The fascial system consists of the three-dimensional continuum of soft, collagen containing, loose and dense fibrous connective tissues that permeate the body.
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The fascial system surrounds, interweaves between, and interpenetrates all organs, muscles, bones, and nerve fibers, endowing the body with structure, and providing an environment that enables all body systems to operate in an integrated manner. (Schleip et al. 2019)
It all sounds more than a bit like Obi-Wan Kenobi or Yoda describing the Force. Back in our galaxy it also resonates, for me anyway, with recent revelations about the mycelial network – a vast interconnected underground network among fungi, and other flora (Fricker et al. 2021). Noted for its plastic, adaptable qualities and how molecular events can affect the whole network at scale – the parallels are fascinating. But we’re talking about humans here, not mushrooms, so let us reorient and begin to comprehend fascia – the most universal, and perhaps most misunderstood, tissue in the body.
Fascia 101 Anatomy and rehabilitation professor Andry Vleeming once said: “Fascia is your soft skeleton” (Vleeming 2011). That’s a great way to think about fascia in relation to the hard skeleton of your bones. Unlike your bones, however, the most important thing to keep foremost in mind, at all times, is that your fascial net is one continuous structure throughout the body.
As far as the body is concerned, the fascia is all one – one complex, holistic, self-regulating organ/tissue/system. It is capable of being dissected out in pieces to study, obviously, but it is no less a singular unit in nature than the organ/tissue/system known as the skin. How many pieces or parts does the skin have? It is the same with the fascia.
Lesondak, David. Fascia – What It Is, and Why It Matters, Second Edition (p. 2). Jessica Kingsley Publishers. Kindle Edition.
More importantly, he (Thomas Myers) wanted to share his passion and impart a true working knowledge of anatomy in the minds of students. Inspired by the systems-based thinking of one of his former professors, Buckminster Fuller, he created a game of “What does this part connect to?” He theorized that connecting the parts to larger wholes would make everything more memorable. This approach exceeded his wildest dreams.
While it would take years for the emerging patterns to come to full fruition, Myers would publish his first papers on the Anatomy Trains model in 1997. The subsequent book, Anatomy Trains, would be first published in 2001, go through four editions, and be translated into 13 languages.
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Now, almost exactly 500 years after the birth of Vesalius, Carla is Professor of Human Anatomy and Movement Science at the University of Padua (Figure 3.30). She has also published the first proper anatomical atlas of fascia (Stecco C. 2015). It should be noted that she performed all the dissections and took all of the photographs in this work. Taking a decade to produce, this book sets a new standard in the field.
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Professor Stecco’s book serves to integrate the fascial and muscular systems in ways that no prior text has done, and with the thoroughness, accuracy, and attention to fine detail only found in the finest medical textbooks. For anyone working in the fascial field, this enlightening tome will keep you very, very busy in the best possible way. Not one to rest on her laurels, Carla continues to break new ground with her research and also became one of the project directors in the most ambitious attempt yet to visualize the human fascial system.
Lesondak, David. Fascia – What It Is, and Why It Matters, Second Edition (p. 76). Jessica Kingsley Publishers. Kindle Edition.