From my first article, I slightly mentioned the importance of fascia, and how it was important to not only me and my body but to every single person’s body. Fascia is still something that I have learned about recently, and it is truly unbelievable and almost scary how much keeping it healthy is important.

    As facia was something I wanted to better comprehend, I sat down with Dr. Rose, to learn more about the vast tissue that holds every organ in the body. From my understanding, it seemed like there was so much information that the complexity and the understanding of how important it is to the body could lead to hours of conversation with Dr. Puente, who is so passionate about teaching the purpose and importance of it all. 

    To break it down into the simplest sense possible, Fascia is a “sheath” that surrounds muscles and organs. It acts as not only a connector but a separator at the same time. To put into an image, think of an orange peel. An orange peel can be compared to fascia in the sense that the peel holds the orange slices, the important part of the fruit, just like fascia holds your organs, the important part of your body. Without the orange peel, the orange would be separated. Without fascia, nothing would hold and protect your organs. 

    Something else that interested me was the fact that fascia contributes to most pains, far and wide throughout the body. Fascia may affect you somewhere lower in the body but contribute to the pain farther away, for example in the jaw and neck areas. This is what brings most people to question why they have pain because the reason behind it is almost unforeseeable, without knowing how fascia affects your body if not properly taken care of. This is what I, and most people, would describe almost as a “butterfly effect,” because one instance of unhealthy fascia leads to other problems, like a wave of issues. One of the most common causes of fascia dysfunction is “the less you move, the tighter it gets” and even sitting for long periods of time, poor breathing, and day to day stress and anxiety are all factors that play a role. 

    There are many ways you can keep your fascia healthy on a daily basis without even really having to think about it. The three components of keeping your fascia healthy are simple and can be incorporated into your everyday life. Firstly, stay hydrated! Making sure you maintain hydration throughout the day will not only make you feel more refreshed but is huge in making sure your fascia can move more easily, and help the body feel less tense. Secondly, keeping mobility and not constantly resting allows the fascia to move. By having a balance of rest and movement, you will find often that your body will tend to strain less, and you will feel more flexible. This is because fascia also requires movement to loosen up. Lastly, keeping a clean and healthy diet with lots of nutrients will not only make you feel happy and healthy, but your fascia will too!