Photo by National Cancer Institute
"The human form is constantly changing, adapting, and repairing." John Sharkey MSc
As many of you may already know I am fascinated with fascia. Over 100 years ago, Dr. Andrew Taylor Still founded osteopathic medicine and first espoused that fascia may constitute the space of the soul. "The soul of man with all the streams of pure living water, seems to dwell in the fasciae of his body."
Data now tells us there is a clear relationship between load, nutrition and tendon, ligament, and fascia function. Loading our connective tissue, along with timing, increases the delivery of nutrients to our tissues. That's why I drink my collagen supplement and take vitamin C about one hour before I exercise or do a movement practice that loads my tissues.
The digestion and absorption of hydrolyzed collagen with vitamin C increases collagen synthesis/ production, cartilage and lubrication gene expression respectively in musculoskeletal connective tissues in response to tension and compression, and sheer loads.
Three major tissue loads are:
Tension: tissue is pulled in one direction
Compression: tissue is pushed in on itself
Sheer: two tissues slide past each other
Note that our tendons, ligaments, and fascia are all formed by a dense and aligned collagen matrix. Fascia assists gliding and fluid flow and is highly innervated. The NIH tells us that "fascia is intimately involved with respiration and with nourishment of all cells of the body".
My soul does not exist because I think it does. It exists because I feel it stretch, bounce, and expand . It feels sacred and gentle.
~ Mary Ellen Hannon, BS Health Science, Certified Movingness Teacher and Board Certified Health Coach
Mary Ellen teaches Dynamic Movingness on Sundays at 8:30AM on Zoom for WillowGlenYoga and on InsightTimer on Wednesdays at 12 noon.
Dynamic Movingness focuses on Fascia and Loading Tissues!
References: Fascia, Function, and Medical Applications and photo credit.
K. Baar, PhD, Dept of Neruobiology, Physiology & Behavior, UC, Davis
D. Steffen, Biochemistry, Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, UC, Davis