Ever felt like your body is caught in a twist?

fran

Welcome to Fascia. Our body has a connective tissue called fascia that knits and binds all the soft and bony structures of the body together. It behaves a little like cling film and holds all the organs in place whilst also shaping and bundling the muscles together into groups. Why do we need Fascia? The reason why fascia is so important, is that without it our organs would get bruised against the inside of our ribcage each time we run, or our muscles could pop out of place if we strained them too much.

Fascia behaves the way we treat it. If our fascia has experienced or regularly suffers from physical, chemical, mental or emotional traumas, then it usually dries out, shortens and becomes tough to move – just like toffee. That’s why we often feel stuck, restricted or twisted into discomfort. Our posture also plays a large role in how our fascia behaves. For example, if we sit in a flexed position under stress for 8-10 hours at a time, our body’s fascia will adapt and eventually adopt that position. Then we stand up, walk or put on our training shoes and it feels like we are trapped in a wetsuit that is a size too small and kinked.

Walking or sitting around in a kinked fascia suit will exert unnecessary strains and pressures on the muscles as they become forced to function differently to what they were designed. These muscles frequently become painful after their workload increases.

Healthy fascia can stretch easily, feels lubricated and generally does its job well in supporting our structures. Naturally, we feel and perform better and are far less prone to injury the healthier our fascia is. Whether you want to perform your personal best in an upcoming sporting event or as a parent, partner or employee, consider investing some awareness into how you can improve the health of your fascia and connective tissues. Regular stretching, drinking enough water, implementing some stress management techniques and having a balanced diet are some of the easiest steps to take.

We can help too! Sometimes we just need someone to create a little bit of movement for us to enable us to get the leverage that a feel good stretch requires. If you feel too tight to stretch, caught in a postural twist or just a little stuck somewhere in your body, give us a call and we can advise you as to which massage therapist would be best to help you and your particular needs.