by Dr. Eric Winder  

“Can these treatments affect my emotional state?” I was asked this question by a patient just a few days ago. His first fascia release treatment had started to relieve his neck and back pain, but also left him with a markedly greater sense of well-being. 

I explained to him that positive mental and emotional effects can often result from manual therapy that releases restrictions in fascia, the fibrous connective tissue which covers and protects all our other tissues. This does not happen to everyone who experiences fascia release therapy, but many patients report enhanced well-being, an increased ability to cope with stress, and even a decrease in anxiety or depression symptoms.  

There is a scientific basis to explain the “emotional releases” that sometimes occur with hands-on fascia therapy. As a member of the Fascia Research Society, I attended a seminar by Dr. Joeri Calsius, a clinical psychologist and research scientist who uses fascia therapy as part of his treatments. He discussed how the neurology of fascia can be involved with a person’s emotional state. I was interested in this because of the emotional responses that my patients often experience following a treatment.  

Fascia contains innumerable nerve endings that are dedicated to feeling pain and creating position sense. But it also has other less-known nerves linked to pathways that continue along the spine to an area of the brain called the insula. This part of the brain is involved in processing pain, love, emotion and self-awareness. A brief summation of the insula’s role in daily function would be to answer the question, “How do I feel [emotionally] about how I feel?” 

Dr. Calsius suggests that, in addition to improving pain sensations and position sense, it is also possible that the release of fascia restriction can improve the emotional state by restoring normal signals on those pathways to the insula. While this is still just a hypothesis, it would help to explain many of the reactions that I observe in my patients. These include endorphin releases and deep relaxation during treatment, as well as increased stress management and an overall sense of well-being afterward.   

Shelly, a patient of mine, once told me at the onset of a treatment visit that she had a new concern. “I’m worried that I don’t feel worried,” she remarked. She went on to explain that she was used to living in a constant state of mild worry about many facets of her life, both small and large. However, since her fascia release treatments for a painful shoulder, her constant worry had dissipated, and she was mostly focused on just the large-scale issues in her life. Because she was not used to this, she felt concerned that it was abnormal. As time went on, though, she learned to enjoy this decrease in stress.  

I will point out that I do not treat mental or emotional issues. However, my clinical experience has shown me that improving the health of fascia often supports better mental and emotional well-being, more so than simply relieving pain with medications. 

If fascia can affect how you feel, what steps can you take to maximize its health? Fascia needs hydration, so it’s important to be sure you consume an adequate amount of water each day. This fibrous connective tissue does not respond well to inflammation, so eating a nutritious, non-inflammatory diet can also help to maintain its function.    

A simple place to start is to cut back on portions of red meat and fried foods, as well as increase vegetables and greens. In general, a plant-based diet is key. There are many excellent types of exercises that are optimal for keeping fascia toned and supple as well. These include yoga, Pilates, Gyrotonics, and several kinds of fascial stretching programs. Restorative yoga, in particular, can activate the fascia nerve pathways to the insula, which leads to that sense of well-being and helps to relieve stress.  

However, when fascia has restrictions from prior injuries, nutrition and exercise can only do much to keep it healthy. Fascia release treatment can restore stiff fascia to a more supple, flexible state, which helps it to communicate more normally with the nervous system. This will potentially improve how a person feels mentally and emotionally while relieving pain, improving range of motion, and restoring alignment and stability to joints. 

Research on the effects of fascia therapies on emotional well-being is continuous, so it is possible that someday these hands-on therapies will be incorporated more often in conventional psychological therapies. For now, I will enjoy hearing about my patients’ positive side-effects when I treat them for other problems such as back and knee pain.    

Eric Winder, DC, uses gentle manual therapy to help patients with a wide range of pain and injury problems. Dr. Winder’s offices are in Sarasota and Osprey. For more information, call 941-957-8390 or visit Gentlebay.com.