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What is fascia? -

Fascia is stringy connective tissue that surrounds each and every part of your body. It supports muscles, cells, nerves, joints, ligaments, tendons, and bones.

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What is fascia? -

There are two types of fascia: dense and loose. Each type of fascia helps with movement.

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Dense fascia -

Dense fascia is made of strong collagen fibers. It gives your body its shape, by holding muscles, organs, blood vessels, and nerves in place. Dense fascia stabilizes the joints, helping muscles to contract and stretch.

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Loose fascia -

Muscles, joints, and organs can slide against each other friction-free thanks to the slippery loose fascia found between them.

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Healthy fascia -

When fascia is healthy, it's flexible and stretches with you. Conversely, when tight it can cause movement to be restricted, and other painful health conditions.

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Collagen -

Collagen is a protein that provides strength and flexibility. Fascia is mostly made up of collagen, but is soft and loose, and consists of several layers.

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Hyaluronan -

A liquid called hyaluronan is found between each layer of fascia. It helps the fascia stretch as you move.

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Hyaluronan -

Trauma and inflammation can dry the hyaluronan in the body, causing damage to the fascia. When tightened, fascia restricts the movement of muscles and tissues, causing pain.

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Stabilization -

Fascia gives the body strength. Not only does it separate your muscles to ease tension, it also helps with joint stability and movement to improve circulation. It is the facilitator, enabling all your body systems to work together.

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Different layers -

There are four different fascia layers in the body. Fascia is either at the superficial, deep, visceral, or parietal layer.

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Superficial fascia -

Located directly under the skin, superficial fascia is the outermost layer. It's made up of layers of membranes, as well as loosely packed collagen and elastin fibers.

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Superficial fascia -

Superficial fascia is thickest in the chest and back, while it becomes thinner in the arms and legs. It helps create structures in the body where it contains muscle fibers.

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Deep fascia -

This is the fascia surrounding your musculoskeletal system, covering the muscles, bones, tendons, cartilage, nerves, and blood vessels.

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Visceral fascia -

The heart, lungs, and organs of the abdomen are surrounded by a layer of visceral fascia.

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Parietal fascia -

The walls of certain body cavities, for example the pelvis, are lined with parietal fascia.

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Fascia damage -

Fascia becomes gummy and crinkles up, known as adhesion, where there is not enough physical activity. Conversely, repetitive movement that overworks one part of the body, as well as trauma caused by surgery or injury, can damage fascia.

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Nerve endings -

In 2007, an anatomy professor found that fascia is alive with nerve endings: this is why it can be a source of pain. The longer it remains damaged or inflamed, it becomes even more sensitive.

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Sedentary lifestyle -

If you are sedentary for long periods of time, fascia can shorten. It becomes rigid, congealing into place to form adhesions. These adhesions limit mobility, and over time inactivity can lead to a change in the shape of fascia.

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Matrix of fibers -

As fascia is made up of a matrix of fibers, where it is short or sticky in one part of the body, it can lead to pain and dysfunction elsewhere in the body. Due to pinching or pulling sensations, the body may then compensate by changing the way it moves.

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Maintaining fascia health -

Keeping your fascia strong and elastic will help support your whole body health. There are a number of ways to maintain the integrity of the body's fascia.

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Physical activities -

Move around as much as you can, and limit the amount of time sitting down. Resistance training helps keep fascia strong, as well as exercises that involve a range of movements: swimming, dancing, skipping, and tennis, for example.

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Drink water -

Alongside moving, sipping on water all day is known to benefit fascia, so it can glide more easily. Staying hydrated has many benefits, and this is just one more!

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Stretch -

Stretching can help lessen pain and inflammation by keeping your fascia flexible. So stand up from your desk when you can, and take a long stretch to keep your fascia healthy.

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Mind your posture -

Remember to pay attention to your posture throughout the day. Slumping over can cause your fascia to tighten, and if you sit slumped for long enough, your posture can become curved. Sitting up straight will help keep fascia healthy.

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How to treat fascia -

If your fascia has become tightened, you may have painful trigger points around the body. There are several therapies that could be helpful.

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Yoga -

Yoga is a great way to get in quality stretch time. Many poses held in yoga can help relieve the pain caused by tightened fascia.

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Heat therapy -

If you have a painful trigger point, try heat to reduce discomfort. Placing a hot water bottle or heating pad over the area, or taking a hot bath or shower, can help loosen tight knots.

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Acupuncture -

Acupuncture can be used to help release tension in the affected trigger points. Ensure you source a certified acupuncturist, who will place the needles where the pain is located to offer relief from fascial tension.

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Foam roller -

Foam rollers have become very visible with the rise in awareness of fascia health. By rolling over the areas of your body that are experiencing tension, you can help relieve them.

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Massage therapy -

A massage therapist with experience in myofascial release therapy will be able to help you work through any trigger points you have.

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Fascia blaster -

Similar to a foam roller (but more intense), a fascia blaster uses manipulation and pressure to loosen your fascia in a trigger area.

Sources: (Cleveland Clinic) (The New York Times) (Johns Hopkins Medicine)

See also: How to identify, combat and prevent leg pain

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