Fascia what?

Pronounced: fash-Uh

Huh?

Never heard this term before?

Good.

Keep reading. I'll explain.

But first, chicken.

If you have ever peeled the skin off chicken prior to cooking, you might have noticed this thin layer of a sticky looking membrane that is under the skin but covers the flesh. This my friends, is like our fascia: a connective, soft tissue that acts like a sleeve in and around all our muscles, but also found in different ways around the body like in our tendons and ligaments. Another food example is the thin layer that holds all the little pulp pieces in an orange, or grapefruit. That too is like our fascia.

So.... what exactly is fascia and why is it important?

In the simplest terms, without fascia, all of our bones would be lying in a big heaping mess on the floor. Literally. Fascia is the link that connects everything in our body together.

It is critical for our well being, movement and muscle health
It is like the glue that physically binds our muscles to everything in our body- as it runs inside the entire body, front to back, side to side, across, under, over and in-between.
If not exercised, or treated properly (through touch and by following the train lines), the fascia will thicken and stiffen causing limited range in motion and improper movement patterns that will lead to pain. Similarly like how we need to exercise in order to keep our muscles from atrophying and becoming weak.

*FOR EXAMPLE:

If you have a pain in your shoulder, causing restriction in a certain movement, it can cause subsequent pain in your wrist that stretching in that specific area will not resolve. To address pain in the wrist/hand, you would ned to work the fascia that runs along the neck to the tips of your fingers.

Stretches, like in yoga, while experiencing tightness may not get to the root of the problem, but instead stretch the fascia and muscle, from the point of tightness and cause more pain.

There are 7 fascial 'trains' - or paths, that run along, in and around the body. These trains act as indicators of where the fascia begin and end, which essentially give guidance to a manual therapist, or trainer, (certified in fascial release techniques, like myself) in how to release pain or stiffness, from the root cause to better enable movement and alleviate strain and pain in the body.

The fascial system not only acts to stabilize, support and cushion everything inside the body, but if release techniques are done properly, it can also correct imbalances and asymmetries in the body.

The 7 Trains:

1. Superficial back line

2. Superficial front line

3. Lateral line

4. Spiral line

5. Arm line

6. Functional line

7. Deep front line

Fascial fitness- like resistance training, work hand in hand because the ratio of fascia to muscle is 50/50 - so the importance of having 'smooth running trains' will help not only your body move more freely, but it will make the movements during an exercise feel less mechanical, and more natural to the way your body should move. Learning the proper techniques for self myofascial release and/or working with a trainer (trained in this area!!!) will help you move and feel better - in the gym and in everyday life.

There are two ways to work the fascia, 1) someone else performs myofascial release techniques on you with their fingers or 2) with foam rolling... but I don't just mean by rolling around on those soft foam rollers for half hour and call it a day. There are specific trigger points along the body that can be released by using balls, cylinders, larger rollers etc. The brand I use personally, with my clients and recommend for you is called Blackroll. I have also received certification from taking a course in the proper use of these rollers.