Introduction to Fascia and Self Massage
Fascia, What Is It?
Fascia is a connective tissue found in the body, running continuously from head to toe as a connected, uninterrupted system. It wraps within and around the muscles, forming tendons that connect muscle to bone and ligaments connecting bone to bone. Fascia exists in the body free of muscle, but muscle does not exist in the body without fascia. Myofascia, therefore refers to the muscle structures and the interwoven fascia.
Fascia is composed of cells, fibers and ground substance (liquid that surrounds the fibers and cells). It’s functions include creating structure and distributing tension throughout the body, allowing for body wide communication, immune and inflammatory regulation, protection and so much more.
Fascia, What It’s Made Of.
Fascia is composed of three main parts; cells, fibers and ground substance. Each of those parts has their own unique function. The cells “do stuff”, the fibers create structure and the ground substance pressurizes the system and provides the slippery surface for movement between layers.
The two main cells in fascia are white blood cells (macrophages) and fibroblasts, their main functions are immune and structural, respectively. Other cells found in fascia have functions relating to wound healing and tissue repair, endocrine, storage and release of energy, as well as histamine and inflammatory responses.
Collagen and elastin are the fibers that form the weblike network of the fascia itself. Collagen is a stronger fiber that creates the structure of the web. The wavelike or crimped shape gives collagen it’s signature quality of recoil. This recoil allows the fascia to lengthen and then return back to the original shape. Elastin has a more springy or well, elastic quality which gives the tissue the ability to absorb shock.
Ground substance is fluid, composed of water and other chemicals which fills the space between the fiber and cells. The fascia needs this water for proper cellular function and regeneration. Water is difficult to compress, think how much pressure you need to crush a full plastic water bottle, it therefore creates the structure for the fascia. This liquid of the ground substance also allows for smooth and easy movement of the tissues, often referred to as slide and glide. This sliding and gliding ability is key for minimizing friction between the layers of tissue. If hydration isn’t sufficient friction can occur, causing the collagen fibers to form crosslinks or adhesions. These adhesions can cause limitations in the amount of movement, potentially decreasing in range of motion resulting in less efficient movement patterns. With adequate hydration the tissues remain pliable, adaptable and resilient.
See the breakdown below for more details on the components of fascia.
Cells
Fibroblasts - Make the fibers and fluid that form the fascia web, specifically make collagen fibers which create the structure and strength of the fascia
Myofibroblasts - These are contractille cells involved in wound healing and are responsible for creating stiffness in injured fascia
Fasciacytes - Produce hyaluronic acid, help to maintain the chemical balance of the ground substance
Macrophages & Mast Cells - Involved in the immune, histamine and inflammatory process
Adipocytes (fat cells) - Don’t fear the fat cell! Provide cushion, protection, endocrine (hormonal) function, storage and release of energy
Fibers
Collagen - creates the structure of the fascial web, has recoil abilities
Elastin - has elastic qualities, allows for springy-ness of the tissue
Ground Substance
Composed of water, hyaluronic acid (HA) and glycosaminoglycans (GAGS)
HA and GAGS attract water and pull water into the ground substance, like a sponge
Fills the space between the fibers and the cells
Creates structure for the fascia
Allows for smooth and easy movement between the different layers of tissues
Fascia’s Functions
Fascia weaves around every structure in the body, wrapping around bone and nerves, throughout and within muscle fibers all the down to each muscle spindle. It connects muscle to bone and bone to bone, links nearby tissues into functional chains that allow the body to move efficiently and without damage. It creates the structure to absorb mechanical stress so we can run, jump and play without distorting our shape, it even hugs and supports the organs. As you can tell from the breakdown of its components, fascia is also an important player in the immune response, tissue healing and repair, hormone function, energy storage and as a protective structure.
The fascia's communication system is profound and vast, in fact connective tissue is the largest sensory organ in the body. The fascia houses six times as many sensory neurons than are found in any other tissue besides the skin. These sensory nerve endings provide constant feedback to the brain about where the body is in space (proprioception), as well as an internal sense of the physiologic state of the body (interoception). Research suggests that increasing proprioception can decrease pain output. The fascia even has its own communication system outside of the nervous system function through semiconductor (conducting and processing vibrational information) and piezoelectricity (generation of an electrical charge in response to mechanical stress). At one point in time this fascial communication system is transmitting more information than the nervous system, often at a faster rate. I like to think of fascia as a body-wide intelligence system.
Myofascial Release
Myofascial release simply refers to any technique that works on the muscles and the fascial. Self myofascial release (SMFR) is simply using tools such as balls and foam rollers to work on your own myofascia. SMFR is simple and can be an accessible way to create a healthy fascial system. Check back next week for a follow up post on fascial dysfunction, SMFR principles, tools and techniques!