If you used to have back pain or a pulling sensation in your legs, you thought your muscles were strained or overworked. Or perhaps the intervertebral discs had pinched the sciatic nerve. Today we know that pain is not only caused by muscles, bones or organs, but far more frequently by connective tissue, the so-called fasciae. This mainly consists of a white network of collagen fibres that runs through the entire body. The protein-like structures envelop all organs and muscles, supporting and connecting them with each other. It is only through the fasciae that the muscles can transmit their strength. Without them, the body would be "a lump lying flat on the floor", says Dr Christian Merkl, orthopaedic surgeon and TOUR expert for many years.
The realisation of how important fascia is for smooth movement processes is not that old: "In anatomy classes, we always cut away the connective tissue as quickly as possible in order to get to the supposedly more important muscles," Dr Merkl recalls from his studies. After all, the fasciae do not even appear on X-rays, the classic examination method used by orthopaedic surgeons. For a long time, they were regarded as mere packaging material without any significant function. "We didn't pay any attention to the fasciae - what a mistake!" says Dr Merkl.
The nervous system of the muscles
It is now known that there are 80 times more pain receptors in the fasciae than in the muscles - they are effectively the nervous system of the muscles. This is why some researchers even suspect that most back pain has its cause here. The so-called lumbar fascia in particular plays a - literally - supporting role: as a leathery layer, it separates the back extensor muscles and skin from each other and takes on part of the holding work, especially when cycling.
Orthopaedic surgeon Dr Merkl has trained as a qualified osteopath. "I've been using this method with many of my pain patients since I started using it," he says. Whereas in the past he mainly used painkillers and injections, the effects of which usually didn't last long, today he can "feel if there is a hardening, adhesion or twisting of the fascia." With manual manipulation, these can be brought back into the correct position and function - "this can reduce pain after just a few treatments," he reports.
Long paths through the body
He explains why conventional stretching exercises are not enough, but should ideally be combined with twists, stating that "not just one muscle, but an entire myofascial line, for example, is stretched and worked on.
line is stretched and worked on." These lines are functional chains that result from the interaction of muscles and fasciae. They run through the entire body in long lines from top to bottom. The American fascia researcher Thomas W. Myers describes them in his standard work "Anatomy Trains". In it, he compares them to rails or railway lines - hence the term "trains" - which should work together in a coordinated manner.
You can find the entire article with effective stretching exercises in the PDF download below - you can do the exercises perfectly at home during the winter months.
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