Yes, your fascia can store memories.
Why fascia matters more than you think.
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The clinical significance of fascia, the latest in fascia science, and how the fascial system interacts with the other systems of the body from the cellular level up.
Get it here: Fascia: What it is and why it matters
Research Articles of the Week:
“Two-thirds of the total volume of glyphosate applied in the U.S. from 1974 to 2014 has been sprayed in just the last 10 years.”
Trends in glyphosate herbicide use in the United States and globally
“The current prospective study provides novel evidence that higher frequency and duration of sauna bathing may be related to a lower risk of CVD mortality in a representative population-based sample of female and male participants.”
“Several studies have reported that smartphone ownership and use before bedtime may be associated with more self-reported sleeping problems, decreased sleep efficiency, longer sleep onset latency and poor sleep quality, and delays sleep thereby also shortening sleep duration.”
Effects of light on human circadian rhythms, sleep, and mood
What is Fascia?
Fascia is a biological container, a connector for each and every single organ and muscle. If you were to dissect a cadaver, fascia is greasy, slippery, and importantly, aligned differently for each individual.
This fascial system interpenetrates and surrounds all organs, muscles, bones, and nerve fibers, giving your body a functional structure, and providing an environment that enables all bodily systems to operate in an integrated manner.1
A key principle is that fascia is connected; there is no separation from your toes all the way to the top of your skull. And the magic of fascia is that every single cell in your body is hooked (and responds to) this interconnected tensional environment.
Every cell communicates with other cells by sending and receiving signals; this concept is also part of quantum physics. It’s known as quantum entanglement: a physical system cannot be described individually, but only as a juxtaposition of multiple systems, where the measurement of a quantity determines the value for other systems.2
In healthcare, the fascial system is now being recognized with roles in pathology, fluid movement, proprioception, and so much more.
Why care about fascia?
Well, it changes (or at least should) the way that we approach the biomechanics of human movement: Stretching, foam rolling, strength training, rehab, recovery, and movement need to be examined through an entirely new lens.
Areas that we usually identify individually: your biceps tendon, plantar fascia, quadriceps, etc are just markers. We cannot, and should not, treat these as separate structures or in isolation. Your fascial webbing connects the entire structure.
Muscles of the body do not operate as independent units; instead, they are considered as a part of a tensegrity network that spans throughout your body, with fascia being the linking component.
Consider that again. Every single organ, every muscle, every nerve, hangs in this interconnected web. “Floating” in this integrated unit. And this is where traditional, reductionist medical treatments can fall short.
Yes, you can stretch the hell out of a muscle or nerve locally, as many physical therapists, personal trainers, chiropractors, etc may recommend. But if you never zoom out and appreciate the complex network that may twist or impinge upon these groups, you may never actually solve the source of issues that your body may experience.
Stiffness and lack of mobility of fascia have implications beyond a patient being unable to move adequately; it is also a feature of the underlying structure of the connective tissue, which can affect the behavior of all cells interacting with the connective tissue matrix.
Pathologic processes involving chronic inflammation and tissue fibrosis result in stiff connective tissue; this is likely bidirectional feedback, as emerging evidence points to tissue stiffness itself being a contributor to the fibrotic process. 3
A mechanical force transmission across the muscle-fascia connections could explain the development of musculoskeletal pain conditions on the one hand or increased performance during multijoint movements on the other hand.
What’s more, is that we have identified myofascial meridians. You can think of meridians as mega highways. Imagine a restriction along this highway. Well, new patterns of movement (compensations) form, possibly causing pain elsewhere.
If you don’t understand the bigger picture around the imbalances of this myofascial system, it’s likely you will fall short with a band-aid style treatment.
Memories in your fascia?
Beyond just the biomechanical ramifications, there is also the idea that memories may be encoded in this fascial system as well4.
For example; Collagen is deposited along lines of tension imposed or expressed in connective tissues. Forces acting upon your body such as posture, movements, and strains, dictate the sites where collagen is deposited. This in turn creates a “tensional memory” in tissue architecture.
This architecture changes accordingly to modification of habitual lines of tension, providing a possible "memory” of forces you may impose. And this “signaling” will be altered when you experience change, such as when you have decreased mobility due to an acute injury or pain.
When there is strain or stress through these collagen bundles, physiological responses involve fibroblast mechano-chemical transduction and modulation of gene expression patterns. According to this concept, a long-term negative emotion can affect the body's response, in turn, altering posture.
What’s more, when there is emotional trauma, the release of substance P from nerve endings (driven by the hypothalamus) may alter the collagen structure into a specific hexagonal shape, referred to as “emotional scar”.5
We can say that the presence of a disorder along the myofascial continuum, during everyday movements and activities, can alter the emotional state of a person, as studies reveal in the presence of fibromyalgia and in other pathologies.6
As mentioned earlier, THIS SYSTEM COMMUNICATES. Every time a cell changes its shape or metabolism, every time a muscle contracts, a neuron fires, or a gland secretes, the transmission of vibratory signals changes throughout your ENTIRE fascial system.
Your fascial system is therefore instantly informed of events occurring elsewhere in “its network”. Theories hypothesize that the totality of such messages throughout the matrix may constitute a “body consciousness” functionally interconnected with the “brain consciousness.”
Memories related to diseases, dysfunctions, pain, infection, injuries, surgeries, and physical and emotional trauma may be stored within this system, influencing normal patterns. In this way, consciousness may be influenced by memories stored in soft tissues.
The bottom line:
When dealing with injuries or just everyday life, it’s important to be aware of what “typical” treatments may be missing:
Fascia can and will become “stiff”
The nervous system will absolutely influence fascia and vice versa
The effects locally, joints well above and below
Force transmission across the system
Nerves and blood vessels arrive insulated by these fascial sheets
How can you keep your fascia healthy?
move every day, in a variety of patterns
avoid extended time in the same position
stretch regularly & seek MFR (myofascial release)
emphasize parasympathetic nervous activation
remove binding, restrictive, clothing
lymphatic & circularity health
acupuncture
nutrition & hydration (avoid inflammatory food)
Find yourself a clinician willing to look at the bigger picture
If you are someone that struggles with chronic pain and have tried what seems like everything, know that there are other options out there. Find a clinician or healthcare provider that specializes in fascial treatment and is willing to look at the bigger picture.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK493232/
https://www.cureus.com/articles/14648-the-awareness-of-the-fascial-system
https://aacrjournals.org/cancerres/article/76/21/6159/613938/Connecting-T-issues-How-Research-in-Fascia-Biology
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24725795/
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-92194-z
https://www.karger.com/article/FullText/464149
Great article! I knew about the idea that fascia can store memories of past stress and trauma, but I didn't know the mechanism behind it. Thank you for this article!
fascinating stuff. thanks so much for sharing!