Fascia Refresher

I recently took a workshop to learn how to release the connective tissue around internal organs. The duodenum* was one of the organs we studied. I had never heard of a doo-ah-de-what before. This organ is between the stomach and small intestine and is a major source of my own digestive problems.

Many people are unaware they have fascia, even though it is a source of their aches and pains. We know about muscles, bones, organs and nerves, but aren’t taught about the tissue that holds it all together. As a client you may already know about fascia, but it never hurts to get a fascia-nating refresher.

Fascia wraps every muscle, bone, organ, nerve, and blood vessel and holds the body together. It doesn't just wrap around muscles, but also wraps the fibers within the muscle. It creates a three-dimensional web of support that facilitates — or inhibits — your ability to function and move.

Also called connective tissue, fascia is comprised of a gel-like substance that suspends fibers and cells. Healthy fascia is slippery, like freshly made Jello® so muscles and organs can glide easily, The gel of unhealthy fascia is dense and sticky, like Jello® that’s been in the fridge for a month or even Elmer’s Glue®. To keep the glide in your gel, move fluidly throughout your body every day, especially after being still or tense.

Collagen and elastin fibers give fascia its shape and structure. The fibers line up based on lines of force in the body. Repetitive motion, overuse, and injury cause the fibers to become disorganized, which prevents smooth movement. If your hamstrings are tight, it might not be because they are over-contracted. It might be because they are encased in fibers that line up at cross purposes with the direction the muscle needs to move.

Most people think the answer is to stretch, but that runs the risk of creating micro-tears in the tissue, which get repaired with even less organized scar tissue. If you stretch and it burns, you are creating micro-tears. The best time to stretch is after activities like running, gardening, and biking. The fibers align more easily when muscles are warm. Or participate in activities that stretch while the muscles are being contracted, as in yoga or some martial arts.

The condition of your fascia is important, because it communicates between and coordinates muscular actions. You have more efficiency and ease of motion when the gel is healthy and fibers aligned. By the way, Hellerwork Structural Integration is helpful on both accounts.

*Technically, the duodenum is the first part of the small intestine, which is why I didn’t know it by name. We considered it separately from the small intestine, because it is in a different compartment

How To Melt Your Fuzz Buildup

We are knowledgeable about our muscles, bones, nerves, organs and even lymph glands, but few people have even heard about connective tissue, also called fascia. This essential part of the body invests all muscles, tendons and ligaments and covers almost everything including organs, nerves, and blood vessels.

This is the matrix that holds us together – sometimes too well creating internal tightness.

Watch this video by structural integrator and anatomy expert Gil Hedley to learn how to keep your connective tissue healthy and stay limber. (Warning: it includes images from cadavers so you can see how fascia gets stuck. Don’t be squeamish.)

Gil’s explanation of sticky fascia as “fuzz” is brilliant. Of course, I am even more delighted to hear him recommend undulation (i.e., wiggling and stretching) as an antidote to stiffness. And, look at his movement! Gil is a fine example of fluidity.

Healthy Joints and Muscles

If you want to keep moving through life, you need healthy joints and muscles, but few people know what’s actually required to keep the body’s connective tissue vibrant. (That’s not surprising, because most people aren’t aware of their connective tissue!) In this article, I’ll give you three basics for nourishing your muscles and everything that connects them to your skeleton.

A healthy muscle is fluid and pliable like gelatin. Unhealthy muscles are dried out and stiff like beef jerky. So what does it take to get your tissues juicy?

Liquid. When you’re not fully hydrated, your blood will become thick and fluid will seep from your muscles to supply your organs. Also, did you know that 60 to 75 of your cartilage, the tissue that facilitates smooth and pain free joint movement, is made of water? The general rule for “enough water” is two quarts a day. According to Dr. Weil you can also get needed fluids from herbal tea and diluted fruit juice or sports drinks. (www.drweil.com/drw/u/id/QAA57092)
Drinking the water is the first step. Getting it into your tissues is the second, which is done through muscular activity. When a muscle contracts, it forces fluid from the surrounding connective tissue. When it relaxes, fresh fluid flows back in. Moving is the second step to hydrating your tissues.

Nutrients. All cells in your body, including your muscles and nerves, benefit from nutrition. A diet full of vitamins and minerals is essential to staying supple. It’s been found that lack of B Vitamins, especially B-6, play a role in the activation of trigger points. (www.naturalhealers.com/qa/trigger-point.shtml)
Also, muscle cramps can sometimes be caused by deficiencies of calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, or iron. Movement is also necessary to nourish your tissues, especially your cartilage and intervertebral discs. They have no direct blood flow and depend on the movement of fluid produced by physical activity for nutrients and removal of waste products.

Moderate Activity. Overworking and overstretching creates injury to your tissues and leaves you with scar tissue, which is stiff and inflexible by nature’s design, or with calcium deposits and crunchy gunk surrounding your muscles. Going for the “burn” is too much and counterproductive. It’s better to exercise a bit each day than to do a marathon of activity once or twice a week. One way to avoid soft-tissue damage is to stay fully conscious of where your body is and what you’re doing with it and then stopping when you’ve done enough. (Sorry to say, that isn’t possible when you are watching TV and running on the treadmill.)

Healthy muscles and joints are created by fluidity, adequate nutrition, and appropriate movement. We are fortunate to have access to all three, so anyone can begin to move more gracefully through life.

(Parts of this article were excerpted from Relieve Stiffness and Feel Young Again, www.atlasbooks.com/marktplc/01913.htm)