Fascia & Aging
What is fascia? What does it have to do with aging?
Do you desire a body that is strong, resilient, and injury resistant? Long into old age? If so, it's imperative to include fascial/myofascial stretching into your regular movement routine. For the most part, the stretches that most of us know and use regularly- focus on muscle tissue. Being that fascia is a different type of tissue than muscle- it requires a different approach to stretching.
Fascia vs. Muscle
Fascia is thin, but incredibly tough connective tissue that forms a network around and through our entire body and helps to keep our muscles and other structures in place (Picture the connective tissue in an orange that keeps all the juicy bits in place). Our fascia is innervated with nerves and this fascial tissue then innervates our muscles.
On the other hand, muscles are bundles of fibers that contract and relax to move the body and create force. When stretching, it is traditional to target the muscles only, because it can be hard to directly target fascia, which wraps around and through various muscles. The sensation of a muscle stretching even differs from the sensation of fascia stretching!
Fascia & Aging
When fascia becomes tight, it limits the ability to move freely, changes postural habits and movement patterns, and increases the opportunity for injury & joint deterioration. Fascia becomes restricted for some of the same reasons that muscles do; lack of movement, overuse, pain, imbalanced posture, chronic illness, and injury and the more years we have behind us- the greater the opportunity to experience all of these things and their compounded affects!
The thing that's different with fascia is that it is innervated with sensory nerves. These tiny, yet highly complex, sensory nerve endings sense and communicate information about pressure, movement, and direction. By "loosening up" the fascia we improve the nerves’ ability to communicate with the brain- and this clearer communication lends itself to freer movements, decreased pain, improved posture, and a better feeling body overall!
As we age, the bodies is constantly evolving and adapting to new demands. And although many of us have been involved in physical activities for years, the body may feel like it needs an extra push to remain limber and move freely. If you are feeling like you need that "extra push", maybe it's time to integrate fascial stretching into your regular movement routine? My ELDOA classes are specifically designed to teach you this type of stretching so you can move more freely and be more limber- long into old age!
Fascial stretching is a powerful tool to alleviate chronic pain, fatigue, & tension as it taps into the nervous system in a way that muscular stretching cannot.
In my 20 years working with moving bodies and their aches & pains- I've discovered a few powerful "secrets" to alleviate, and many times- eliminate chronic pain. One of these secrets is fascial stretching and another is the practice of ELDOA postures to create space in the spine (thru fascial stretching). SO, if you're an aging body that wants to move better, feel better, live with less tension and pain, improve your injury resistance & resilience, then I encourage you to reach out today! Let's get you in a class!
Cheers to a more resilient body!
