09/11/2023
Although we have long believed fascia to be a largely inactive structural support for the more important soft tissues of the body, we’re discovering that it is so much more than that. We now know that fascia has a contractile ability, which can help us better understand and treat fascial restriction and dysfunction.
Fibroblasts and myofibroblasts
Fibroblasts occur naturally in the fascia, creating a mesh-like structure of contractile fibres. These fibres can change their shape, which affects the amount of tension present in the fascia. These changes can occur quickly to support the body in times of stress.
Myofibroblasts normally occur in wounds, contracting wound edges to allow closure. In the fascia, fibroblasts can differentiate into myofibroblasts – cells that combine the properties of fibroblasts with smooth muscle cells. Many factors can lead to the differentiation of fibroblasts into myofibroblasts, including mechanical tension and pharmacological changes in the tissue.
Myofibroblast contraction
Contraction of myofibroblasts is very slow, and occurs without neural input. They have a contraction cycle of 90 seconds, and will continue to contract in an accumulative way with no relaxation.
‘When viewed at time frames of seconds and minutes, the force of such tissue contractions is not sufficient for exerting a significant effect on mechanical joint stability. However, such cellular contractions can impact motoneuronal coordination when viewed in a time-window of several minutes and longer. In addition, over a time frame of days to months, this cellular activity can induce long-term and severe tissue contractures.’ Robert Schleip & Werner Klingler, 2019).
Learn more here: https://onlinepethealth.com/fascial-contraction-implications-for-treatment-and-function/
