#fascia

#fascia

I first heard the word "fascia" before getting dry-needled for the first time at physical therapy. It was described to me as a plastic wrap around your muscles - a layer of connective tissue that, when tangled, creates soreness, knots or even the appearance of cellulite. My PT put a pen in the center of a hand towel, twisted it so the hand towel was all scrunched up and said "This is what your fascia looks like before needling."

As early as 2015, a conference at Harvard Medical School examined links between fascia, acupuncture and oncology; the lectures remain available online and underline how much more we need to understand about fascia's role in medicine. Manual therapists have long recognised the importance of working with fascia. Andrew Taylor Still, the founder of osteopathy, stressed its significance, and newer approaches such as the Bowen technique aim to improve hydration, proprioception and flexibility by engaging fascia gently but directly.