There is a structure that envelopes our entire body.

It surrounds all organs, muscles, bones and nerves. It is as flexible as it is strong. It can stretch to allow a large range of motion, but can also help us by transferring force through strong, powerful movement.

This structure is called fascia.

Fascia is commonly compared to the glad wrap of the body.

It has elastic properties which make it ideal for movement. Imagine a thinner version of the tendons in your body, but instead of connecting muscle to bone it connects everything.

Fascia has different layers.

The superficial layer is underneath your fat and skin, almost like an all-encompassing skin-tight onesie you wear on the inside.

Famous anatomist Andry Vleeming calls fascia the ‘soft skeleton’ of the human body.

There is also a deeper layer of fascia which covers our muscles.

It separates muscles so they can function without interfering with adjacent muscles, while still keeping things all connected. It allows the muscles to slide and glide over each other.

By compressing the muscles it also increases the efficiency of movement (Think of it as similar to compressive bike shorts or skins).

There are some more familiar areas of fascia in the body. You may have heard of these structures as they can become problematic.

The plantar fascia (the structure involved in plantar fasciitis) is a thickening of fascia in the underside of your foot. The plantar fascia is continuous with fascia covering the rest of the foot, leg and entirety of the body.

There is also a thickening of fascia on the outside of your thigh which runs from the hip to the knee. This is the Iliotibial band.

Runners may know this, as the ITB is problematic in the common runners’ injury ITB syndrome. Just like the plantar fascia this condensed region is continuous with the fascia of the rest of the body.

Fascia is similar to muscle in that it can tighten and can cause strain throughout the body. If fascia is chronically tight it can even thicken, making the area feel more bound.

This can become an issue where ongoing, untreated issues result in postural changes (an injured shoulder causing the shoulder to round forward for example).

Anatomical giants such as Thomas Myers have identified anatomical trains in which fascia is very important in connecting specific chains of muscle.

This can explain why sometimes stretching out through the lower back can also relieve hamstring tension.

It also shows that muscles don’t work in isolation and that loading up one muscle can produce strain in another.

So flip the previous analogy: loading up the hamstrings can produce strain through the lower back muscles.

It means that it is often worthwhile to stretch above and below problem areas in your body. If you have a sore neck then mobilise the shoulders, if you have sore knees than stretch the hips or find some pressure points in your feet.

There are a lot of techniques which work at releasing the fascia as well as the muscle. Many of these techniques combine the application of pressure through a tight spot with movement of that section of the body.

Find that tender point between your ear and the shoulder, the place where all of our day-to-day stress seems to lie. Place pressure on this point. Now turn your head from left to right several times. Bend your neck from side to side.

Voila! These are myofascial release techniques. The muscle and surrounding fascia are sliding under your fingers with your head movement.

You can replicate this technique in most areas of the body. Try replacing the pressure of your hand with a cricket, golf, tennis or massage ball.

These techniques can help address those fascial adhesions as well as the muscular stiffness, resulting in a greater release of tension.

If you are working on strengthening your body also consider the fascia.

Perform large, compound movements which don’t work muscles in isolation but rather train functional chains of muscles. Exercises such as squats, deadlifts, chin ups, bench and overhead presses are all exercises which work chains of muscle.

Another way in which you can help the fascia perform at its best is to stay hydrated. The cells of fascia rely on fluid flow around it to stay healthy.

Think of it like a sponge. With water the fascia is much more springy and absorbent compared to a dried out sponge. This is also why it is a great idea to keep your fluids up after massage, to help the fascia recover.

Hopefully now you have a slightly improved understanding of why and how our body is all interconnected. Fascia is the amazing connective tissue which can explain why tight calves or hamstrings can lead to foot problems.

There isn’t the slightest movement you make today that won’t require fascia to perform its job.