In recent years, the concept of caring for your fascia (the tough, flexible tissue that surrounds and connects your muscles, bones, and organs like a wrap) has permeated fitness and wellness culture. Pilates instructors and massage therapists suggest making the fascia more supple, and claim that products like foam rollers, massage guns, and “fascia blasters” can improve fascia health at home.
“Fascia as a buzzword has really taken off,” says Christopher Daprato, a physical therapist at the University of California, San Francisco, who studies the relationship between fascia and athletic performance.
Until the early 2000s, doctors believed that the fascia was just packaging the more important parts of the body.Since then, researchers have discovered Connective tissue plays an important role in how we function and is key to flexibility and range of motion.
emerging the study Suggests that fascial care may be helpful treat chronic pain Improves athletic performance and overall health.
“We’re just at the beginning” of understanding fascia, said Helen Langevin, director of the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health at the National Institutes of Health. “This is a body part that we have ignored for so long.”
What is Fascia?
Your body has two forms of fascia: dense fascia and loose fascia. The key to each type is promote movement. A dense fascia made up of tough collagen fibers helps shape the body. It holds muscles, organs, blood vessels and nerve fibers in place. Helps muscles contract and stretch and stabilizes joints. Slipperier, looser fascia allows muscles, joints, and organs to glide past each other like a well-oiled machine.
How is fascia damaged?
In 2007, Carla Stecco, a professor of anatomy at the University of Padova in Italy, found Fascia lives with nerve endings. In other words, it can cause pain. The longer the injury or inflammation lasts, the more sensitive it becomes.
According to Mayo Clinic physical therapist David Kraus, sitting for long periods of time can shorten the fascia, causing it to become overly stiff and lock in place, forming adhesions and limiting mobility. It is said that there is. Over time, lack of exercise can cause fascia damage. reshape yourself. If you spend most of your day hunched over at your computer, the fascia surrounding your neck and shoulder muscles can change, causing your posture to become curved.
Fascia is also fall into disrepair Repetitive movements, chronic stress, injury, or surgery can cause them to become inflamed, excessively stiff, or stuck together. And it gets harder with age.
Finally, fascia is made up of a matrix of fibers, so if the fascia in one part of your body is too short, stiff, or sticky, it can pinch or pull in the wrong direction, causing other Dr. Stecco said it can cause pain and dysfunction in areas of the body.The body can also compensate by changing the way it moves, causing other problems
It can be difficult to tell if the pain is coming from the fascia or from the muscles or joints.Common muscle and joint problems tend to feel sick The more you move, the less fascial pain you will experience.
How can I take care of my fascia?
The most effective way to keep your fascia strong and elastic is to stay active. Experts also recommend a few things in particular.
Dr. Langevin said resistance training keeps your fascia strong. “Weak muscles don’t do a good job of moving and recruiting the fascia,” she says. “they need each other,” she said. “When one starts to improve, it helps the other.”
Exercises that involve a variety of movements, such as dancing, jumping jacks, tennis, and swimming, also help keep the fascia lubricated, Dr. D’Aprato said. Bouncing movements are especially effective at keeping your fascia healthy.
“Skipping, for example, is a really great movement,” says Robert Schleip, director of the Fascia Research Group at the University of Ulm in Germany.
For people who haven’t been active recently, Dr. Langevin says it’s important to be “gentle with the fascia, go slow, and try to regain lost movement.” Dynamic stretching, which stretches and contracts muscles, is effective on healthy and damaged fascia alike. Try core twists, squats, and more. forward lunge. Consider consulting a physical therapist who can provide hands-on treatment and guide you to the best program for you.
With moving, experts say sipping water Helps your fascia glide smoothly throughout the day.
Despite the popularity of tools and treatments that apply pressure to the fascia, research not yet proven Its long-term effectiveness. Foam rollers and percussion guns can temporarily reduce myofascial pain and improve flexibility by “altering some of the fluid dynamics in the local area,” Dr. D’Aprato said. When using self-massage equipment, do not overdo it. There is no evidence to support the recent trend of “”.fascia blast”, or aggressively manipulating the fascia through the skin can result in bruising.
The same may apply to treatments such as myofascial massage and cupping. Experts say if these treatments help you feel and move better, that’s great, but simply staying active is the best medicine.