Fascia – a term that is currently on everyone’s lips. But what are fasciae anyway and what are they good for? Fascia researcher Dr. Robert Schleip, human biologist and head of the “Fascia Research Project” at the University of Ulm, answers this and other questions in our interview.
1. what are fasciae?
Dr. Schleip: Fascia is white, muscular connective tissue that encloses bones, muscles, tendons and organs as a sheath. Our fasciae form a network that runs throughout the body, giving it structure. In the past, this tissue was rather neglected in conventional medicine. One considered it more or less as a “packaging organ”.
2. What is the function of fascia?
Dr. Schleip: In recent years, it has been discovered that this muscular, fibrous and elastic connective tissue has many important functions in the body: It is one of our most important sensory organs for body perception. Over 100 million nerve endings are located in this collagenous tissue network. Collagens are fiber-forming proteins of the connective tissue. Another function is that fasciae influence the transmission of force from muscle to muscle. Fasciae therefore also support and shape the body. Thus, healthy fascia can prevent back pain, for example.
3.How does fascia stick together and what are the consequences?
Dr. Schleip: Healthy fascia and fascia at a young age often have a shear lattice-like structure and are thus optimally elastic. In older, injured or untrained people, the tissue becomes matted in that the collagen fibers have a disordered geometry and stick together. Most often, this is due to lack of use or improper use – i.e., lack of exercise. This underuse of the fascia is quite common. However, matted tissue can also occur when a body part has been in a cast. As a result, one is not as mobile and becomes stiff. In athletes, the fascia can also become matted, which is then due to an overload of the fascia.
4.Fascia is said to be able to trigger back pain – is there any truth to it?
Dr. Schleip: Yes, that’s true! However, we do not yet know to what percentage fascia is responsible for back pain. What we do know, however, is that even if a herniated disc is present, it is not responsible for back pain in most cases. For at least 80 percent of back pain, the cause is unknown. And this is where the fasciae come into play. It has been found that these are significantly altered and more agglutinated in back pain patients than in healthy people of the same age, and that the back fasciae in us humans have numerous nerve endings that serve to perceive pain and movement.
5, Are then many supposed muscle injuries perhaps rather injuries of the fascia?
Dr. Schleip: You could say that, yes. So-called muscle soreness, for example, should actually be called “fascia soreness.” This is because the free nerve endings, which are very sensitive one to two days after exercise, are located in the fascial muscle sheath and not in the muscle itself. However, it is not yet known exactly why the fasciae now hurt during muscle soreness. It could be that the muscle sheath has suffered micro-injuries. However, it could also be that the muscle itself has been injured, and the muscle sheath then hurts as the designated alarm tissue.
6, Is fascia training good for muscle soreness?
Dr. Schleip: For sore muscles, fascia rollers can be a help. These stimulate not only the connective tissue, but also the skin, muscles and other types of tissue. There are now relatively reliable, evidence-based reviews that show that muscle soreness is efficiently reduced by subsequent rolling – but I would now call that regeneration treatment rather than training. And even more significantly than subsequent massages; presumably because rolling promotes blood flow and stimulation even more than massages. Recent studies, including one in the Journal of Sport Rehabilitation, have also shown that subjective pain attenuation is even more intense with rollers that have a vibration core. If you warm up with a fascia roller before exercising, for example, you have a good chance of preventing sore muscles. Warming up improves the blood supply to the body and increases the elasticity of the muscle sheaths, so that injuries do not occur so easily. This preventive effect has not yet been clearly proven, but there is some evidence to suggest it.But here too, if you overexert yourself during training, you can expect pain.
7. How can I train my fascia and what are the benefits of training?
Dr. Schleip: There are four pillars with which you can train your fascia optimally:
- Fascia rollers or balls can be used to keep connective tissue supple and loosen stuck fascia. However, the rollers are not the only option and are also not enough alone for a fascia workout.
- At least as important are springy, jumping movements that keep the fascia elastic. In health sports, this bounce training was unfortunately long refrained from, because it was believed that you can train muscles and circulation differently more efficient and you have less overload damage as a result. However, the rediscovery of bouncing and springing movements is now important, as these train the white tissue rather than the red tissue. These two tissues cannot be trained separately, but you can focus on them. Example sports here would be jumping rope or trampolining.
- In addition, stretching stretches, similar to a cat, do the tissue good. Here it is important that the stretch does not only stress one muscle, but is performed holistically and dynamically. This stimulates the fascial chains running through several joints. Besondern are suitable here, for example, yoga, Thai Chi or Qi Gong exercises.
- Last but not least, fascia should also be trained as an organ of perception through fine movements that train the senses. Sports scientists then often speak of the so-called sensorimotor training. Here, an attempt is made to train the body’s senses by eliminating visual stimuli (for example, closing the eyes) or aggravating conditions. This includes, for example, the targeted nestling of individual vertebrae against a backrest while sitting.
8. how often and how long should I train my fascia?
Dr. Schleip: It also always depends on what you want to achieve. If one wants to break down old collagenous tissue, daily rolling for a few minutes per area is recommended. But if you want to firm collagen, I would only roll every two to three days, because collagen buildup takes a certain amount of follow-up time.
9, Is there anything else I can do to help my fascia?
Dr. Schleip: Exercise is of course the most important thing for our fasciae. But a balanced diet and healthy sleep also come into play here. A healthy lifestyle, in addition to adequate exercise, can help keep fascia elastic.
10 How can I tell if I’m overdoing it with fascia training?
Dr. Schleip: It is precisely those springy, bouncy movements described earlier that evoke a certain youthful lightness in us emotionally. This sensation can lead people to overestimate themselves. Then they run the risk of overdoing the training. Strains or similar injuries can then be the result. Older men in particular must be restrained in this overconfidence. Instead, they should train in an “age-appropriate” manner, i.e. slowly and in measured doses. It can happen with women that, if they overdo it with the fascia roller, bruises or spider veins develop. In America, this behavior is more common than in Germany: US women treat themselves here until they get bruises. Supposedly, this is supposed to help against cellulite. Much healthier is a lower-dose and, above all, gentler workout, which can tighten the skin in the long run. Regular jogging also visibly reduces cellulite. But you should always keep in mind that cellulite is also genetically determined.
11.Are there certain groups of people for whom fascia training is rather unsuitable?
Dr. Schleip: Stretching is good for almost everyone. Equiangular movements, such as those performed by frequent joggers, on the other hand, can overtax the fascia. You also have to be careful with springy bounce training. People with inflammation in the body should let it subside before they can start training with light bouncing movements. People with osteoporosis should also practice bouncing movements only after consulting a doctor. In addition, people who bruise frequently in everyday life – and sometimes without knowing where from – should start with a soft fascia roller and gradually increase. Because these people have weak connective tissue and would get more bruises with a hard roller.
Conclusion: fascia training as a supplement
Dr. Schleip: Despite all the enthusiasm, fascia training should be seen as a supplement – not a replacement – for muscle, circulation and coordination training. As is often the case, it’s the combination that does it.
