What are Fasciae?

Fasciae consist of connective tissue fibers and water. The fibers form a three-dimensional network that runs throughout the entire body, enclosing and connecting organs, bones, ligaments, and muscles. They literally envelop you from head to toe. Due to the specific combination of elastic and firm fibers, they combine elasticity and stability.

Fasciae are plastic, meaning they adapt to your physical activity.

They not only support your posture, but they also absorb mechanical stress and ensure that muscles and organs glide past each other during movement. With little movement, fasciae dry out, and the fibers become less elastic.

This can lead to inflammation and pain. With insufficient movement, the connective tissue fibers multiply in an unstructured way, causing the fascial layers to stick together and contract.

You become less flexible, and some movements can even become painful.

Fasciae and Pain

Almost everyone has experienced neck or back pain at some point. And most people know that it has something to do with tense muscles. However, that's only part of the story.

Fasciae can also become tense, and they contain far more receptors for pain and posture than muscles do. If you sit or stand for a long time, your fascia sends pain signals to your brain to increase muscle tension and stabilize your posture. If you don’t change your posture for an extended period, it creates a vicious cycle that results in painful tension in both fasciae and muscles.

Muscles usually hurt when you tense them. If the muscle is inflamed or injured, this feeling does not improve with movement.

Fascial pain, on the other hand, can feel uncomfortable during movement, but after moving, you become more flexible and usually feel better.

Through fascia training, the tension in the fascia changes, sending relaxation signals to your brain, which then relays them to your muscles. Movement also stimulates blood circulation, stretches the muscles, and activates the cell metabolism.

Fasciae and Flexibility

Have you ever stretched a muscle? Probably. And a fascia? Definitely.

Fasciae run through our entire body in multiple layers. They follow every movement and glide past each other. Their three-dimensional structure distributes tension in various directions like a spiderweb.

But, just like muscles, fasciae can also tense up and affect your daily life. The various layers build more connective tissue fibers, which knot and stick together. They fixate your body to help cope with strenuous postures, allowing you to sit on your office chair for long periods without tiring. The cost is your flexibility.

Targeted stretching and pressing of the fasciae can reduce tension. The cells in the fasciae relax, but it takes time and regular movement for the connective tissue fibers to loosen.

Using a fascia roller gives you a quick and targeted way to counterbalance long days when you don’t move much – especially for the areas where you need it most.

Quick tip: Fasciae are largely composed of water. So, if you feel stiff again, grab a glass of water.

Regeneration

Stress and recovery go hand in hand, whether at work, during leisure time, or in sports. Only when you rest enough will you have the energy to tackle the next challenge.

Many people find it difficult to rest sufficiently in their daily lives. They feel tired, drained, and unable to concentrate or sleep properly.

With targeted fascia training, you can actively accelerate your body’s regeneration. Active recovery lowers muscle tone and helps you relax. The blood concentration of stress hormones like cortisol, which speeds up aging and weakens the immune system, is also reduced.

Mobilizing the fascial and muscle tissues increases their blood flow and metabolism. This enhances the true purpose of recovery: supplying your tissues with oxygen and energy while removing waste products and toxins.

So, if you can’t motivate yourself to go to the gym or just had a stressful day, do 15 minutes of fascia training, and your day will look entirely different.

Why is Flexibility Important?

You can probably think of a situation in everyday life where being flexible is advantageous: such as climbing out of a tight parking space or retrieving a missing phone from behind the couch.

But what exactly does flexibility do for your health? And is it worth investing some time in improving your flexibility from time to time?

The clear answer – yes, definitely.

Increased flexibility can significantly reduce the stress on bones, joints, discs, etc. For example, mobilizing a stiff thoracic spine can help reduce lower back and neck pain. Headaches and jaw pain can also improve. Stress can be distributed across multiple structures and directions, so individual structures bear only a fraction of the load. This helps prevent degenerative diseases like arthritis, herniated discs, and tension.

Especially practical in everyday life:
With greater flexibility, you have more strength. When you contract a muscle, it must work against the pull of other muscles and connective tissue. The more supple your tissue can follow this pull, the more energy the muscle has for its primary task. Injuries such as lumbago are often caused by disruptions in movement patterns due to restricted flexibility.

Overall, your risk of injury increases significantly if you are less flexible. A joint can only move within certain limits. In a fall or accident, this can quickly lead to serious injuries. It’s good if muscles and ligaments can give before they tear.

This way, your bones remain intact in tricky situations, and you have to deal with less pain in everyday life.