What Is Fascia?



14.04.22



By Free Motion Physiotherapy





Have you ever wondered why your body organs don’t knock around inside you when you jump? Or how your muscles stay attached to your bones? It’s because of the Fascia in your body!


Fascia means “band” or “bundle” in Latin. Fascia is our bodies connective tissue, made up mostly of collagen. It provides the framework for our body, running continuously from our big toe to the top of our head. It encapsulates all our cells, each individual muscle fibre, each muscle, our bones, nerves, blood vessels and organs. It is EVERYWHERE!


Fascia is an incredible multi-layered tissue which plays an active role in the body. It provides our body with a stable scaffolding, supporting tissues and organs but at the same time lessens friction and eases muscle tension to allow movement, flexibility, and tissue adaptation. When our fascia is in a healthy state, it will be malleable and supple enough to slide, glide, twist, and bend, and be completely pain-free.



Benefits of Keeping fascia healthy:



  • Improved body symmetry and alignment
  • Increased blood flow, which means faster recovery
  • Scar tissue breakdown
  • Reduced risk of injury
  • Less day-to-day pain
  • Improved sports performance


What happens when fascia isn’t optimal?



When functioning optimally, our fascia will move, slide, and glide with everything we do. If it’s not doing well, it can get thicker, stickier, drier, and tighter.


If fascia is in a continually shortened position for prolonged periods from a sedentary lifestyle and poor posture, it will adapt, becoming short and tight. Restrictions in our fascia can also occur from trauma, infection, inflammation, or surgery as these ‘assaults’ impact the freedom of movement of our fascia. This can lead to tension points, pain, and compensation of the surrounding tissues.


Our bodies take the path of least resistance and find compensation strategies if something isn’t working as it should. A fascial restriction in one body region such as the knee will result in forced compensation and adapted movement in the surrounding structures such as the hip and ankle. This can lead to increased twisting, excessive movement, or a lack of movement in another region. It can also cause abnormal transfer of our weight when walking or running or gripping with the incorrect muscles.


Over time, these strategies of compensation, create a layering effect across large regions of the body and can lead to injury. Our bodies can often push through for a period, meaning that pain or injury may not manifest immediately. This explains why an injury or sudden discomfort can sometimes pop up for ‘no reason’ or from a very small trigger. The body eventually reaches a point where it can’t keep going and injury may occur with a simple activity, causing pain and discomfort.



What causes unhealthy fascia



Dried-out fascia — called fascia adhesions — can happen because of:

  • A lifestyle without enough physical activity
  • Poor posture
  • Activity that uses the same part of your body over and over
  • Dehydration
  • Surgery or injury that causes damage to one part of your body‌
  • Stress or trauma.


How to Improve your fascia health

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Treating your fascia can take time, but the relief is instant. Your fascia won’t turn from unhealthy to perfectly healthy right away, but there are many simple things you can do to benefit from a steady and gradual improvement. Many of these solutions also benefit the body in other ways too.



1. Stretch for 10 minutes a day



Stretching that elongates your muscles can help release tension in your muscles, but the lengthening of the tissue also mobilises and improves the functioning of the fascia by breaking down any adhesions.


For best results, it is recommended that you hold the stretches for 30 seconds to 1 minute, but don’t force yourself into a deepness or position that causes pain.



2. Try a mobility program/class



Mobility as a fitness modality, is the ability to move well. It includes movement that isn’t inhibited by lack of agility, flexibility, or strength. Mobility work addresses the body’s fascia.


Foam rolling, myofascial work, and manual therapy will help break down the fascia and therefore help a person move more fluidly. However, you can also focus on your mobility and reap positive rewards for your fascia.


MAP (Myofascial Activated Postural) movement is a technique which teaches you to use your body in order to create movement in the different myofascial planes and restore its flexibility.



3. Foam roll



You may have heard about some of the benefits of foam rolling. It is a great way to check in with your body to pinpoint where exactly your fascia is tight and holding tension. Just get onto the roller and let your muscles talk to you. Its message will likely change from week to week depending on what training you have been doing.


When you hit a trigger point or tight spot, sit and work on that spot for 30 to 60 seconds as it slowly dissipates. Over time this will help restore the fascia to optimal health.



4. Have a regular Sports Massage



A deep tissue massage shifts and lengthens tissue breaking down adhesions and restoring movement in the tissue and fascia and ultimately within our bodies. Identifying when our bodies are tight or under tension and doing something to relieve that tension regularly will make a big difference.



5. Try Yoga



Much like cardio, practicing yoga comes with a long list of bodily benefits beyond the fascia. It can improve both your flexibility and balance, as well as strength.


Making time for a few yoga sessions each week may also provide complementary mental benefits like lower stress and anxiety levels.



6. Keep your fascia hydrated



Research has shown that when fascia becomes dehydrated, fascial planes can adhere together preventing fluidity of movement and causing symptoms such as stiffness and pain.


This is just a brief overview with a bit of advice, but really when it comes to fascia, just remember it is EVERYWHERE and therefore EVERYTHING you do can impact your fascia!


Jump on your roller, get back into yoga and start to tune into the little asymmetries and tension points within your body. Fascia explains why your stiff big toe might be contributing to your neck pain, so don’t be surprised if your digestion improves when you take up yoga or if your headaches improve when you start stretching your calves - EVERYTHING IS CONNECTED!



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Phone: +27(87) 702 7850

Email: info@freemotionphysio.co.za

Website: www.freemotionphysio.co.za



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