Fascia is comprised of connective tissue and, along with the skeletal system, is the structural support system of the body. Connective tissue is one of the four main tissue types in the body alongside epithelial, muscle, and nervous tissue.



Superficial fascia is located just below the skin and in many places blends together with the reticular dermis. It is often imagined as a second skin, meaning it covers the entire body and holds everything together.



Deep fascia is the dense fascia that creates muscular compartments and surrounds each individual muscle.



Throughout the body, the collagen within the fascia tends to line up in parallel. This increases the strength of the fascia considerably. In fact, plantar fascia, some of the densest fascia in the body, can withstand up to 2000 pounds per square inch! An essential part of this consideration is that the collagen fibers must be aligned in the same direction. The question then becomes: what tells the collagen to line up parallel? The answer is movement. When we apply force to the body of any kind (lifting objects, running, sitting, etc.), the fascia will align with the direction of force. This is a fundamental idea in fascia; movement and stress are what align the fibers.



In order to understand the effect of myofascial adhesions, it helps to start with a demonstration. Begin by pinching the bottom right section of your shirt, then twist it a few times until you have a small bundle of fabric. Now, lift your left arm to the side. How does it feel? Chances are you felt a restriction and got to a point where you could no longer lift your arm. This is how fascia causes restrictions. A small adhesion can eventually lead to larger issues. Because all fascia is connected inside the body, when something is out of sync in one spot, that can cause problems in seemingly unrelated areas which are actually connected by the same fascia line.



A trained massage therapist performs orthopedic assessment and spots fascia adhesions which lead to postural compensations or painful conditions.



Below are specific kinds of pain, in which fascia restrictions and adhesion are involved and fascia release techniques could help:



Headaches
Low Back Pain
Pelvic Pain
Knee Pain
Shoulder Pain
Neck Pain
Cervical Facet Syndrome
Nerve Compressions
Tendinopathies
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Plantar Fasciitis
Scoliosis




References



Myers, T. W. (2009). Anatomy trains. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone/Elsevier.
Stecco, C., & Hammer, W. (2015). Functional atlas of the human fascial system. London: Churchill Livingstone.
Schleip, R., Baker, A. (2015). Fascia in sport and movement. Pencaitland: Handspring.
Schleip, R. et al. (2012). Fascia the tensional network of the human body. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone/Elsevier.

Myofascial Release Therapy (Manual & Cupping)

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