Get to Know Your Fascia – Flexibility, Power, and Pain

Article by Lucas Rockwood

Table of Contents

1. What is fascia?

2. Symptoms of damaged fascia

3. Surprising facts about fascia

4. Fascia-friendly foods

Do you wake up in the morning feeling stiff and tight? Maybe you can feel specific areas of tightness and inflexibility? It could be caused by your body’s connective tissue, fascia.

Fascia is a dense connective tissue found throughout your body. It’s like a three-dimensional web encasing and supporting your muscles, organs, nerves, and blood vessels. It plays a crucial role in maintaining structural integrity, transmitting forces, and providing a pathway for communication between different body parts.

Fascia isn’t a single entity, however. There are multiple layers – from superficial fascia found just beneath your skin, to deep fascia surrounding your muscles and bones, and then visceral fascia enveloping your organs. Each type has unique properties and functions, collectively contributing to your body’s stability, flexibility, and overall wellbeing.

Fascia differs from muscles and other connective tissues in that it’s very smart with many times more sensory nerve endings, making it almost as sensitive as skin to stretching, strain, heat, and injury. As a result, it’s really important to keep your fascia healthy and mobile.

Symptoms of Damaged/Unhealthy Fascia

  • Pain in a specific area – sharp, dull, or achy
  • Limited range of motion in a muscle or joint
  • Swelling, redness, or heat caused by inflammation in the inured area
  • Visible lumps or knots – palpable areas of tightness
  • Numbness or tingling caused by fascial compression on nerves
  • If you suspect a fascial injury, see a physical therapist for a diagnosis.

Surprising Facts About Fascia

Fascia is sensitive. Fascia is believed to have dense sensory nerves and plays a key role in mechanoreception, proprioception, and interoception. Fascia can be almost as sensitive as skin in places, sensitive to stretching, strain, heat, and injury.

Wavy fibers of collagen and elastic. Fascia is made of collagen and elastin and forms a wavy fiber pattern that creates a natural elasticity.

Most fascia cannot be separated from muscle. In some areas like your IT band or plantar fascia, it’s possible to see and separate fascia from other tissues, but most fascia inseparable from muscle which is part of the reason it’s commonly overlooked.

Fascia can often heal faster than tendons and ligament. Fascia receives decent blood flow from small capillaries and access to blood supply via its proximity to muscle allowing it heal from injury and trauma, often faster than other connective tissues.

Fascia can be remodeled (not stretched). Fascia has elastic properties but is mostly plastic, meaning as your muscles change, it too changes. This can be lengthening, but it might also be thinning, thickening, or changing shape and distribution.

Fascia is layered like filo dough. Fascia is multi-layered like thin layers of filo dough that slide and glide. These layers can become damaged through overuse or trauma and through dehydration.

Click to download the PDF guide

Fascia-Friendly Foods

Here are some fascia-friendly nutrients worth adding to your diet:

  • Protein – Plant-based or animal proteins are great. Aim for 0.8 to 1 gram per pound of body weight per day.
  • Copper – Nuts and seeds, dark chocolate, shellfish, and organ meats are all good sources of copper.
  • Zinc – Red meat, such as beef and lamb, as well as seafood like oysters are high in zinc. Cheese, eggs, almonds and pumpkin seeds are also rich sources.
  • Sulphur – Cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli, cauliflower, and chard, as well as allium vegetables like onions and garlic are excellent sources of sulfur. Meat, poultry, and seafood will also up your intake.
  • Vitamin C – Most fruit and vegetables are abundant sources of vitamin C, but citrus fruits, bell peppers, tomatoes, blackcurrants and cruciferous vegetables like broccoli and Brussels sprouts are particularly potent sources.
  • Omega-3 fats – These are found in fatty fish, such as salmon, mackerel, and sardines, as well as in nuts, seeds, and plant-based oils. Omega-3 fatty acids sup fascial health by minimizing inflammation-related fascial tightness and promoting overall tissue flexibility.
  • Magnesium – It supports healthy fascia by reducing muscle tension and promoting collagen synthesis. Magnesium is found most abundantly in green plants, dark chocolate, nuts, seeds, and legumes.

Safety Disclaimer

This guide is for educational purposes only. Please do not use it to diagnose or treat a severe injury. Check with a trusted healthcare provider before starting any self-care routine.

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