Fascia, the connective tissue crucial for binding the body’s internal framework, hasn’t been in the spotlight for very long. Anatomists recognized its presence long before the Hippocratic oath, yet it was often disregarded and removed during human dissections up until the 1980s, seen as merely the packaging obstructing the examination of other structures. In recent decades, however, our comprehension of fascia has advanced and possibly overshot – nowadays, numerous personal trainers argue that you should be using a foam roller on it or even tapping into its incredible elastic qualities to enhance jumping and increase stamina in push-ups. But what is it truly accomplishing – and is there a practical way to leverage it?
“The simplest analogy for fascia is to envision a tangerine’s structure,” states Natasha Kilian, a musculoskeletal physiotherapy expert at Pure Sports Medicine. “There’s the outer skin, and underneath that is the white pith that holds the segments intact and keeps them separated. Fascia operates similarly: it’s a continuous, all-encompassing system that envelops and interconnects everything in the body, from muscles and nerves to blood vessels and organs. It essentially acts like the body’s internal wetsuit, providing support and ensuring integration.” If you’ve ever carved meat, it’s akin to the thin, shiny layer encasing the muscle, much like cling film.
Physically, it’s composed of collagen, although 70% of it is actually water – and it hydrates through compressive movements that circulate fluid through the fascial layers, maintaining their suppleness and facilitating smooth gliding. It is also equipped with nerve endings that enable it to perceive movement, pressure, and temperature – influencing posture, movement and proprioception.
“It constantly communicates with the brain about the body’s sensations,” Kilian explains. “It’s not just a thin layer – it represents a large, functional sensory organ system that ties us together.”
Healthy fascia functions like a biological spring, recycling energy during movement and enhancing efficiencies in activities like running, jumping, and athletic exertion. This has led some movement coaches to suggest leveraging its elasticity for more explosive actions – “screwing” yourself into the ground for performing more push-ups, for instance – but that’s not entirely accurate. “It won’t work miracles for you or suddenly make you super strong,” cautions functional movement expert and anatomist Julian Baker. “However, if we maintain its fluidity and keep it active, it will enhance our movement quality.”
This is fundamentally the crux of the matter. Fascia’s inherent nature means it reacts to our habitual actions, constraining us to that specific range of movements and complicating any variations. “Our bodies are intelligent,” Kilian points out. “When we engage in repetitive activities, the body adjusts to streamline the process. For many, this translates to prolonged hours at a desk, hunched over a keyboard. Over time, we become stiff in that position. Hence, if you have a long workweek and participate in sports like cricket or tennis on weekends, you may feel it during your throws or serves – your fascia has tightened from maintaining a forward posture all week.”
A straightforward approach to rectify this is to dedicate more time to the types of movements that you usually engage in infrequently. “I refer to this as a circle of potential,” Baker elaborates. “If I instruct a group to lift their arms as high as they can, then take a breath and lift them even higher, they invariably manage to go up a few more inches – the reason being that we possess an extended range of potential that we seldom utilize. That represents our circle, which shrinks as we age due to reduced movement; as that circle diminishes, our connective tissue does too, subsequently imposing limitations on our capabilities. If I’m 85 and want to reach for a cup on a shelf, strong back muscles aren’t essential – having a full range is what matters. Ultimately, I believe there is no singular range or specific movement; the key takeaway is to keep moving in as numerous and diverse ways as possible.”
However, fascia is not without its challenges, and addressing these can be a vexing endeavor. Many fascia-related issues may not present clearly on medical imaging, such as MRI scans – which partially explains why complex structural problems in the body can be elusive to diagnose.
So how do you initiate the repair? Until recently, common solutions included the practice of rolling the soles of your feet on a golf ball or laying on your side to roll your iliotibial band (a dense band of connective tissue extending from the knee to the hip) on a large, knobby roller, often referred to as self-myofascial release. Yet, this may not be particularly advantageous.
“Current insights suggest that you can’t genuinely ‘break up’ fascia in the manner that many individuals assume,” Kilian notes. “While rolling your foot may assist by boosting blood circulation and alleviating tension, it’s crucial to view the body holistically. You must consider the tension present in your glutes, hamstrings, calves, and back – rather than just the area where you experience discomfort. The interplay – or lack thereof – between all those muscles and fascial lines leads to discomfort, essentially meaning don’t confuse the victim with the perpetrator.”
Baker offers a slightly different perspective on why rolling might yield some benefits. “If you position your foam roller on the floor and roll your thighs every day for a month, you won’t effectively change your fascia. However, the reality is you’ve engaged in a movement that involves getting down to the floor and rising back up. This movement, which likely involves motions you haven’t performed in weeks or months, is what will create the difference.”
What does this imply for most individuals? Perhaps, it’s worth exploring rock climbing – Baker leads a group for those over 50 – or engaging in swimming, dance, or pilates, all of which encompass movements involving unusual ranges and forms of rotation.
Yet, if that sounds too rigorous, it could simply mean taking the time to move more organically. “Consider how a cat or dog stretches – or even how we naturally yawn and stretch when we’re relaxed on vacation, reaching out our arms,” Kilian suggests. “The body intuitively understands the directions it needs to take to relieve tension and release restricted fascia. A long, slow diaphragmatic breath during a stretch can significantly aid in extending fascia and prompting the entire system to move more fluidly.”
There remains a wealth of research to conduct: as previously indicated, we’ve only just started to acknowledge fascia. But for the moment, just strive to move as much, as frequently, and in as many diverse ways as you can.
