Kent Sport health and fitness instructor Sarah Black looks under the surface of fitness and shares why Fascia plays such an important part in our health, fitness and wellbeing.
Who knows what Fascia is? Possibly a few people have heard of it and understand the basics surrounded with the topic. However do we know the importance and value it has on our lives? I am going to spend some time explaining the subject and highlighting the vital knowledge you need to gain to preserve your health.
It did make me chuckle when I asked a member today “What is Fascia?”. Their reply was, “isn’t that in your leg?” Which makes this article one of the most important topics I will cover.
Fascia is the “fabric” that holds us together. Imagine a spider web surrounding each muscle/organ and structure contained underneath the skin. It is a “stocking” which then forms into further pods. Fascia is a band or sheet of connective tissue, primarily collagen, beneath the skin that attaches, stabilizes, encloses, and separates muscles and other internal organs. Responsible for muscle to bone stability, as well as cushioning vertebrae, creating an environment for repair of tissues after injury. It is also the body’s first line of defence, being an insulation barrier against pathogenic infections with fascia being a tissue that surrounds and protects muscles and organs. It provides support, protection and acts as a shock absorber. (To name a few)
They are connective tissue fibres just under the skins surface. Mentioning above the few points of functions, I shouldn’t have to elaborate the importance, because without it we would basically be falling apart. I will now further discuss maintenance, upkeep and care.
Fascia impacts against every movement, it avoids over stretching and acts as a balance against stressors, keeping you mobile, resilient and flexible. We have over 650 individual muscles in our body all held together in a sling of fascia. It can contract and inhibit or precede our movements therefore focus should be addressed on the actions we perform and the techniques we use.
Maintain your fascia like you would maintain your hygiene.
Move – Every night we develop sticky adhesions between fascial surfaces when we don’t move. In the morning we develop an urge to stretch and spread our limbs about in a cat like slinky manner. This response of feeling sticky and stuck is the build-up of what you can imagine to be fuzz and candy floss forming a sticky layer of what appears to be chewing gum sticking together, inhibiting the smooth glide of your muscle fibres. So stretching will smoothly pull apart the muscle fibres which then will create a sense of springiness and ease the tension that is surrounded with the build-up of fascial surface compression.
Imagine the build-up which occurs over one night’s sleep between the muscles. If you do not stretch or move around to melt away the foamy gum that has set in the fascial surfaces, it will simply form a stickier, harder layer of adhesions and collagen glue. Now add another night’s sleep onto that build up, or a period of inactivity. The result will become cemented layers all contributing towards restricted movement, perhaps pain and inability to move freely. Therefore the answer is to move, stretch and work at developing your range of motion within your limits.
Injury, poor posture or damage can add to the once supple fibres causing them to become rigid and inflamed causing the fascia fibres to thicken and attempt to protect that area which in turn causes ingrained patterns that form more gum around our fascia. Don’t be victim to immobilisation; cautiously move within a pain free zone and attempt exercises prescribed by a professional that will work at rehabilitation of the area optimising recovery.
Every tissue in your body needs hydration and lubricant to work so ensure you drink enough water.
Fascia can withstand up to 2,000 pounds of pressure per square inch, you’re not going to force your way through, so stretch gently. Hold each stretch for 3-5 minutes to develop flexibility.
If you’re attempting to train through an injury, or returning from one with a limp or using an unnatural technique, your fascia will respond to your new mechanics and even after your injury is gone, you may maintain that same movement pattern. That’s a recipe for an injury cycle. It’s better to take some extra time than to set yourself up for long-term trouble.
When we develop knots or tension in a specific area, inflammation occurs and blood flow in that area is congested causing us to experience tightness and stiffness. By applying pressure or using techniques of massage/foam rollers/prickle balls we can work at reducing the build-up of “fluids” and pooling to allow a fresh supply of blood flow to that area which should ease the pain, nourish and repair damage. Investing in that sports massage or spending some time working the area to apply pressure to the trigger point may be worth exploring.
With the understanding now that the sling holding us all together is pretty important, then hopefully you will mend the holes with the appropriate tools and tailor make your sling to be withstanding, strong and binding.
Kent Sport has a excellent physiotherapy clinic with Sports Massage therapists on hand for members and non-members to book in for injuries or to ease out the tensions that the foam rollers can not access. Bookings can be made by calling 01227 824375 or email physio@kent.ac.uk.