Focus on Fascia: What the Heck is it? And How Important is its Role in Physiology: Part II
by: Melinda Burris Willms
Part one of this series defined the fascia as a vast network of connective tissue found throughout the body and explained the role it plays in giving the body its structure, posture, the ability to complete coordinated body movements and achieve athletic feats. This second installment explores the importance of fascia in athletic performance and how to avoid and address injury to the fascia.
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Function of Fascia in Athletic Performance
Former professional marathon runner and current yoga instructor and co-owner of Raleigh Yoga Company in Raleigh, NC, Laura Frey, explains the vital role fascia plays in athletic performance:
[Fascia] is extremely important to runners, hurdlers . . . in anyone who engages in repetitive weight-bearing activities. The fascia is a connective tissue that grows throughout the body. It holds us together. It encapsulates every muscle and eventually grows down into our bones. Sports that call for constant repetitive motion, including track and hurdling, cause stress to the fascia because it pulls this collagen-based connective tissue away from the bone it covers as a protective web. Stress fractures, defined as miniscule breaks in a bone, occur most often “in the weight-bearing bones of the lower leg and foot.” Stress fractures are frequently the result of “repetitive force” coupled with strain caused by excessive use. Hurdlers and runners, due to the repetitive motions used in jumping and running, are at a high risk of developing stress fractures.
Pain and Other Adverse Effects of Facia Imbalance
Noted chiropractic physician Dr. Evan Oscar, asserts that facia imbalance is at the root of many common injuries. Dr. Oscar points to chronic low back pain (CLBP), a common ailment among athletes and the general populace, as evidence of over tightening of the spinal musculature and a “thickening” of the fascia along the spine, in the thoracic and lumbar regions. Dr. Oscar cites medical research studies demonstrating that patients with chronic complaints of pain or tightness and “individuals who experience challenges in performing at a high level without compensation” are actually experiencing “alterations in muscle activity and tissue remodeling” as the body attempts to compensate for worn fascia.
Strategies for Avoiding Injury (Fascia Maintenance)
As with any other type of injury, prevention of damage to the fascia is the best choice. Yoga instructor Laura Frey explains that Yin yoga is a practice that focuses on the fascia and working “to create differential movement between the layers of connective tissue so they are healthier” promoting “the integrity” of the fascial tissue, which in turn gives the tissue more fluidity and enables coordinated, continuous movement.
Frey maintains that when the fascia is too tight, the ability to perform these glide-like movements is inhibited, causing “chaos within the tissue [and] ultimately leading to atrophy and disorganization of the cell structure.” Maintaining the flexibility and strength of the fascial tissue through stretching exercises like the postures practiced in Yin yoga are instrumental in promoting and preserving agility, not only for athletes, but for all individuals. As Frey admonishes, we should, “Think of fascia maintenance as human maintenance.”
Every movement we make informs placement of the fascia, which means that if we constantly use incorrect posture, these stances that put additional stress on the weight-bearing parts of the body become part of the connective tissue’s memory. The good news is that once identified, movements that cause fascial pain and/or tightness can be corrected through retraining the fascia. Frey gives the example of hunching the shoulders up and over as you drive to and from work each day. Decades of this learned behavior will eventually constrict the rib cage, compromising the visceral organs contained within, resulting in diminished organ function.
Stretching exercises like those incorporated in Yin yoga practice encourage the lengthening of the fascial tissue and permit “a return of fluidity between the [tissue] layers” opening space for the body to hold correct posture rather than continuing to hunch over. Yin yoga is a practice that individuals of all ages and body types can safely participate in. Because it promotes flexibility and increases the body’s power to control movement, Yin yoga is extremely popular among athletes from across the sports spectrum: runners, swimmers, cyclists and others.
Strategies for Dealing with Injuries
So what if injury to the fascia has already occurred as a result of repetitive motion? First, you must recognize the signs of fascial thickening. As has been discussed, the weight-bearing parts of the body are most susceptible to this build-up of fascial tissue. For example, a hurdler may experience fascial thickening caused by constant, repetitive bending of the knee to make jumps. In response to the pulling of the connective tissue at this joint, the fascia can thicken as the body attempts to create a protective wall around the strained area.
Early signs of fascial thickening include tightening and irritation. As the inflammation leads to swelling and increased pain, movements that call for bending forward become more difficult and can lead to more serious injuries such as tight IT bands, Piriformis syndrome, Psoas syndrome and other conditions.
So, how can you overcome the discomfort caused by fascia build-up? There are a number of remedies:
Remedies for Fascia Build-Up:
Foam rolling[1] – A form of self-myofascial release wherein the sore area of the body is rolled across foam rollers of differing lengths to relieve soreness and fascia build-up.
Therapy Balls – Another form of self-myofascial release, balls of different sizes are rolled back and forth in the affected area to relieve inflammation and decrease fascial thickening.
Massage – Yoga teacher and certified yoga therapist Kristen Rae recommends discussing fascia build-up with a perspective massage therapist prior to booking an appointment to ensure the therapist is educated on fascial release. After the massage, ask the therapist for personalized tips you can use to address your areas of myofascial build-up at home.
Restorative yoga – Rae explains that restorative yoga differs from the “typical yoga class” in that the focus is on “letting go of the muscular action versus the compression, squeezing or engaging of muscles.” According to Rae, restorative yoga encourages self-awareness of stress and where the body is holding tension. Restorative yoga includes fewer positions, held for a longer period of time (as long as five minutes). Rae has observed that people often find restorative yoga particularly challenging due to the fact that our society is one that promotes constantly being on the go and we find being still for an extended length of time disconcerting. However, given time and effort, restorative yoga can produce what Rae terms “a gentle myofascial release to the area.”
*As always, consult your physician (team trainer and coach) before beginning any new exercise/fitness regimen to determine individual risk factors and benefits.
Case Study: Fascia-Oriented Training Program
A research study conducted last year included sixteen teenage, female soccer players who competed on the national level. Study participants took part in supervised fascial fitness exercises for 25-minutes, twice weekly, over a period of six months. These fascial fitness exercises included stretching and a variety of the self-myofascial release techniques detailed above, including foam rolling and therapy balls. In detailing their reasons for pursuing this subject in a research study, the authors noted: “The effective cooperation of many organs and structures is vital in movement. Thus the fascial network, quite overlooked until recently should be taken into consideration too.”
The goals of the study were to measure whether fascial fitness exercise would improve athletic performance, specifically the range of the vertical jump of the soccer players taking part and to ascertain if general health improvement was observed in the group participating in these exercises. Although the limited study of six months demonstrated no significant change in the girls’ jumping ability, the researchers did note “a positive effect in favor of the training group.” The researchers recommended additional research studies on fascial release over more extended periods of time.
Fascia: Classified as an Organ?
Due to the new focus on fascia and its integral role in facilitating movement, some physicians and associations such as the International Fascia Research Congress are at the forefront of a movement to reclassify the fascia as a sensory organ, the interstitium. Whether or not this reclassification occurs, it is clear the importance of the fascia is being widely recognized by therapists and the medical community, which means more research will be forthcoming.
References
(12 June, 2018). Interview with Frey, Laura.
(12 June, 2018). Interview with Rae, Kristen.
Lucas, J. (2011). Understanding Your Fascia: Fascia May be the Missing Piece for Your Lingering Injury.
Mayo Clinic. (4 August, 2017). Stress Fractures: Symptoms and Causes.
Oscar, E. (2014). The Functional Role of Fascia in Posture and Movement: Part I
Vychodilová, R., ZvonaM, & Sebera, M. (2017). Effect of 6-Month Fascia-Oriented Training on Jump Performance in Elite Female Volleyball Players.
[1] There is disagreement among experts regarding the use of foam rolling. Some contend foam rolling is a beneficial method of releasing excess fascia, others assert this method is counter-productive, contending rolling crushes the tissue.
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