04/09/2026
Adhesions. We hear the word all the time, but I wanted to break things down and talk about what that means in the body.
When a client says, “This spot just feels stuck,” that is often what they are feeling.
In our hands, the body is not separate pieces. It is layers. Fascia wraps and connects everything. And when it is healthy, those layers glide. They move like soft fabric over itself. Smooth and effortless.
Part of what enables that is a substance called hyaluronic acid. It lives between the layers and acts like a fluid buffer. When the body is warm and moving well, everything slides.
But when there has been injury, repetition, or even long periods of stillness, that environment changes. That fluid becomes thicker and more gel-like. Collagen fibers, which are supposed to organize along clean lines of movement, begin to lay down in more tangled patterns.
So instead of glide, we get drag.
And here is where it starts to affect more than just one spot.
The body adapts. Fibroblasts, which are the cells that build and remodel this tissue, respond to the patterns they are given. So if movement is limited or repetitive, they reinforce that same pattern.
At the same time, the nervous system is paying attention.
Fascia is filled with sensory receptors. Ruffini endings respond to slow, sustained pressure and help the body shift into a more relaxed, parasympathetic state. Pacinian corpuscles respond to rapid changes, such as vibration. Free nerve endings pick up discomfort.
So when an area isn't moving well, the brain often reads that as something to guard, and the body tightens around it.
This is why something small can start to affect everything. It is not just tissue; it is a pattern.
So what do we do as therapists?
We slow down.
We use myofascial work to give that thickened tissue time to change. That helps the hyaluronic acid become more fluid again.
We can use sustained pressure to engage those Ruffini receptors and help the nervous system soften.
We can use cross-fiber work to introduce a new direction, giving collagen a chance to reorganize rather than staying stuck in the same pattern.
Cupping can help by lifting the tissue and creating space between layers, while gua sha adds a gentle shear and brings circulation into areas that have become dense.
Heat can support all of this by making the tissue more pliable.
And then we bring in movement, because the body needs a new pattern to hold onto.
Because when those layers start to glide again, even a little, everything begins to feel different.
Less pulling. Less compensation. More ease.
And that is usually the moment your client looks at you and says, “ahhhhhhhhh.” 🤗
