The skeleton provides a rigid structural framework for the entire organism, but in order for human movement to take place, we rely on tensegrity – tensile integrity created by the muscles and fascia to guide movement, mediate internal and external forces, and hold the body’s structures and organs in place. Without tension exerted by the myofascial system pulling against rigid bones, your body would collapse in a motionless heap.
Fascia is a thin fibrous web of connective tissue that separates, connects and encases muscles, joints, organs, nerves and blood vessels throughout the body. Fascia is primarily made up of collagen, elastin, and a gel-like substance composed of hyaluronic acid and water. Fascial tissue is tough, elastic and slippery, allowing it to stretch and glide among the body’s structures without friction.
Fascia is richly embedded with proprioceptors – specialized sensory receptors that provide the nervous system with information about the position, movement, and tension of joints – serving as a communication pathway between different parts of the body. Thanks to proprioception, you can perceive your body’s position, motion, and equilibrium without visual input.
When injury reduces the capacity of muscles and fascia to stretch, contract and glide, it can undermine neuromuscular communication and interfere with coordinated muscle recruitment patterns. Fascia can become dense and sticky, adhering to other structures and entrapping nerves and blood vessels, preventing them from gliding.
Only recently has the myofascial system gotten the attention of the scientific community and its crucial function recognized as a critical component of rehabilitation. Failure to address fascia has been the missing link in sports injury diagnosis and treatment.
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Dr. Michael Goynatsky 
Dr. Daniela Escudero 
Dr. Michelle Agyakwah 
Dr. Tatyana Kapustina 
