Expression of the endocannabinoid receptors in human fascial tissue

Feel high after a massage? Receptors for our body’s own cannabinoid substances are present in fascia according to a recent research from the Stecco group in the University of Padova in Italy.

Endocannabinoids are "the body’s own cannabinoid system" , bodily substances which have biological effects similar to those of marijuana, they are often found in human brain and the nervous system. Studies showed that stimulating the receptors can relieve pain and suppress inflammation. Research has demonstrated that patients with fibromyalgia report that marijuana use lowers pain and improves health-related quality of life, making researchers suspect that endocannabinoid receptors, which also mediate the effects of marijuana, might exist in tissues other than the brain and immune cells.

Their presence was also previously reported in myofascial tissue, suggesting that the endocannabinoid system may help resolve myofascial trigger points. However, the expression of CB1 (cannabinoid receptor 1) and CB2 (cannabinoid receptor 2) in human fascia has not yet been established. This study published in the European Journal of Histochemistry, is the first to establish this relationship.

The auhors extracted fascia lata, the deep fascia of the thigh, from 11 volunteers who had orthopedic surgery, and then isolated the main cell type of the fascia, called fibroblasts. They found both types of receptors,CB1 and CB2, in these cells. Examining whole tissue levels of the two receptors, researchers noted somewhat higher levels, indicating that the receptors may also be present in other cell types.

The authors said that "The presence of CB1 and CB2 receptors in fascial fibroblasts suggests their possible role in modulation of fascial pain. The fascial pain is usually related to a fascial inflammation and/or a fascial fibrosis, and both could be related to an alteration to the endocannabinoid system. Indeed the activation of CB1 and CB2 receptors is able to suppress pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-1beta e TNF-alpha and to increase anti-inflammatory cytokines, and provide an anti-fibrotic activity. "

"It is also possible that the endocannabinoid system inside the deep fasciae is stimulated during manipulative treatments and exercises. A previous sudy by McPartland et al. demonstrated that after osteopathic manipulation treatment the serum level of anandamide increase 168% over pretreatment levels and Gamelin et al. demonstrated that chronic exercise is able to modify the tissue levels of endocannabinoids. Besides, it is known that the connective tissue is one of the principal target of the stretching, causing the remodeling of the cytoskeleton of the fibroblasts and a modulation of the inflammation-regulation mechanisms within connective tissue. Consequently, we can suppose that specific exercises or fascial treatments could be able to stimulate the fascial fibroblasts and consequently to modulate the endocannabinoid system and the release of anti-inflammatory cytokines. "

http://www.ejh.it/index.php/ejh/article/view/2643/2590

Source: Terra Rosa

Fascia and Reflexology

It gives me great satisfaction and pleasure to read articles like this one "Fascia and Reflexology" that support one of the reasons Reflexology is an effective modality for the whole.
I am also proud that key elements of this article have been also presented through the Orthopedic Reflexology approach.

The feet are a whole old world, it is waiting to be discovered and in our Orthopedic Reflexology training we will rediscover this world.

According to Julie Day, a physiotherapist working with the Stecco group in Italy: “The fact that the superficial fascia and the deep fascia almost fuse together in the soles of the feet and the palms of the hand could be an explanation for why working deeply in these areas, as in reflexology, can affect areas that are distant from the area we work on.” Julie said that she had often used plantar reflexology in the past and but, at that time, had not found any plausible anatomical explanations for its effectiveness. Reflexology is a relatively easy technique to learn and it can either be incorporated within a massage session or as a specific session apart.

According to Dr. Ida Rolf in “Rolfing and Physical Reality”: “The meridian points and reflex points in the feet are most likely end-points of myofascial strain, the result of imbalance which transmits its difficulty in compensating pattern through the body to the surface. Fascial planes may be the route of mechanical transmission of pain.” She also mentioned “Foot reflexes are peaks of strains. They are nothing mystical; they are where strain goes in the foot. If you are relieving strain above the reflex points (for example in the ankle and shin) you will relieve those points of strain in the sole of the foot. When a weight goes down and dies in some place, it becomes a reflex point.” And “I think that many if not all reflex points in the foot are simply points where gravitational strain inserts and comes together. They are the end of the line we call balance”

In most parts of the body, the superficial fascia is an elastic connective tissue layer surrounded above and below by adipose tissue. However at the palm and sole of the foot, the skin is tightly bound to the underlying tissues to prevent or restrict movement (Figure 2) . If movements were allowed to occur here within fascial planes, then the hands or feet would not been able to have a firm grip. The retinacula of the retinacula cutis layers in the palms and soles are much thicker. They bind the superficial fascia to the deep fascia and adipose tissue is sparse beneath the skin. It is even absent at the finger creases on the palmar sides of the interphalangeal joints, so that the skin immediately covers fascial tendon sheaths (Benjamin, 2009). See also Figure 2 and Figure 3 of Mike Benjamin’s article The fascia of the limbs and back . (The article also provides a thorough anatomical view of the fascia of the hands and feet). Pavan et al. (2011) studied the mechanical properties of the plantar aponeurosis.

http://www.fascialfitness.net.au/articles/fascia-and-reflexology/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2667913/