​Restore your body's function with fascial counterstrain

What is Fascial Counterstrain?
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​Fascial Counterstrain is a gentle technique that uses body positioning, compression, and tissue glides to release a reflexive, protective tightening of fascia within various systems of the body (arterial, lymphatic, venous, visceral, ligamentous, dural, and nervous). This release reduces inflammation, pain, and muscular tension, while it improves relaxation, circulation, and mobility, thus restoring function.
“Fascial Strain and Counterstrain technique is a skilled, passive manipulation of the body’s deep fascial proprioceptors.  The goal of which is a normalization of the associated, dysfunctional, nocifensive and nociautonomic reflexes that maintain central, spinal cord sensitization.  The observable clinical effects include: decreased nociception, decreased inflammation, improved flexibility, improved proprioception, normalization of muscle tone and improved functional performance.”
                                                     --Brian Tuckey, PT, OCS, JSCCI, Innovator of Fascial Counterstrain

“In Counterstrain…the already shortened muscles are initially further shortened.  Maximal shortening removes all internal stresses, totally deactivating nociception.  By holding the tissues in this position for at least 90 seconds…local inflammation will decrease as the noxious chemicals are carried away.”
                                                     --Richard L. Van Buskirk, DO, 1990

​What is fascia?
Fascia is a connective tissue found within the body.  It has a variety of functions, which include the following:
  • It surrounds all structures within the body (arteries, veins, nerves, organs, bones, ligaments, tendons, muscles, etc).
  • It acts as a ligament to hold organs in place.
  • It separates various spaces within the body.
  • It separates various tissues within the body.
  • It makes up a sack which contains certain organs (pericardium of the heart, pleura of the lungs, for example).
  • It makes up the structure within organs.

Dysfunction of fascia
Fascia has the ability to contract - to tighten up - in order to protect a particular structure from injury.  This protective tightening is maintained by a neurological reflex, which usually does not automatically reset itself once the danger has passed.  Pain (nociception) will cause the reflex to activate and to continually tighten the fascia.  This tight, dysfunctional tissue will thus resist stretching, interpreting a stretch as a continued danger, which it must protect against. 

Proprioceptors are sensory organs within the body, which inform the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) about the position and movement of body parts.  They are found in joints, muscles and other tissues.  Dysfunction in fascia will affect their ability to report accurate information to the central nervous system.

Other Resources
Here are some outside sources that are interesting and informative

…noticeable changes include reduction of pain, reduction of inflammation, normalization of muscle tone, and improved physical/functional performance