Fascia (fah-shuh) is the interconnected tissue in your body that
grows in between the sliding surfaces of muscles and in between the fibers of
your muscles. If you took away every single part of the human anatomy except
the fascia, it would still keep the shape of your body—that’s how much there is
inside of you.
At night when you go to sleep, a new layer of fascia grows in
between your muscles, making them stick together and become stiff. When you
wake up and stretch out your body you break up that new layer of fascia and
allow your muscles to slide smoothly across each other, creating better range
of motion. Have you ever watched your dog or cat after it wakes up from a nap?
The first thing he does is stretch. He is breaking up this new layer of fascia!
The same applies to humans. Every morning stretch out your stiff muscles; melt
that fascia!
Say you injure your shoulder and keep it immobile because every
time you move, it hurts. Every night that fascia builds up and you do not
stretch to break it up, it will become stronger and stronger, with more layers
building on top of each other. You will feel stiff, and your range of motion
will be limited. Eventually, after so many days of fascia building up on top of
itself, a simple stretch will not do the job. You may need the help from a
massage therapist to get in there and break up that connective tissue, to get
you back to a normal range of motion.
Barefoot Deep Tissue Massage is wonderful way to break up your
built up fascia. With a combination of Myofascial Release, Compressions,
Fascial Twists and the strong broad pressure put down by the foot, it is
an excellent way to melt that connective tissue and improve range of
motion. I recommend Barefoot massage, but any deep tissue massage will help. At
Le Reve, a 90-minute Barefoot massage is $140 and a 2 hour Barefoot massage is
$175.
An excellent video to give you a more comprehensive understanding
about fascia is "The Fuzz Speech" on Youtube by Gil Hedley. Here is
the link:
Remember to Breathe,
Brooke
*Brooke is a massage therapist at Le Reve. Call and book with her or any of our service providers today!
