It is the connective tissue, or fascia to give it its proper name, that surrounds every muscle fiber and group of muscles in the body, which adapts to the stress of both macro and microtrauma. This is the body's basic tissue, which has many specialized forms such as muscle, tendons, ligaments, fascia, blood vessels and nerves. As well as acting as a pathway for the blood, lymph and nervous systems fascia also lubricates muscle fibers and tendons so that they can slide over and next to each other as they contract and relax which is the action that facilitates joint movement. Fascia is constantly being renewed and changed depending on the stresses placed upon it.

During any repetitive movement, whether it's running, throwing, swinging a bat or club, kicking a ball or even using a keyboard, muscles are continually contracting and relaxing – so much so that at the end of a training session they end up in a partially contracted or tense state. In this state, they're more prone to injury. Injuries are often caused by overuse and can be directly related to faulty technique, muscle-strength imbalance, poor posture, or simply doing too much too soon. In sports, soft tissue responds to the stress of the repetitive action by becoming short and tight. This situation is often exacerbated because the athlete does little or no stretching of their muscles after the training session or game. Unless treated this tension will continually build up and eventually result in restricted mobility and pain. Such tight muscles are also more susceptible to tearing.

The human body responds similarly to other forms of stress whether it is caused by, the surgeons knife, breaking a bone, or constant gravitational pressure. Stress causes the fascia to thicken and harden and become "glue–like", sticking to itself or other tissues of the body. Muscle fibers, which normally run parallel to each other, start to cross over each other forming an interlocking web. All of which results in a loss of range of movement and pain.

The head and neck muscles of people who sit with poor posture: slumped over a desk or steering wheel all day, are hanging on for dear life trying to stop gravity from pulling the head off their shoulders. This results in the connective tissue surrounding these muscles thickening and hardening to strengthen the area but making it difficult to turn their head. The muscle fibers can not slide over one another so they start to pull on the nerves in the connective tissue causing pain. With time, movement acts like sandpaper causing the tissue to become irritated and inflamed.

A similar situation occurs with surgery. The connective tissue hardens all around the area operated on in an attempt to prevent any further trauma. This has the effect of restricting movement and causing pain. In addition scar tissue, formed to heal the incisions made by the surgeon, becomes stuck in the hardened connective tissue, again resulting in limited range of motion and pain. This is particularly true if the operation involved an area concerned with movement, such as the neck, lower back or limbs.

What can be done about these situations? A lot of problems can be avoided by developing good posture through a daily stretching regime combined with self massage. This should be augmented, in the initial stages at least, by a visit to a qualified therapist.

Remember you only get one body, so why not look after it?

Rod Dunn, PhD MGCP Member of the National BackCare Organisation (England) Dr. Rod Dunn came into physical therapy through his love of sport, having spent 35 years as a track athlete and coach - gaining first-hand experience of the trials and tribulations associated with sports injuries. He has worked as an academic in the biological sciences and as a journalist writing about sports injuries. He studied first at the London School of Sports Massage, then trained, taught and worked with one of the world's leading physical therapists, Dr Craig Benedict. You can learn more about Dr. Dunn at http://www.cambsphysicaltherapy.co.uk