That Was Not A Muscle

The use of tender points is not unique to Counterstrain, and many modalities treat them, though they refer to them by their established trigger point moniker. The crucial distinction is that Fascial Counterstrain does not treat the tender points, but rather, their symptom-driving structures, which are the structures harboring the source inflammation.

Protective reflex arcs are automatic responses that protects us from harm. Their immediate and involuntary nature are possible because these responses bypass the brain to act directly on the spine. The manifestation and intensity of these responses is dependent on the extent of the injury and the perceptual state of the individual. But as the biochemistry of healing begins, the individual will experience an array of physical phenomena designed to protect our bodies.

Just as a power strip allows connecting different low-power appliances to a power source without the need of multiple dedicated outlets, the interneuron allows different physiological structures to communicate with the spine without the bulk of dedicated connections. A brief look of the most salient components allows us to contemplate why understanding Neural Convergence is fundamental in Fascial Counterstrain mastery.

The interstitium is a complex collective of microscopic channels and vessels forming a microvascular system. Its anatomical distribution includes the dermis, vascular adventitia, submucosa of the viscera, bronchi, adipose tissue, and all fascial tissues including musculoskeletal fascia. This is where the inflammation and its proinflammatory mediators get trapped, thus compromising our microvasculature and tissue function and health.

The sensory neurons that perceive pain are known as nociceptors as they detect painful and injurious stimuli. There are four types of nociceptors classified by their velocity of conduction, but it’s the type III and IV that are the most abundant in all fascial expressions. You may have noticed that I use the term fascial expression, and that is because the whole of fascia is far more than myofascia.

Fascial Counterstrain (FCS) is the most astonishing and effective modality I’ve yet studied. This indirect method is based on solid scientific principles but its ability to address complex conditions with finesse and gentleness gives it a veneer of mystery. I’ll admit that FCS appears unconventional because, rather than singling out a component, it operates from where the multiple dimensions governing pain and dysfunction converge.

People have different ways of exploring knowledge and concepts. Some need only to read. Some need illustrations, some need animated illustrations, and some need all of them. That’s why I created this blog post series.

Anyone seeking to understand the essence of Fascial Counterstrain from a a verbal explanation must be acquainted with physiological topics that fall beyond the conventional. The need for a compendium that the patient can access at their leisure is what drove me to write "That Was Not A Muscle – How Counterstrain is Transforming My Pain Therapy Practice." This is the final manuscript approved by Brian Tuckey himself—the innovator of the Fascial Counterstrain system—to be pres