ELI5: what are muscle adhesions
// explanation
What are muscle adhesions?
Muscle adhesions happen when the stretchy wrapping around your muscles (called fascia) gets stuck together, like when plastic wrap crinkles up and won't come apart [1][3]. The collagen fibers in your muscles "stick" to nearby tissue instead of sliding smoothly [1].
Why do they happen?
Adhesions form when you injure a muscle or use it too much, and your body creates scar tissue to heal it [3][4]. Sometimes the fascia around muscles gets too tight and crinkled, which makes the sticking worse [3].
What does it feel like?
Your muscles feel stiff, sore, and tender, like you have hard knots that won't go away [2][3]. Over time, the fascia can squeeze and twist the muscles around it, making movement painful [2].
How do you fix it?
Therapists can use massage, stretching, and special treatments like shockwave therapy to help break down the adhesions and get your muscles sliding smoothly again [5].
// sources
Dec 21, 2021 ... Commonly called muscle adhesion, this condition occurs in the soft tissue where collagen fibers “stick” to adjacent tissue.
For some people, adhesions can worsen over time, causing the fascia to compress and contort the muscles it surrounds. This can result in hard, tender knots in ...
Jan 24, 2021 ... A muscle adhesion occurs when the fascia gets tight or crinkled, causing stiffness and soreness. It can also occur as a result of scar tissue that happens ...
The scar tissue gives the muscle strength to withstand contractions, and it gives the fibroblasts an anchoring site to invade the granulation tissue. A few ...
A visual representation of muscle adhesions forming due to chronic tension and overuse, alongside the restorative effects of shockwave therapy in breaking ...
Video by Integrative Diagnosis
Video by Discover Soft Tissue And Spine
Video by SciShow
