Healthy nerves need to move

Nerves need to be able to move, slide and stretch as the body moves. This may seem like common sense, but ironically this way of thinking has only come to be incorporated into rehabilitation since the 1980s and still isn't completely acknowledged across all medical professions today.

When you lift your arm over your head the path some nerves follow is 20% longer than when your arm is at your side. Although our nerves do have the ability to stretch, this ability is limited. Primarily, nerves need to be able to slide around other tissues of the body as we move. Nerves can slide up to 2 centimeters under surrounding structures, and if this ability to slide is restricted, problems can occur.

Fascia, the under-appreciated tissue

I've spoken with many patients about the wonderful experience they had at Body Worlds learning about human anatomy. I myself did countless laps of the place in awe of the intricacy of the body. Gunther von Hagens did an amazing job bringing the wonderful world of anatomy to the masses. However, there was one thing missing. The one thing that always bothers me whenever I view dissections is often the missing link when understanding how the human body moves. We always view anatomy with the fascia removed!

Now some of you may ask: what is fascia?