Today, let's delve into the world of fascia – one of the key mechanisms in our bodies. Many of you might be hearing about fascia for the first time, associating it only with fascial therapy or "fascial release," terms you might have come across in physiotherapy offices.
In this article, we won't be discussing fascia-specific training programs. Designing a fascia-focused training plan requires specialized knowledge beyond what you can typically find on a blog. Instead, the aim here is to raise awareness among those involved in aerial acrobatics about how our bodies function. By the end of this article, I hope you'll have a broader understanding of how your body operates and how almost everything you do impacts your progress, from the amount of sleep you get to your hydration levels and how often you engage in self-massage or visit a physiotherapist.
1. What is Fascia?
Fascia is a relatively recent discovery in the world of anatomy. While its existence was known, it's only in the last decade that it has received more attention. Technological advancements have allowed us to study and establish the connection between fascial health and overall well-being. Today, fascia is considered a separate organ in many circles.
So, what exactly is fascia? Have you ever noticed that thin, grayish-white membrane when cutting chicken meat? That's fascia. Fascia is connective tissue that simultaneously "connects and separates" everything in our bodies. Yes, everything. Fascia both holds everything together and keeps them apart. You could say that each component of our body is wrapped in a "fascial bag." If we were to remove everything from our bodies and leave only the fascia, we'd have an exact map of what, where, and how everything is located in our bodies. Fascia also surrounds our organs, bones, and muscles. Even within a muscle, it wraps around individual muscle fibers. In essence, it's everywhere.
One crucial aspect is that fascia reacts to and remembers our biomechanical load history. By monitoring these fascial changes, we could potentially understand what has happened to our bodies over time.
2. Why is Fascia So Important?
Understanding the significance of fascia for physical performance is essential. We know that fascia exists throughout the human body. Since it's everywhere, it surely has a vital role to play.
To grasp this role better, we can introduce the concept of tensegrity.
Due to fascia's omnipresence in the body, it also plays a part in the process of intentional movement or changing the body's position. While we know that muscle and joint work are required for movement, it may come as a surprise that a significant portion of the force transferred to other muscle groups, joints, or bones is not transmitted through muscles but through fascia. A muscle transmits up to 40% of its contraction force to structural connective tissue (fascia) that connects it to other muscles. Interestingly, this relationship means that the contraction force is also transmitted to antagonistic muscles, resulting in them becoming stiffer and providing greater stability/mobility during movement.
Thus, we can consider the human body as a network of tensegrity force transmission. This means that real force transfer in our body doesn't occur in a simple muscle-muscle-joint line but through fascia. Considering fascia's separating and connecting characteristic, we can explain many pain-related phenomena like "when I flex my knee in a bridge, my shoulder pain goes away." This type of pain indicates the continuous transfer of forces throughout our body.
Let's identify four of the most critical lines for mechanical force transmission using tensegrity:
1. Latissimus dorsi + gluteus maximus = thoracolumbar fascia.
2. Biceps femoris + erector spinae fascia = lumbodorsal fascia.
3. Biceps brachii + wrist flexors = biceps brachii tendon.
4. Gluteus maximus + leg muscles = fascia lata.
To better understand how this works, you should know the structural and morphological composition of our fascia.
3. Structural Composition of Fascia
Healthy fascia has a crystalline, mesh-like structure, similar to the texture of stockings. This structure is achieved by collagen, which evenly distributes itself, forming dimensional crystals. Fascia is an elastic structure, and, as you now know, it immediately responds to mechanical loads. The state of fascia, whether healthy or not, is influenced by our biomechanical load history. Imagine fascia's function as you would a blouse. If you pull a blouse, creating a slight excess of material in one area, it simultaneously tenses up the rest of the clothing. This phenomenon is referred to as adhesions. Adhesions occur when fascia functions poorly, is overused, or lacks hydration. In these cases, what used to be a smooth mesh-like structure in a particular area turns into an ugly tangle, affecting the rest of the fascial structure.
This leads us to a fundamental understanding of how our bodies work. If force transfer in the body occurs through fascia, which envelops everything, and a single adhesion around, let's say, the shoulder blade can result in tension in the buttocks, ultimately impacting the force transfer from muscles and the quality of movement... We need to completely change our perception of the body and start thinking of it more holistically.
For example, a poor choice of stretching technique for achieving the splits can impact the stability of your ankle. This, in turn, can affect your knee, and ultimately, it may change your pelvic alignment. I heard this example from my university instructor, and I found it fascinating.
4. So, What Should You Do?
Fascia is crucial; it transmits forces and behaves like a blouse you wear, but what should you do with this knowledge? Considering what I've outlined so far, here are some key takeaways:
- If something hurts, the problem often lies elsewhere. Consult specialists, get check-ups, and search for the root cause. When you come across a trainer advising you to massage your armpits to alleviate lower back pain or a doctor treating shoulder pain near your sternum by loosening your buttocks – don't be alarmed. They have a valid point!
- Prepare your fascia for work, just like you would warm up any other part of your body before training. After all, your fascia will be responsible for nearly half of the work you'll do over the next four hours.
My favorite surprise exercise is SLAMP. Before doing this exercise, perform a regular standing forward bend. It will provide a point of comparison for the difference it makes.
How to do the SLAMP exercise:
- Sit with your legs straight, cross one leg over the other.
- Keep your legs relaxed. If you're flexible, I recommend elevating your ankles and feet slightly on a small prop – a roller or block.
- Perform a gentle forward bend and reach as far as you can, ensuring it's comfortable. If you can reach your calf, hold there; if you can reach your ankle, hold it; if you can reach your toes, hold them.
- While maintaining this flexed position, tuck your head, pointing your foot.
- Perform 2 sets of 20 repetitions.
- Stand up and do another forward bend. The leg that was on the bottom should now feel warmer and more prepared for work.
In this simple way, you've prepared your nervous system and fascia for action. Remember that the effect of SLAMP is temporary. This exercise is not meant for long-lasting improvements but to prepare your fascia and nervous system for work.
Other important considerations:
- Self-massage: As mentioned earlier, fascia immediately adapts its structure based on its condition, which is a result of our biomechanical loads. Consequently, fascia responds positively to self-massage, helping to break down fascial adhesions and allowing it to return to its mesh-like state.
- Hydration and sleep: This point requires some clarification because it may not be evident from the preceding content. In simple terms, some components of fascia include:
- Collagen (protein responsible for fascial elasticity).
- Hydrophilic proteoglycans (proteins that love water and readily interact with it, responsible for water storage in fascia, acting somewhat like "sponges" for collagen).
- Fibroblasts (cells in the dermis, responsible for producing collagen, elastin, and hyaluronic acid, all crucial for skin structure).
If proteoglycans can interact chemically with water, it means we are well-hydrated and can afford it. This also increases the likelihood of collagen structurally aligning in a mesh-like pattern rather than forming ugly tangles. Furthermore, the amount of collagen is regulated by fibroblasts, which operate based on hydration levels within structures and the growth hormone produced during sleep!
At this point, that's all the information to take in. It's a substantial amount of new knowledge. I hope these insights motivate you to think differently about your body.