Fascinating Fascia and How it Supports You

No doubt about it, we’ve got a lot going on in our lives. So we don't blame you if you haven't given your fascia a second (or first) thought. Or even heard of what it is. 

But fascia is quite literally, what holds us together. 

Fascia is connective tissue that is woven around every muscle, bone, nerve, artery and vein in our bodies. As well as all of our internal organs, including the heart, lungs, brain and spinal cord. 

Made up nearly a third of our body's fluid, fascia both separates and connects the body parts at the same time. Containing nerves, these tissues also serve as a layer of protection and body awareness. Fascia is what protects tissues from damage and allows for remodeling after an injury. 

Scientists and therapists alike have been exploring this system for years. Also called the 'interstitium', the fascial system is a body-wide communicator for the push and pull of mechanical information. 

Evidence suggests that the fascia can be damaged by both physical and mental impact. 

Many factors in our daily life - including poor postural habits, stress-induced muscular tension, limited movement, injury and dehydration - can cause velcro-like adhesions to form within the fascia, "gluing" muscles together and restricting their ability to perform their individual functions. 

Forced to move in this way, the muscles become less efficient. 

The deep layers of the tissue, where adhesions and scar tissue are common, can be stubborn, requiring more than a typical rub down or hot bath to affect change. 

The interstitium is not a hard, dense material. It is made up of fluid-filled vessels, a network that acts like a shock absorber for our body. This is what allows our muscles to glide over each other. 

But when we tax our bodies, the vessels flatten out and the fluid leaves. Devoid of their fluid, the cushioning compartments collapse, like a house with the walls suddenly knocked out, and leaving the whole structure (aka you) to flatten like a pancake.

Structural Elements® is ahead of the curve in rehabilitating the fascial network to its optimal state. 

Using our proprietary treatment approach, our therapists identify the pattern of focal adhesions - where the fascia has collapsed in and is stuck together. 

By pinpointing this pattern, our treatment methods - like deep tissue restoration, manual therapy, and the use of acupuncture/dry needling - cause a chemical reaction in the cells to allow the interstitium and it's compartments to spring back to life, getting your tissues to glide effortlessly over one another as they are meant to. 

Which means you get to get back to what you are meant to be doing too!

Not one of us works at life alone - and neither do the cells in your body. We all have a network, a fascial system that supports us in achieving our best. 

We are literally woven together.  

Additional Resources to Learn More about Fascia: 

National Geographic "New Organ Hiding in Plain Sight" 

Interstitium on Anatomy Trains

Strolling Under the Skin {Video}