Fascia Facts: How Fascia Keeps You Strong and Flexible
No one likes to have pain when they move around. Exercising regularly can help you avoid muscle and joint pain, and fascial exercises are one of the most effective ways to do this.
It doesn't matter if you’re an athlete, enjoy a sport recreationally, or new to fitness. Fascial movement is essential for your body to recuperate and perform better. Since March is National Athletic Training Month, now is the ideal time learn about your body’s fascia and how to keep it functioning well.
What is fascia?
Fascia is connective tissue that surrounds and protects many of your body parts such as muscles, ligaments, and tendons. It’s meant to give you support, absorb shock, and help you move with more ease and energy. VeryWellHealth describes fascia as something that “is woven into all of our body's systems, holding them together, giving them shape, and allowing pain-free functional movement to occur.”
When people think about fitness, they often pay attention to muscles. But fascia is just as important. As you move through your daily activities – bending, stretching, pushing, pulling – your fascia absorbs the impact of those movements. If you’re in the habit of exercising regularly, your fascia works with you to make your exercises more efficient. Fascia is intricately connected to your body’s organs from head to toe, and that’s why it’s crucial to avoid injuring it.
What happens when fascia gets injured?
It’s important to keep your fascia healthy because having a fascial tissue injury will cause pain and restrict your movement. According to Healthline, there are several ways you can damage your fascia, and it’s not surprising that overusing your muscles is one of them. But did you know that a sedentary lifestyle and poor eating and sleep habits can damage your fascia as well? Protecting your fascia means maintaining a healthy lifestyle in every way.
One of the most well-known examples of a fascial injury is plantar fasciitis. Plantar fasciitis is the inflammation of the plantar fascia, which is a band of fascia that covers the bottom of your foot from your heel to your toes. Myofascial pain syndrome is another type of fascial injury, and it involves fascia that tightens up around your muscles and causes pain. Fascial injuries tend to heal with techniques like heat therapy and massage therapy.
Fascial exercises you can try
If you’re looking for exercises to help protect your fascial function, Merrithew is a great resource. They have a Fascial Movement Instructor Training Program that I’ve completed, and they also have videos that demonstrate fascial exercises. This video shows you an easy exercise with a mini stability ball. Doing the bouncing motions in this exercise promotes more flexible and “bouncy” fascia.
Resistance bands are another useful tool to include in your exercises to strengthen your fascia. In this video, you’ll see how resistance bands distribute your muscles’ force throughout your body so your fascia will be evenly stimulated instead of one area being stimulated too much or too little.
Even if you don’t have any equipment like a ball or resistance bands, one more simple way to protect your fascial tissue is to stretch for just ten minutes a day. Regular stretching helps to elongate your muscles and keep fascia flexible. Try to hold each stretch for 30 seconds to a minute, but be careful not to stretch so hard that you feel pain.
So for National Athletic Training Month, try some of these fascial exercises and stretches – and remember to get enough sleep and nourishing foods, too! Whether you’re a skilled athlete or not used to exercising, maintaining healthy fascia is vital for staying flexible, strong, and pain-free.
