What is fascia?

A fascia is a very important organ in the human body. Not only does it hold the different tissues together, but it also serves as a “road” for the distribution of nerves and their endings. But his role does not end there. Casually, it influences posture and tensin! Hence the importance of treating this structure as well as the others.

There are several fascias. The name of fascia changes depending on the characteristics and where it is located. For example, the fascia that connect mucles to bones are called tendons. They are think and durable. The fascia that covers the bones is called the periosteum. It is very thin.

Fascia is often compared to a grapefruit emptied of its juice. Under the yellowish layer : this is fascia (under the peel of the grapefruit) there is a layer of fascia (whitish layer of the fruit).

Inside the grapefruit, there are several quarters. Each quarter is surrounded by a kind of bag in which the pulp and juine are located. This bag, which forms the quarters, is also a fascia. In the human body, this sac constitutes the outer layer of each organ. Muscle, bone, heart, ets., each has its own fascia surrounding it.

What about the pulp found in the grapefruit quarter? The pulp is a sac that contoins the juine of the fruit. So it’s a fascia. In the human body, the equivalent of the pulp is each division of an organ. For example : muscles are made up fibers. Howerver, each muscle fibre is surrounded by fascia : the perimysium and the endomysium.

When you cut a grapefruit into two parts and empty the quarters with a knife, only the shell of the quarters and the center remain. What happens when you pull on an enveloppe? The others follow in the same direction as does the center. The same phenomenon occurs with human fascia. “Misplaced” fascia may be partly responsible for posture. For exemple, it can round the shoulders and bring the neck forward. Another common example : a lower back problem can cause headache because of the fascia that connects these 2 parts of the body. This is what we call the muscle chain phenomenon or “myofascial train”.

For explanations with visual supports, watch the video « Qu’est-ce qu’un fascia?” on our Youtube channel (Sorry! it is in French). Here is the direct link to the video.