Fascia, Its Importance, and How Myofascial Release Relieves Pain

What is Fascia?

Fascia is a beautiful and complex web of connective tissue that spans across the whole body, covering nerves, arteries, bones, muscles, tendons, ligaments, it is everywhere! It has a significant role and interrelated relationship with key systems within the body, neurovascular, endocrine, musculoskeletal and immune. It is our largest sensory organ, filled with millions of nerve endings that provides a vast amount of sensory data to the Central Nervous System (CNS). Fascia, therefore, helps to regulate and shape our internal understanding of what is happening to ourselves physically. Subsequently, it influencers how our body responds to that information, both physically, and emotionally.

In a recent article entitled "Fascia as a Regulatory System in Health and Disease” published in the National Library of Medicine, the authors stated the following:

“Given its ubiquity, fascia may serve as a “watchman,” receiving and processing information on whole body health…Unquestionably, fascial integrity is paramount to human locomotion, interaction with our environment, bodily sense, and general physical and emotional wellbeing”.

Fascia’s main constituent parts are first, elastin, which enables the fascia to stretch, be flexible and act as shock absorber. Secondly, collagen gives fascia its strength and its ability to provide structural integrity across the body. Thirdly, fascia is embedded in what is called ground substance, which is comprised of Hyaluronic Acid and Proteoglycans. The former facilitates the sliding of structures, whereas the latter acts as a shock absorber and holds tissues / organs in place. The combination of these substances means that it has thixotropic properties which means that under certain circumstances the ground substance can transform from a gel to liquid.

The composition of fascia enables the human body to not only move with fluidity and grace, but also to stand tall and strong.

What Happens to Fascia When it Becomes Tight?

When fascia becomes tight, not only are its gliding and flexible properties impaired, it restricts the other tissue it surrounds. In the case of muscles, tendons, ligaments and bones the performance of these tissues will be impeded. As a consequence, you may see the following:

• Limitations with muscle strength

• Reduction in muscle power

• Reduced range of movement

• The emergence of adhesions

• Poorer fluid movements around the body, so insufficient levels of nutrients being delivered where necessary and a build-up of cellular waste

• Postural imbalances, leading to compensatory musculoskeletal patterns forming, potentially resulting in unnecessary soft tissue damage

• Acute and chronic pain, and the subsequent consequences of that which could include stress, anxiety, insomnia and other disorders

How we Determine the Difference Between Tight Fascia Versus Tight Muscle:

Through a technique called palpation you assess the quality of tissue. With tight fascia you examine how freely you can move the skin in the longitudinal direction of the underlying muscle beneath it. If it moves smoothly and freely, and at the end range in both directions it does not feel stuck, and there is give, then the fascia is most likely not tight. When pressing down into muscle tissue if it feels rigid, sore, and there’s limited mobility then the most likely cause is the muscle being tight.

However, it is not unusual for tight fascia and tight muscle to occur simultaneously. I see a combination of tight fascia and muscles quite frequently with clients who suffer from a condition called Forward Head Posture or Upper Crossed Syndrome. This is where the head is positioned forward and is not in proper alignment with their shoulders. The result is them having tight suboccipital, upper trapezius, levator scapula and pectoralis muscles. This is quite common with people who look at their computers or mobile phones a lot, slouch or have poor sleeping positions.

An Example of Induced Tight Fascia:

A circumstance which will induce tight fascia is hip surgery.

Following surgery, the treated hip area goes through the healing process. An integral part of healing is the production of scar tissue which helps to bind and repair tissue (skin, muscle, fascia). Scar tissue is less elastic than the tissue it replaces, so a consequence of this, the fascia at the operated sight, as well as the surrounding tissue becomes tight, weak, movement is restricted, and the area can be painful.

Understandably, to move about and avoid discomfort clients try to counterbalance these limitations, and adopt compensatory movement patterns, which puts additional strain on different parts of the musculoskeletal system.

To try to replicate fascia restriction, imagine you were wearing a T-Shirt, and you rolled it up tightly on one side, then you tried to raise your arm above your head on that side, and then did the same action of raising your other arm on the other side. You would find that on one side the movement was easier when compared to the other.

What is Myofascial Release Therapy (MFR), and What’s Its Role in Supporting the Health of Your Fascia?

Myofascial Release (MFR) is a treatment therapy where sustained pressure is applied gently, and for a period of time, to the skin to achieve the following:

• Release tight fascia

• Reduce adhesions

• Reduce pain

• Improve range of movement

• Improve the movement of fluids in the system; and

• Correcting poor posture

There are a number of MFR techniques which can be applied, I tend to use Skin Rolling and Cross Handed Stretches, the latter being good for specific or broad areas.

To maximise on the effectiveness of MFR, and depending on the client’s need at the time, MFR, can be used along with other massage techniques such as effleurage, petrissage, cross fibre, longitudinal fibre, soft tissue release, positional release, and friction techniques to bring about soft tissue change. Once these methods have been applied, advanced stretch techniques such as MET and Assisted Isolated

Stretching can be used to maximise on the flexibility the joint range of movement achieved. I often notice quite soon into the MFR treatment that clients feel much calmer, their breathing slows and the energy radiating from them is different. I believe it’s the stillness, the consistent gentle pressure, the stretching and the heat that emanates from my hands that does this. MFR helps put fascia back into its optimum state, enabling it to perform its critical functions across the body.

How Aging Impacts Fascia:

As with all tissue, as we age, fascia begins to degenerate. It becomes less hydrated, thicker, its elastic and flexible properties diminish. It is, therefore, inevitable that we will all have stiff or stiffer fascia as we get older. The degree of stiffness will depend on our lifestyle choices. Regular exercising, stretching, staying hydrated, eating a healthy well-balanced diet will all help to slow this process down.

How Hydration, Movement & Stretching Helps Maintain Fascia Health:

Hydration

Fascia is made up of approximately 70% water, so it’s vitally important that we drink sufficient amounts of water for it to maintain its sliding and elastic capabilities, which enables us to be flexible, have good joint movement, as well as have the effective delivery of nutrients around the body, as well as the removal of toxic cellular waste. Dehydrated fascia is more prone to damage because it becomes tight and weak. Furthermore, under these conditions, painful adhesions, or knots, can be formed causing cascading problems.

Movement

Without movement your fascia’s health is severely impaired. Movement provides a number of important benefits. Like hydration, it supports the glide and elastic function of the tissue. It also facilitates the removal of old waste and the provision of nutrient rich blood into the tissue, keeping it healthy and accelerating the healing process, if required. A lack of movement encourages the fascia to stick and become tight, which not only results in a lack of mobility, reflected in restrictive joint movement, but also the development of adhesions. A healthy fascia is one that experiences regular daily movement, from activities such as walking, and stretching.

Stretching

Like with the benefits derived from hydration and movement, holding stretchers for between 1 to 3 minutes supports fascia’s glide function, limits the emergence of adhesions, helps circulate blood, and the vital nutrients it carry’s around the body. It also keeps the fascia flexible, which directly supports the flexibility of the muscles, and enhances joint range of movement. Not stretching increases the chances of the fascia, and other soft tissue being damaged, and adhesions and knots forming and causing pain.

Concluding Thoughts

My appreciation of fascia, and the important role it has in mine, and my clients’ lives continues to grow, as does my desire to integrate even further the use of MFR into my healing practise. I believe this could lead to even better healthcare outcomes for my clients, given fascia’s interrelated link with key systems in the body.

“Understanding fascial anatomy and its multifaceted role as a regulatory system can transform how clinicians approach managing health and treating pain and disease”.

Fascia has been, if not ignored, certainly misunderstood for too long.

Thanks so much for reading.

Much love,

Alphonsus x

Reference: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11346343/

Frequently Asked Questions What is Myofascial Release (MFR) therapy?

MFR is a hands-on technique that uses slow, sustained pressure to release tight fascia, reduce pain, improve movement, and restore balance in the body.

What exactly is fascia in simple terms?

Fascia is a body-wide web of connective tissue that surrounds muscles, bones, nerves, and organs, helping your body move smoothly and communicate with the nervous system.

Why does fascia become tight?

Fascia can tighten due to lack of movement, dehydration, poor posture, injury, surgery, stress, or repetitive activities like prolonged sitting or phone use.

How is tight fascia different from tight muscle?

Tight fascia limits how freely the skin moves over muscle, while tight muscle feels rigid, sore, and restricted when pressed, often both occur together.

How does Myofascial Release (MFR) help?

MFR uses slow, sustained pressure to release tight fascia, reduce adhesions, improve movement, decrease pain, and support better posture and circulation.

What can I do daily to keep fascia healthy?

Stay hydrated, move regularly (walking/stretching), and hold gentle stretches for 1–3 minutes to maintain fascia glide and flexibility.