Fascia is the connective tissues that surrounds our muscles, bone, nerve fibres and organs. It consists of collagen, eslastin fibres and reticulin (or immature collagen fibres). Fascia forms a matrix throughout the body that effectively holds everything in place. Like a multi- dimensional fibrous web it provides continuous tensile support, whilst simultaneously allowing everything to move in different planes of directions as needed. Fascia is under passive tension at rest, so it slides easily and has unrestricted movement. For optimal movement to occur the fascial systems must be healthy and be able to stretch in all directions. It is the viscoelastic properties of fascia that allows it to maintain the integrity of the body, with minimal stress, often described using the term tensegrity. To learn about the fascinating world of fascia, expert Tom Myers and author of the book "anatomy trains" now also has a whole range of courses available, both of which you may want to look into.
There are three main layers of fascia, the superficial layer the visceral layer and the deep layer. In unhealthy fascia it is these layers that can adhere to one another. This can be caused by overload, overuse, inflammatory processes in the body and immobility. Strain on one area of the body can cause strain in another, due the formation of the fascial lines within the body. Long term repetition of an action or similarly longterm non-movement, such as sitting or standing all day can cause the fascia to become denser along certain lines. The affected areas of fascia loses functionality as it becomes stiffer, whilst other areas in the fascial web become weaker. This leads to an increased chance of tears, and difficulty with certain joint movements. Fascial pain is thought to contribute to the pain experienced in Fibromyalgia, plantar fasciitis, myofascial pain syndrome and lower back pain as well as responsible for causing the appearance of cellulite. Therefore wth an increasingly sedentary lifestyle it is of interest for all of us to work at maintaining a healthy relationship with our fascia.
So how do we take care of our fascia, well first of all movement is the key and the saying "motion is lotion, or movement medicine" has never been more true than when talking about sticky and tricky fascia. Helpful body movements can include lots of stretch work, strength and stability exercises and bouncy motion. Many different types of yoga can help with this, from a hot fast paced vinyasa flow to the slow deep tissue stretching created in yin yoga class. Don't be afraid to use yoga props such as straps and blocks in these yin classes to allow for support in to deeper stretches and optimize the holds. Gravity is your friend in theses passive poses and because we are often holding each asana for upto 5 minutes at time, take care to not to over extend yourself. To avoid injury aim to be working at 60-70% of your capacity and at normal room temperature.
Soft tissue work with manual therapy such a deep tissue massage can help by providing shear to the affected areas of fascia. Self myofascial release including both compression and decompression techniques can also work wonders. Fascia blaster or more gentle foam rolling can be used to help with this process. Jill Miller, has a great informative book called "the roll model" and a range of "tune up balls" which is an excellent resource and tool set if you want to learn about this techniques and practice them on yourself. Jill Miller has also recently collaborated with another of my favourite movement gurus, Katie Bowman of "Nutritious movement" in the development of a whole body program called walking well, a comprehensive mobility program. Gua She is an ancient Chinese healing technique that involves scraping your skin with a massage tool. It is a natural alternative therapy that is safe for most individuals. It's purpose is to stimulate microcirculation of the soft tissue, increasing blood flow and releasing stagnant energy (Xi, Chi or Prana).
Far Infrared Saunas are another useful way to maintain healthy fascia. They generate a specific type of heat that is termed infrared energy or radiant heat that penetrates about 4cm into the body producing a loosening effects on tight areas of fascia. The sun being the primary source of radiant heat that we experience every day can produce the same effects on the body, as does the generation of internal radiant heat created through the act of energetic movement, recall me saying earlier " motion is the lotion". The radiant heat energy can convert water into it's fourth phase (E-Z water) where it acts like a gel and effectively lubricates and hydrates the fascia. Dr Gerald Pollock is the expert in explaining this fascinating phenomenon, if you want to delve into the amazing properties and wonderful world of water.
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