Fascial stretching. Myofascial release.

Fascia is quickly becoming a fitness buzzword but few of us really understand this aqueous knitting fabric that is present all throughout your body.

Fascia forms the body’s sheets, cables, conduits, and padding. It is the body’s scaffolding system and is truly the biological fabric that holds you together. Your skin cells wouldn’t even be able to form skin with the assistance of fascia and connective tissue.

This web-like matrix provides the framework for your blood vessels, nerves, muscles, bones and organs.

It’s seriously important.

While overall fascia is relatively unknown beyond the body nerd crowd, some famous areas have fascia have gained a lot of popularity.

Your iliotibial band, aka IT Band, is a thick band of fascia on the outside of the thigh. It’s continuous with the other fascias running up and down the side of your body, but the neighborhood right at the side of the thigh and knee often causes trouble.

The fascia on the bottom of the foot, called the plantar fascia, is another famous fascia, mostly because it commonly causes pain.

Check out this episode of Anatomy with Alex, my weekly Facebook Live show where I teach you anatomy and physiology in ways that are relevant to you in your life so you can maximize your mobility and live pain-free in your body.

I cover all things fascia – including the best things to do to keep your fascia healthy!

Watch my latest episode of Anatomy with Alex (below) to learn:

• What fascia is
• How movement (or lack of movement) affects the health of your entire body
• What role collagen plays within the body
• What trigger point and adhesions are
• How your fascia could be playing a role in your stiffness and dysfunction

Tune in every Wednesday at 3:15pm PST on the AE Wellness Facebook Page for Anatomy with Alex, my weekly show where I teach you anatomy and physiology in ways that are relevant to you in your life so you can maximize your mobility and live pain-free in your body.