Three cheers for the fascinating fascia

Jun 7, 2020Roman Ladyzenskij

Fascia. Heard of it? Probably only in connection with "evil" cellulite, which women hate like the plague. The nasty bumps on the thighs, also known as "orange peel skin," are caused by weak connective tissue. Which brings us to the topic: the fascinating fascia – the body's connective tissue.

"Fascia," from the Latin "fascia" – band, bandage, permeates your entire body as a connecting and enveloping network of tension. No image for that? Then let's quickly go back to the orange: that white, thin skin you see when you cut open an orange or peel off the outer skin – that's how fascia encloses your muscles and separates individual muscles from each other. The same applies to your organs, joint capsules, ligaments, tendons, and much, much more.

There are three types of fascia: superficial (cellulite), deep (enclosing the musculature), and visceral (enclosing the internal organs). Fascia are something like the body's "shock absorbers" and ensure, among other things, that the organs stay in the right place and that we can even stand upright. In one way or another, fascia are involved in (almost) everything that is important for our body: our entire musculoskeletal system, lymph transport and cell supply, the removal of toxins, respiration, digestion, the immune system, etc.

Can Fascia Catch a Cold?

In short: fascia are incredibly important! And they are also something like our body's sixth sense. Because science has found that this large-area connective tissue contains an incredible number of receptors that supply our brain with sensory perceptions. These can include cold and pain, among other things. And fascia react very "sniffily" to stress – at least in a figurative sense.

Most of us only get to know our fascia when they hurt. Be it through an external event – because we bumped ourselves, for example – or due to lack of movement. Then the fascia like to stick together – and then they hurt like hell. And we wonder why we get headaches or can no longer move our arm properly or it aches so incredibly under our foot. Even though we haven't actually done anything. "Precisely because of that" is the correct answer here to "nothing at all" – because fascia need care.

It's actually not that difficult to treat your fascia well, i.e., to protect them from sticking or hardening.

Among other things, three points are important. First: movement. Second: drink enough. Third: avoid stress. Fascia must remain supple and also need something like rest. Only then can they work as they should and as we need them to. Simple exercises, such as regular bouncing on the balls of your feet, can already help. But a proper fascia training, such as the fabulous Gabi Fastner offers on her YouTube channel, is of course better.

In addition, the older we get, the more we have to make sure we drink enough – preferably water or tea; wine doesn't count. This "lubricates" our fascia, so to speak, and helps them immensely to fulfill their tasks. Apart from an unrestricted musculoskeletal system, recent studies also indicate that this cannot harm our brain. Because, surprise: there are also fascia in the brain. And nobody wants them to stick together or harden.

And stress? Dr. Schleip, Germany's leading fascia expert, found that stress and fascia also don't make a good team. Why? Because when we are stressed, the fascia cramp due to the body's hormone release – and this happens without the muscles participating. In the short term, this is not a problem; it gets bad when we are under constant stress: Then the fascia remain continuously tense like a bowstring. And in the end, they harden. Result: practically everything hurts – and you can't move at all anymore. The consequences: tension, hardening, headaches, back pain, and other unpleasant things.

In addition to all these truly, truly important functions, fascia are also significantly involved in our body's immune system. How exactly? On the one hand, they form a barrier that makes it difficult for foreign bodies to penetrate; on the other hand, there are also so-called "macrophages" (phagocytes) in the fascial tissue. These, in turn, belong to the immune system and form the "fire brigade," so to speak, when it comes to foreign bodies and invaders. That means they fight the evil enemies that come from outside. So: always strengthen the immune system, then the fascia will also work.

But, jokes aside – everything we do for our immune system also helps the fascia, of course, because exercise in the fresh air, a little sport, healthy eating, sufficient sleep, and good stress management are beneficial to us anyway if we want to stay healthy and fit. Here are a few small tips:

Five Tips for Your Fascia

Sufficient Movement

If possible, exercise regularly or at least make sure you take a short walk in the fresh air once a day. Perhaps you also have the opportunity to cycle to school, university, or work.
Train your fascia specifically: Five minutes a day is enough to start with. Extensive stretching and reaching after getting up are a good start. During the day, bouncing up and down on the balls of your feet more often also helps.
Yoga or targeted fascia training, e.g., from Gabi Fastner on Youtube.com, are great.

Pay Attention to Your Fluid Balance

Fascia need fluid to stay supple. Drink enough. Still water or unsweetened tea would probably be advisable.

Small tip: Many people find still water difficult because they perceive it as "boring." A splash of lemon or even some cucumber, ginger, mint, or similar in a glass – or even better, directly into a jug of water – can be helpful. If you don't like still water, you can try half medium, half still water. The main thing is that it doesn't fizz too much.

Otherwise, fruit spritzers or even an alcohol-free beer or shandy also work, of course.

Fascia Roller

There are special rollers for fascia training in different sizes. This can hurt quite a bit at first, and you should use the roller – at least the first few times – under supervision.

Stress Management

If you feel that everything is too much again, try to break down tasks into more manageable portions and then work through them chronologically. In addition, you could write a weekly plan and see what you might be able to cancel or postpone. Make a list in the evening of everything that needs to be done the next day – in the best case, you'll notice that you can move something to later.
Try breathing exercises, meditation, autogenic training, yoga, or other relaxation exercises that help you find your inner balance.
Avoid excessive coffee, alcohol, and cigarette consumption, and energy drinks – they don't calm you down, quite the opposite.