What do we mean when we say 'releasing pressure'?

The fascia receives and relieves pressure. So what does that mean? Simply that it distributes the pressure over a larger volume. If you get hit on the shoulder, the shoulder of course takes a large force, but the force will also be distributed in all directions through the body: up through the neck to the head, down the arm, and down through the torso, abdomen, and back, through the leg all the way down to the toes. If you were to see the impact in 'slow motion,' you could see how the force/movement travels through the body and then springs back from the blow. Through the body's biotensegrity function, like a 'gyro-suspension,' it constantly tries to balance and spread the force to restore equilibrium. This happens to protect the shoulder from taking the full impact and thus being more seriously injured.

When the fascia takes the blow, its fluid component, the fascial ground substance, will immediately increase in viscosity upon impact, becoming more viscous to stop the blow without becoming completely rigid. It is primarily hyaluronic acid, which is abundant in the fascial fluid, that so quickly changes its properties and gains higher viscosity from high pressure, among other things. This is described as a densification in the ground substance: the fluid thickens, the pressure increases within the collagen fiber network, which in turn increases pressure on everything in that area—collagen fibers, blood capillaries, lymphatic capillaries, nerve receptors, and nerve fibers. The collagen fibers are pressed more closely together and 'stick' to each other. The pressure on the cells in the area also increases, for example, the fascial fibroblasts. They are now stimulated to start producing more collagen to strengthen the area that has been heavily loaded by the increased pressure. Eventually, we now have a more fibrous tissue; we have developed fibrosis. However, this can take a few months, as it takes time to remodel and form new collagen. Now it is also denser and tighter between the fibers with less space for flow, similar to scar formation.

The same thing happens if the body has an imbalanced load. There is then increased pressure on certain areas that take a greater load, while other areas become underloaded/inactivated as they are not used. Tissues that are not used atrophy, while others are overloaded and experience higher pressure.

One can use the analogy of a plastic net bag used for onions. An elastic grid of fibers, though two-dimensional, unlike the body's fiber network which is multidimensional. An unloaded net bag has even, large squares, and one can imagine that a flow can move unimpeded through the network; there is plenty of space. Instead, press the net bag in one direction, and you will see that the entire fiber network will change and alter its shape; it becomes tighter between the threads, the holes become smaller. The flow now has a harder time penetrating the network, perhaps even coming to a near-complete stop.

When we relieve the pressure that has accumulated in the body from a trauma (which can be both physical and mental pressure), we cause the hyaluronic acid to decrease its viscosity, the flow resumes, and the collagen fibers realign and allow the flow to pass. This is, of course, done best and most effectively soon after the injury, when only the ground substance is affected. If a long time has passed since the trauma, allowing fibrosis to form, it also takes longer to resolve. It requires more treatments, and the pressure is released a little at a time.