Why nothing shows up on your MRI and you still have pain

Your fascia, otherwise known as connective tissue, is the most abundant tissue in your body. This system is a complex web that ties everything in your body together and gives you your shape and texture. 

Here are just a few roles of your fascia:

• Keeps your tissue hydrated
• Feeds your cells and helps them regenerate
• Protects you from impact (shock absorption)
• Keeps muscles and joints gliding smoothly and freely
• Responsible for your posture and shape
• Keeps muscles attached to bones
• Keeps bones and organs from touching/rubbing
• Acts as a secondary nervous system and communicates messages rapidly throughout your body
• Helps your balance, agility, and your perception of the world around you

The list goes on.

Your fascia is the only system that touches all the rest (skeletal, muscular, nervous, circulatory) and therefore can AFFECT the way all of these systems function. It plays a key role in the overall, holistic health of your body. 

If fascia becomes tight, dehydrated or unhealthy, it can cause muscle compensations, structural shifts, mobility limitations, and pain.

Why have you not been told about possible issues in your fascia when you went to the doctor for your pain?

1. Fascia is new science. It has only been studied in detail the last decade and we are still learning new things about its roles. Many doctors and practitioners are not familiar with the crucial role it plays in pain yet.
2. You cannot see fascia on a MRI, X-ray, or CT scan. 

If your results came back negative on one of these scans, that doesn’t mean you have a “mystery” pain or that there is no solution. That solution most likely lies within your fascia.

To complete this thought, check out this video is from Dana Sterling from Sterling Structural Therapy. She gives a great synopsis on what fascia is and a brilliant live demonstration of how fascial restrictions can cause pain and affect movement in your body.