What Is Fascia & Why Does It Matter?

You stretch. You get massages. You work on the muscle that always seems tight.

And then somehow…that same tension comes back.

Sometimes the muscle isn't the whole story.

Underneath your skin and throughout your entire body is an incredible network of connective tissue called fascia. Understanding fascia has changed the way we look at bodywork at Over The Moon because it reminds us that the body isn't a collection of separate parts.

Everything is connected.

So, What Exactly Is Fascia?

Think of fascia as a continuous three-dimensional web running throughout your entire body.

Fascial tissue surrounds, supports and connects your muscles, bones, nerves, blood vessels and organs. It helps organize the body's structures while allowing tissues to move and glide alongside one another.

Instead of thinking about a muscle existing completely on its own, imagine that muscle wrapped in and connected through layers of connective tissue that continue into neighboring structures.

That's one reason an area of restriction may influence how another part of your body moves or feels.

There Isn't Just One Type of Fascia

Fascia exists at different depths throughout the body.

Superficial fascia lies beneath the skin and within our subcutaneous tissue. This layer contains blood vessels, nerves and an extensive network of lymphatic vessels.

Deep fascia surrounds and connects muscles, bones, nerves and blood vessels. It helps separate muscle groups while also transmitting forces and allowing tissues to glide against one another.

Visceral fascia surrounds and supports our internal organs.

Parietal fascia lines the walls of our body cavities.

Rather than thinking of these as completely separate pieces, imagine layers of one interconnected system extending throughout the body.

What Can Affect Our Fascia?

Fascia is living connective tissue that responds to the demands placed on our bodies.

Injury, surgery and scar tissue, repetitive movements, prolonged sitting, movement patterns and protective guarding can all affect how we move and how our tissues feel.

Our bodies are also incredibly good at adapting.

If one area isn't moving well, we may begin moving differently somewhere else to compensate. Eventually, we might notice tightness or discomfort in an area that isn't necessarily where the original restriction began.

That's why at Over The Moon, we don't always want to chase the exact spot that hurts.

We want to look at the pattern.

What Is Myofascial Release?

Myofascial Release is very different from a traditional massage.

During this treatment, you remain clothed, so we recommend wearing comfortable, flexible clothing.

We don't use oils or lotions because your therapist needs to be able to engage the tissue rather than glide over the skin.

Your therapist assesses how your body and tissues are moving and identifies areas that feel restricted. We then apply gentle-to-firm sustained pressure into the restriction.

And then we wait.

This is an important part of the treatment.

Rather than forcing the tissue or quickly moving from one area to another, we give your body time to respond to the pressure. As the tissue begins to soften or change beneath our hands, we can follow that movement into another area of restriction.

Sometimes that means staying in one place considerably longer than you might expect during a traditional massage.

The work can feel slow.

But slow doesn't necessarily mean that nothing is happening.

Why Sustained Pressure?

Our goal isn't to overpower your body.

We're giving the tissue and nervous system an opportunity to respond.

When we encounter resistance, applying more force isn't always the answer. Sometimes the most effective thing we can do is meet the tissue where it is, maintain appropriate pressure and give it time.

As the tissue response changes, your therapist adjusts with it.

We aren't forcing the body to let go. We're creating an opportunity for it to.

Can Our Fascia Hold Trauma?

This is where the conversation gets especially interesting—and where it's important to separate what people experience from what science has actually established.

In the bodywork world, you'll often hear phrases like “we store trauma in our tissues” or “the body remembers.”

People sometimes experience unexpected emotions, physical sensations or even memories during bodywork. That experience can feel very real and meaningful.

There are also theories surrounding something sometimes described as fascial memory—the idea that connective tissue may retain adaptations related to previous mechanical stresses.

However, current research has not established that our fascia literally stores emotional or autobiographical memories.

What we do know is that our experiences can influence our nervous system, muscle tone, movement, guarding and protective patterns.

Think about something as simple as being startled.

Your shoulders may rise. Your jaw may tighten. Your breathing changes. Your muscles brace—all before you've consciously decided to do any of those things.

Our bodies respond to our experiences.

When those protective patterns have been repeated for a long time, changing the way the body is being held can sometimes come with sensations or emotions we weren't expecting.

If that happens during your session, there's nothing you need to force, analyze or fix.

Sometimes we simply notice.

Sometimes we breathe.

And sometimes we allow the body to do what it needs to do.

What Does Fascia Have to Do With Your Lymphatic System?

Quite a bit.

Your lymphatic system is responsible for collecting excess fluid from the spaces surrounding your cells and eventually returning that fluid to your bloodstream. It's also an important part of immune function.

Unlike your cardiovascular system, your lymphatic system doesn't have one central pump like your heart.

Lymph movement is supported by several mechanisms, including the natural contractions of lymphatic vessels, breathing and movement of the muscles and surrounding tissues.

And those lymphatic vessels don't exist separately from everything else.

Many of them travel within and alongside our connective tissues.

Superficial fascia contains a rich network of lymphatic vessels, and lymphatic channels are also associated with deeper connective tissues.

This is one reason we're so interested in the relationship between movement, fascia and lymphatic function.

What About “Hydrating” Fascia?

You may have heard someone say that fascia needs to be hydrated.

There's some truth behind the concept, but it's a little more interesting than simply drinking an extra glass of water.

The extracellular matrix within fascia contains water and molecules—including hyaluronan—that help tissues maintain lubrication and allow fascial layers to slide alongside one another.

Overall hydration matters to your body, of course, but fascial health also involves movement and tissue mobility.

So when we talk about keeping fascia “hydrated,” we're talking about the environment within the connective tissue—not simply pouring more water into your body and expecting a restriction to disappear.

What Might You Feel After Myofascial Release?

Every body responds differently.

Some clients immediately notice that they can turn their neck farther, their hips move differently, their shoulders feel more open or they simply feel lighter in their body.

Others notice changes gradually over the following day or two.

After a session, you may notice:

• Easier movement or increased range of motion

• A feeling of openness or space in your body

• Mild tenderness or soreness in areas that were worked

• Temporary fatigue or a desire to rest

• Greater awareness of how you're standing or moving

• Different sensations in areas that weren't directly treated

• Occasionally, an emotional response

After your treatment, gentle movement can feel wonderful. Stay normally hydrated, pay attention to what your body is asking for and give yourself some time to notice the changes before jumping into intense activity.

And here's something we really want you to do:

Pay attention to what's different.

How do you stand?

How does your walk feel?

Can you turn, reach or bend differently?

Does the area that always feels like it's pulling still feel the same?

Sometimes the change is dramatic. Sometimes it's subtle.

Both matter.

The Body Is Connected

One of the things we love most about Myofascial Release is that it encourages us to stop looking at the body as a collection of isolated pieces.

A tight hip isn't always just a tight hip.

A stiff shoulder isn't always just a shoulder.

And repeatedly working harder and deeper into the same muscle isn't always the answer.

Myofascial Release gives us another way to listen.

We slow down. We follow the tissue. We look for patterns. We give the nervous system and connective tissue time to respond.

Because sometimes the most powerful part of bodywork isn't pushing harder.

It's knowing where to hold, how long to wait and allowing the tissue to let go.