The Importance of Fascia

The Importance of Fascia in Our Body

When we get a massage, we often hear about the benefits of releasing tight muscles and balancing the muscle groups so that muscles are returned to their natural resting position. What we may forget, or may not know at all, is that all of our muscles and organs are surrounded by a connective tissue called fascia, and it runs throughout the entire body.  Fascia's importance is easily overlooked because it is such a thin layer of tissue. However, fascia is often the root of many restrictions in our bodies. If fascia has become thickened or shortened in one area because of strain or injury, then the muscles underneath have a smaller area in which to move.

The importance and functions of fascia are topics of ongoing research. Some of the latest findings have shown that fascia has about 10 times more nerve endings than muscle, so when you feel a good stretch, you may actually be feeling the fascia stretching.

So, in order to get the most relief in a massage, it's important to first remove as many fascial restrictions as possible before moving on to the muscles. If your massage therapist seems to be doing more gliding strokes when you want the deeper work, then he or she may be doing the important preliminary work of warming and stretching the fascia. This fascial opening will make the deeper muscle work much more effective, and you will feel the positive effects of greater range-of-motion, reduced pain and better posture when the massage is done.