Fascia And You – Neck And Upper Back Pain

Fascia is a type of connective tissue that covers nearly the entire inside of the body. It binds together muscles, organs, and other tissue in addition to contributing to the structural integrity (the shape) of the body. For exercisers, the type fascia that is the most important is the fascia that covers and binds together the muscles. This type of fascia is sometimes referred to as deep fascia. You can think of deep fascia as the skin of your muscles.

Fascia, like all connective tissue, grows in response to stress. If you prefer a certain posture, the resulting stress on the muscle, bone, and other soft tissue will eventually result in the growth of fascia to help the other tissues cope with the demand of holding a new posture. For example, if you happen to sit slouched over at your computer 8 hours a day while at work, eventually fascia will grow to help support this body posture, making it much easier for you to carry your caveman-like computer posture with you for whatever other activities you may engage in.

One fascia myth is that massage can “work out knots” in the fascia and eliminate these structural changes simply by rubbing these areas (think upper back/neck). Unfortunately changing fascial structure is not that simple. Just think about a neck and back rub; they feel great for a short period of time but the irritation will be back sooner or later. Recent research has found that fascia – once thought to simply be passive connective tissue (like a spider web) is actually innervated and has its own smooth muscle tissue (smooth muscle is a type of muscle that can not be voluntarily controlled). This means that the brain and the rest of the central nervous system is actually involuntarily controlling fascia through neural activity.

Memory foam mattresses and toppers are frequently recommended by doctors due to their unique ability to relieve the pressure created by your weight which often leads to chronic pain, and the promotion of blood flow throughout your body will allow you to achieve a better night’s sleep. Mattresses made from this material are firm enough to keep your body supported, but soft enough to be completely comfortable.

By now you might be starting to connect the dots as to why TMD patients have so many seemingly unrelated symptoms such as headaches, neckaches, backaches, and shoulder pain. Holding the head in the forward position to protect the jaw joint requires a lot of tension in the neck and back muscles. This constant tension also compresses the nerves that pass through these muscles, so some TMD patients also suffer from shoulder pain and even numbness or tingling in the fingers. In order to maintain balance and not fall forward, the body may also compensate by rotating the hips, resulting in lower back pain, and flaring the feet out, resulting in foot pain.

Sometimes holding the head forward is not possible or is not enough to change the bite, and the joint remains painful as well. In certain cases the jaw position puts pressure on the ears, causing ear pain and even hearing loss. Sometimes the extra stress on the nervous system causes other unrelated problems to flare up, such as allergies, sinus problems, and eyelid twitching. And in many cases, the chronic pain combined with the stress can lead to depression and mood swings.

A dentist trained in TMD treatment that relieves the stress on the jaw joints has the potential to relieve most if not all of the above symptoms. If the symptoms have been long standing, however, other health care providers such as chiropractors, osteopathic physicians, physical therapists, and massage therapists may be needed for complete relief. And in certain cases, the “TMD symptoms” may not be due to the jaw joints at all. Back and neck disorders can also cause the same symptoms as TMD. In these cases, TMD treatment will be of limited benefit and your dentist may be able to refer you to the appropriate health care provider.

If you suffer from any of the symptoms listed in this article, it may be worth your while to have your dentist perform a TMD screening. I speak from personal experience; I suffered from lower back pain and numbness in the fingers for many years, potentially a career ending condition for a dentist. I never believed I had TMD because my jaw joints never hurt. With the proper diagnosis and treatment of my TMD, however, I have now been pain free for over two years, and continue to practice dentistry with no numbness in my fingers

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