The interwoven web of connective tissue shaped in bands that cover around all the internal parts of the body from head to toe and fuses it all together is known as fascia. Found immediately below the skin, around muscles, groups of muscles, bones, nerves, blood vessels, organs and cells, fascia allows the muscles to move spontaneously alongside other structures and moderates friction, which can cause tension. Fascia is found all over the body and helps maintain better health and posture by holding us together biologically. Fasciae, from the Latin word which means “bands,” are the literal bands that bind us, which function to stabilize and support the muscles and different organs in the body. So how can we improve fascia health in our body? A simple question, but the answer is very complex.
How does fascia affect us?
Every organ and system in the body has a job that only it can perform. While this is true, these same organs and body systems can only do so when the body works as a whole functioning unit. A distressed organ or organ system or even a muscle cannot be treated effectively without affecting the whole body. Hence, the human body must be treated as one whole unit. The nature of fascia attests to this.
Fascia provides the protective sheath around our entire body as a whole and also surrounds each organ and muscle, and protects them from outside trauma. Also, it plays an essential role in our ability to execute functional activities as simple as going from sitting to standing, and the ability to walk, jump, hop or run. Fascia also allows your muscles and organs to slide smoothly against each other.
In general, fascia a web-like substance that can hold shape, but it is not enough to support the weight. The human body might be composed of many different parts, but on the other hand, it is all connected by fascia. This explains why conditions such as poor posture can cause pain and unstable movement throughout the body — because it is all connected by fascia.
Hand pain, for example, can benefit greatly from freeing the fascia in the traps, armpits, shoulders, and forearms. Because fascia is one singular piece of stretchy, mesh-like material that interweaves through muscles and organs from head to toe like shrink-wrap, distress in one area can affect movement and create symptoms elsewhere.
Ways to improve fascia health
Treating the fascia can help treat the human body as a whole and effectively aid a distressed organ, system or muscle. Taking care of your fascia daily can lead to a pain-free body. There are simple, yet very important, methods which you can effectively execute everyday to make sure that you improve fascia health in your whole body.
1. You can start by stretching the body for at least 10 minutes every day, which relaxes the body from any muscle tension.
2. You can enroll in a fascia yoga class. This exercise focuses more on the health and improvement of the fascia. It involves stretching and make use of a specialized ball known as a Fascia Yoga Ball designed to relax and stretch the fascia.
3. You can try fascia-focused massages on a regular basis to relax the fascia and improve overall health.
There could be interconnected problems when the fascia in the body is torn or injured. It is best that you seek medical help or seek advice from an accredited therapist who can help you if this is the case.
A new focus of wellness: fascia
Researchers are always shedding new light on timeworn theories about structure and movement. Practitioners are modernizing the way we treat the human body clinically, athletically, and holistically through improving fascia health. Growing questions about the interconnected nature of the body’s fascia seem to be unraveling answers to previously unexplainable body pain.
Questions? Read an article about fascia to get more information and you can schedule your appointment with a certified massage therapist today to improve fascia health in your body.