Fascia and the Lymphatic System Connection
I believe painful fascia in people with Fibromyalgia is caused by an unhealthy lymphatic system. I can make this bold but simple statement because discovering the connection between the chronic widespread pain I felt and my sluggish lymphatic system led to my Fibromyalgia cure.
By allowing my lymphatic system to flow freely by movement,
stretching and massage it in turn allowed the painful, knotted and
constricted tissues that surrounded my muscles, joints, bones and nerve
fibres to become healthy and pain free.
I’ve described elsewhere about fascia pain in connection with people who have Fibromyalgia. And that fascia has 6 times more pain receptors than muscle, meaning that fascia pain can be very intense.
The following is from my page FASCIA PAIN
What is Fascia?
Fascia looks a bit like cling film and it does a similar job. It envelops every muscle, organ, bone and nerve fibre throughout our entire bodies.
If you look at raw meat, you can see an almost transparent layer of fascia surrounding a chicken breast for example. It isn’t fat, it isn’t muscle, it isn’t bone – it is one form of connective tissue. It is the stretchy glue that clings to and wraps around all those things.
Unfortunately for people with Fibromyalgia there seems to be a build up of this type of connective tissue. It becomes stiff, knotted, tightened, taut and more importantly very painful.
Widespread Pain is Fascia Pain
People with Fibromyalgia will have fascia pain in many areas of their bodies. I believe most of the widespread pain felt by people with Fibromyalgia is fascia pain.
And because fascia is so widespread throughout the body, fascia pain will also be widespread. This explains why people with Fibromyalgia have widespread pain that comes and goes. For example my feet and hands would hurt on some days, while my shins and elbows could hurt on other days.
Remember that fascia is found in and around every muscle, organ, bone and nerve fibre throughout our entire bodies.
Superficial Fascia
There are various types of fascia including superficial fascia or to give it another name subcutaneous tissue. This is a layer of loose connective or fatty tissue that connects the cells of muscle tissues, nerve tissues and epithelia tissues that joins tissues into organs. The superficial fascia is found directly just under the skin which is in the same location as where most of the lymphatic vessels are found.
The fascia is made up of a loose irregular network of elastin fibres and collagen fibres which provides some elasticity and strength in tissues and organs. It has a viscous, semi-liquid gel like form which may fluctuate in consistency in different parts of the body due to variations in temperature or pH. It provides a supporting structure for nerves, blood vessels and lymph vessels.
And it is the connection between fascia and lymph vessels which is of most interest to me.
“The fascial tissue includes solid and liquid fascia (body fluids such as blood and lymph).”
It is believed that lymph vessels and lymph nodes run through the superficial fascia. The lymph vessels become encased by the fascia they connect with. Along with lymph vessels all the blood vessels and nerves run through the fascia too.
And of course lymph cannot flow by
itself so it is reliant on the movement of the diaphragm during
breathing and the massaging effect of surrounding muscles and the fascia
to squeeze it towards the lymph nodes. And the lymph nodes of course
filter out harmful substances; destroy bacteria and other waste products
that are carried within the lymph back into bloodstream. After liver
and kidney processing the waste is expelled by the body via urine or
bowel movements.
It is worth emphasizing and repeating that the Lymphatic System needs to flow freely. The following is from my page THE LYMPHATIC SYSTEM
Lymphatic Flow – an Upwards Battle
Unlike the circulatory system where the heart pumps blood around the body, the lymphatic system has no central pump to move fluid around. And this is despite the fact that it has to process three times the amount of fluid to that of blood. Instead it depends on the movement of the diaphragm during breathing and the massaging effect of surrounding muscles and fascia during physical activity to allow the lymph to flow around the body. And this is why daily frequent exercise is so important in keeping the lymph moving.
Lymph within the lymphatic system only flows one way which is upwards and against gravity towards the neck.
As lymph moves upwards toward the neck it passes through lymph nodes which filter out harmful substances and waste products. The cleansed lymph continues upwards toward the neck where it flows into the subclavian veins on either side of the neck near the collarbones.
So the lymphatic system is literally in a constant upwards struggle to do its job of protecting the body from toxins, bacteria and viruses, maintaining body fluid levels, absorbing digestive tract fats and removing cellular waste.
As the lymphatic system is trying to defy gravity, it can slow down and become congested through stress, lack of quality sleep, lack of exercise, poor diet and a buildup of toxins.
Yes, that’s right:
•Stress causes a congested lymphatic system.
•Poor sleep causes a congested lymphatic system.
•Lack of exercise causes a congested lymphatic system.
•A typical Western diet causes a congested lymphatic system.
And because Fibromyalgia sufferers are under constant stress with their flight/flight/ freeze response being on high alert all the time plus a lack of quality sleep it is unsurprising that they will have clogged up and congested lymphatic systems. Add to this reduced mobility due to pain and fatigue and you have a recipe for disaster.
Fluids in the Body
You are probably aware that the human body is made up of about 70% fluids. These fluids include water, blood plasma and lymph. The fluids in the body are either intracellular or extracellular. The intracellular denotes the fluid that bathes the inside of the cells of the body whereas the extracellular refers to the fluid that lies outside of the cells. The extracellular fluid is largely made up of interstitial fluid or tissue fluid which is the fluid found between the cells of the body and the majority of it is tied up in fascia.
As one of functions of the lymphatic system is to drain body fluids and return them to the bloodstream, it is important to keep the fascia hydrated AND keep the lymphatic system flowing.