07/02/2023
What is this and what does it have to do with your Nervous System?
Connective Tissue and Your Nervous System
You probably don’t realize how much your whole body gets involved in every movement you make. The amount of preparation, communication and micro-adjustments that occur before, during and after every movement you make is almost greater than we can comprehend. The connective tissue system plays an essential role in your ability to move or remain still. Every minute of every day, your connective tissue is helping your body to do what you ask of it while also protecting your joints, bones and organs.
Unlike muscle, connective tissue doesn’t receive input from the brain or nervous system in order to adapt to your movement. The connective tissue independently plays its active role in stabilizing your joints and supporting and protecting all parts of your body so movement doesn’t cause damage. This independent ability is part of why we haven’t understood the connective tissue’s capabilities and purpose. However, the connective tissue system does not do this alone. This system is inherently linked to a specific component of the nervous system – the autonomic nervous system- and together they regulate posture, joint position and mind-body communication. The independent relationship between the connective tissue system and the autonomic nervous system, or what can be called the neurofascial system, is what allows proper muscle contraction to occur.
Your nervous system relies on the fluid state of the connective tissue system for proper communication. The part of the nervous system that relies on the healthy fluid state of your connective tissue the most is your sensory nerves. This is because the majority of your sensory nerve endings are found in the connective tissue system. If the connective tissue system is dehydrated, it can alter sensory nerve transmission. These nerves play a vital role in creating accurate, seamless movement. The sensory nerves also transmit pain signals, including when your connective tissue is unable to adequately support your joints, nerves, muscles and bones because of dehydration.
These discoveries about the connective tissue system and the nervous system streamline the understanding of the cause and treatment of pain. When you have pain you need to treat the connective tissue system as a whole. What has made the topic of pain seem so complicated is all the money, time and effort spent on pain ‘solutions’ that don’t solve the problem. Looking to medicine, rehabilitation, exercise and ineffective gimmicks and gadgets for the solution has been ineffective for so many people. The fact that chronic pain is so prevalent means something is missing from how we care for our bodies. Even the best exercise and nutritional habits can’t restore the fluid state of the connective tissue system or rebalance your nervous system. But MELT can and does.
Taken from The MELT Method Book by Sue Hitzmann
