Many of you have heard me say facial release, acupressure points and how it can affect the whole body. So I think it will be a good one to start on in our education section.
So what is it exactly?
Fascia was once thought of as a tissue that filled in gaps in the body with not much importance. However, it is now recognised as a connective tissue that surrounds and holds every organ, blood vessel, bone, nerve fibre and muscle in place.
What makes this tissue so unique and important is that fascia has nerves that are almost as sensitive as skin and not just for internal structure.
The beauty of fascia is that it isn't just a sheet of tissue, it has multiple layers with liquid in between that travel from deep layers to superficial layers throughout the body AND it is all connected!
It’s designed to stretch as you move but when it is stressed, it will tighten up. Things that may cause this are:
Limited physical activity (stabled for long periods of time, small turnout field, travelling long distances).
Repetitive movement that overworks one part of the body.
Trauma such as surgery or injury.
This can cause the fascia to thicken and become sticky and when it dries up and tightens around muscles, nerves and blood vessels (see in the picture how the facia has tightened). This can limit mobility and cause painful knots to develop.
Another amazing thing is that we have myofascial chains that go across the body but we will save that for another newsletter!
