PainScience BIBLIOGRAPHY, which contains plain language summaries of thousands of scientific papers & others sources. It’s like a highly specialized blog. A few highlights:
- Placebo analgesia in physical and psychological interventions: Systematic review and meta-analysis of three-armed trials. Hohenschurz-Schmidt 2024 Eur J Pain.
- Recovery trajectories in common musculoskeletal complaints by diagnosis contra prognostic phenotypes. Aasdahl 2021 BMC Musculoskelet Disord.
- Cannabidiol (CBD) products for pain: ineffective, expensive, and with potential harms. Moore 2023 J Pain.
- Moderators of the effect of therapeutic exercise for knee and hip osteoarthritis: a systematic review and individual participant data meta-analysis. Holden 2023 The Lancet Rheumatology.
- Inciting events associated with lumbar disc herniation. Suri 2010 Spine J.