What is Fascia and How Does it Affect Posture?
Fascia Research Congress defines fascia as all collagenous fibrous connective tissues that can be seen as elements of a body-wide tensional force transmission network. Most fascia tissue is composed of collagen except for a few elastin fibers and together they link every part of your body together as one cohesive structure.
Below is an example of muscle/fascia forces in balance. This is the superficial front or flexor line with the opposing line of pull; the superficial back or extensor line. In the Western world, very few people actually have naturally aligned posture and healthy muscle/fascia patterning that looks like this.
The above video shows how the Fascia works at a magnification of 25x.
To understand how fascia is everywhere in our body, think of a grapefruit’s white cellulose fibers that run through the entire fruit. Even when the skin is peeled, this matrix structure retains the grapefruit’s round shape. Our body is similar to the grapefruit in that we are essentially constructed in the very same way with fascia serving as a supporting structure in and around every cell in the entire body. Fascia is really the ‘organ of posture’ that connects our organs, muscles and bones together. Fascia organizes with muscle chains; along lines of pull creating a net that supports the entire body with balanced forces of tension and ‘floating’ compression called tensegrity.
Fascia is a sensory organ too
In the past fascia was mainly considered to be an inert ‘wrapping material’ giving mechanical support to our muscles and organs. However recently is has been discovered that there is a rich presence of nerves in the fascia making it the largest sensory organ in the body. Fascia can be the origin of pain perception and since it is so closely woven in and around muscles, the reference to muscle tone in the body should include the combination of fascia and muscle together.
Fascia can be dysfunctional
Muscles can become overly tense and chronically contracted when posture is poor. Two thirds of fascia structure is composed of water so hydration is important to keep fascia tissues healthy. Fascia thickens and lays down more fibers in response to localized stress thus becoming a hindrance to movement and good alignment. Body workers can massage areas to release restricted myofascial bands, but this can be a Band-Aid remedy unless one has the tools to also create better alignment programming. Diaphragmatic breathing techniques is a great start to this reprogramming. When alignment and movement become balanced and efficient, fascia can reorganize on its own from the inside out to support better posture.
Fascia and muscles work together to create movement
The idea that muscle contractions are solely responsible for our movement does not include the elastic recoil abilities of our fascia net. The notion that movement is created by isolated muscles contracting to move bones as levers is a narrow view of how the body engages. Whether running, jumping or walking, a significant part of the energy for movement comes from the elastic recoiling springiness of the fascia tissues as well as from muscle. Therapeutic massage therapy and bodywork is one way we can keep our fascia healthy so movement is optimal.
