Saran wrap has several important features in common with connective tissue.
When saran wrap first comes off the roll, it’s smooth, relaxed, and flowing. It may stay that way as we carefully wrap it around objects such as bowls, fruits, vegetables, or sandwiches. Then we move the object around, squeezing, twisting, and accidentally dropping it, thus introducing one or several disturbances to the saran wrap. This results in distortion of the saran wrap, making it stick together in some places and coming apart in other places. So it is with connective tissue (fascia, ligaments, tendons, meninges).
Distortions can come from seemingly benign activities.
We don’t have to do any outrageous activity, or have any big accidents, in order for the connective tissue to become distorted or “gunked up”. Poor posture, twisting of the ankle, bumping into things, inflammation due to infection, autoimmune diseases, emotional upsets, mental stress, and even medications can cause “traffic congestion” in our connective tissue.
We need to remember that blood and lymph vessels (your immune system’s infrastructure), as well as nerves and meridians move through this land of connective tissue. Moreover, white blood cells, nutrients, chemical messengers, and toxins move in and out of the cells and blood/lymph vessels through the connective tissue.
The connective tissue varies from almost liquid (blood), to hard as bone, depending on the amount and type of fibers within the ground substance . The higher the fiber content, the denser the connective tissue. The denser the tissue, the less movement is possible. Furthermore, the tissue becomes denser in a disorderly fashion, creating many smaller and larger obstructions anywhere in the body.
While traffic is flowing smoothly in some areas, it comes to a halt or at least very congested in those “hot spots”, impeding nerve conduction, blood circulation, energy distribution (via the meridians), and the immune system.
Connective tissue hardens when the body experiences trauma of any kind.
Wherever the body experiences stress or trauma, the fibrous content increases to hold the body in the position of injury in order to stabilize it, or to keep you from doing more of the activity that caused the injury or stress. The same happens with repetitive stress from work, exercises, or hobbies. The connective tissue will form around the posture your body takes on when doing these activities. It literally shrink wraps around the area of distortion.
That’s why it’s so important to take breaks and do some stretches or move in different ways in between those activities. POOR POSTURE creates MORE POOR POSTURE creates CONGESTION via connective tissue restriction.
The connective tissue ultimately may become or feel like a straight jacket or prison. You feel restricted, bound, and like something is tugging or pulling you in different places. However, you most likely won’t remember the many incidents that led up to this way of feeling in your body.
Consequences of connective tissue distortion.
When the connective tissue starts to accumulate restrictions from inflammation, injuries, illnesses, postural stress, emotional upset, etc., the structures embedded within it will be compressed and distorted as well.
We start to experience fatigue, difficulty with movement, weak memory, difficulty concentrating, mood changes, problems with blood flow, a weakened immune system, digestive issues, constipation, allergies, sinus problems, breathing difficulties, chronic aches and pain, joint pain, muscle pain, fibromyalgia, and so forth.
Children experience developmental difficulties or delays, behavioral issues, aches and pain, difficulty sleeping, and fall behind their peers in school.
All people, no matter what age, become more vulnerable to disease and are sicker longer.
Craniosacral therapy and energetic unwinding help the body to rid itself of this straight jacket by releasing the various restrictions in the connective tissue. These two related therapies are exceedingly gentle and agreeable to everyone.