Fascia and Massage

What is fascia?

Fascia is a type of connective tissue that surrounds and supports muscles, bones, and organs in the body. It is a fibrous, three-dimensional network of collagen fibers and other proteins that provides structural support and helps to distribute forces throughout the body. Your fascia is one continuous structure, connected to each body part in some way. If there’s a snag in the tissue in one part of your body, it can cause pain in another part.

There are several layers of fascia in the body, including superficial fascia (located just beneath the skin), deep fascia (surrounding muscles and organs), and visceral fascia (surrounding internal organs). Fascia also contains nerves and blood vessels that supply the tissues it surrounds.

Normally, fascia is flexible and stretchy, able to move without any restrictions. When your body experiences any kind of trauma, your fascia loses its flexibility causing it to become tight and more rigid. Tightness and rigidity will cause pain, muscle fatigue and decreased range of motion.

Myofascial Release Techniques

Releasing tightness in the fascia is a different process than releasing tension from muscle tissue. In this technique, the therapist finds a tight area, gives weight with compression to encourage blood flow to the area, and waits to feel the tissue “let go.” When appropriate, movement through these tight areas can be very useful in literally pulling the tissue out of contraction and restriction.

When restricted fascia affects a small area, it is often referred to as a trigger point. The most obvious characteristic of a trigger point is when the client feels the pain radiating through the affected tissue to another location. In these cases, pinpoint compression can be useful in overwhelming the pain sensors of those tissues in an attempt to force them to release. Sustained pressure on such a specific point can be a challenge for the therapist so they may utilize other techniques to achieve this goal. Kneading or friction of the tissue will encourage renewed blood flow and alter the way the brain perceives the signals from this area of tissue. Resetting or re-patterning the sensory receptors can be very useful in relieving pain.