Recently, I’ve been getting lots of questions from clients about what facia actually is and how it links to the painful ‘knots’ we battle with.
Very simply, fascia is the connective tissue that holds together all of the different structures inside our body and generally keeps us from being bone filled blobs.
Fascia is the missing piece of the movement puzzle as it allows all of our bones, muscles, blood vessels, nerves organs and tissues to frictionlessly slide over one another as we go about our daily lives. It can stretch, contract and feel impact as we work and play. It has nerves that make it almost as sensitive as skin. When stressed, it tightens up.
Fascia looks like one sheet of tissue, but it’s actually made up of multiple layers with liquid in between, allowing seamless movement. It’s designed to stretch as you move. However, fascia responds without our conscious input and there are certain things that can cause fascia to thicken and become sticky.
When it dries up and tightens around muscles, it can limit range of movement and cause painful knots (adhesions) to develop.
Common causes of knots to develop in our fascia include:
1. A lifestyle of limited physical activity (too little movement day after day)
2️. Repetitive movement that overworks one part of the body
3. Trauma such as surgery or injury
So how can sport massage help?
With the use of different soft tissue techniques, sports massage can soften and lengthen fascia and break down scar tissue or adhesions between skin, muscle and bones. This can lead to regaining range of motion, reduced pain and tightness and help you to relax and enjoy moving again!!
Ways to keep your fascia healthy and stop further adhesions from occurring:
- Regularly see your sports massage therapist (especially after injury)
- Stay mobile throughout the day
- Stretch out your muscles
- Drink Water
- Spend time focusing on muscle relaxation
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