Breathing Part II: The Diaphragm, Fascia, and Structural Integration

In part 1, we explored how breathing is a primary source of energy, its direct effect on our nervous system and stress levels, and how breathing mobilizes all of the fluids in the body.

Now, let’s look at how our fascial system connects to our breathing, and how restrictions in that system can limit our ability to reap all the benefits a fully functioning diaphragm can deliver.

Understanding the Diaphragm

When we inhale, the lungs fill and the diaphragm moves down. As we exhale the air out of our lungs, the diaphragm rises. These pressure changes between the chest and abdominal cavities create a natural pumping action, moving fluids and gently massaging the organs.

Full, smooth breathing creates pressure changes that “pump” the organs like sponges, essential for their functioning and detoxification

The diaphragm is the myofascial divider between the upper and lower body. Our major blood vessels to the organs and lower body—the aorta and vena cava—pass through narrow openings in the diaphragm, as does the esophagus (with the vagus nerve hitching a ride). For blood, lymph, and nerve supply to flow freely, the diaphragm must move freely too.

The diaphragm is a muscular-and-fascial shelf in the body that blood and nerve must pass through

The lungs and heart are encased in fascia, and that fascia coats the diaphragm’s entire upper surface. If that fascia gets “sticky” and becomes restricted, it inhibits both lung expansion and diaphragm movement. So too with the lower surface of the diaphragm, from which eight organs hang via fascial connections. The liver, which is roughly the size of a football in adults, covers nearly half of the diaphragm’s underside. Compromised diaphragm movement or an overburdened liver can put a fascial “drag” on the other.

Compromised Function

By now we have seen how a properly functioning diaphragm is vital to our health and wellness. 

Now, imagine what happens when the diaphragm can’t move fully. Breathing becomes shallow, stuck either in a partial “inhale” of fight-or-flight and adrenaline, or a partial “exhale” of fatigue and low energy. This can happen for many reasons: a respiratory infection that leaves fascial restrictions around the lungs, or prolonged stress that holds the diaphragm in tension and the system hasn't restored proper motion. It could be from years of sitting and old injuries that gradually limited movement.

Whatever the cause, the results are the same — higher stress, lower energy, impaired digestion, and a more favorable breeding ground for illness and disease. Restrictions in the diaphragm wreak havoc on overall health and wellness.

The good news is that your body knows how to find balance again. Gentle manual therapy helps the fascia release and the diaphragm move freely, restoring full, natural breathing. As breathing becomes more efficient, the nervous system down-regulates and the body’s fluids flow with greater ease. Better breathing means less stress, more energy, and greater health

Restoring Function

As a Structural Integration practitioner, my work is about helping your body remember how to function the way it was designed to. Dr. Rolf, the founder of Structural Integration, said, “In order to enhance function, appropriate form must exist or be created." Structure and function are inseparable. When structure is balanced, the body’s inherent health can express itself.

Through hands-on treatment, I help align the rib cage over the hips, creating a whole-body alignment for the diaphragm to easily descend and ascend through a balanced torso. Freeing up the fascia around the diaphragm and ribcage releases old compensation patterns and allows the body to find a new equilibrium. 

A free diaphragm supports every system and improves overall health. The organs function better, improving digestion. Breathing becomes easier, improving mental clarity and vitality. Treating the diaphragm improves circulation and nerve conduction, often easing lower body conditions such as sciatica, plantar fasciitis, and neuropathy.

Conclusion

Treating the diaphragm is just one of many ways that focused, anatomy-informed manual therapy can restore the body's natural function. When we remove restrictions in the fascial system, we create the conditions for the body's innate self-healing capabilities to emerge, and health arises as its natural expression.

Images

By Pearson Scott Foresman - This image has been extracted from another file, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5553368

By OpenStax - https://cnx.org/contents/FPtK1zmh@8.25:fEI3C8Ot@10/Preface, CC BY 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=30131686