HOW CAN YOU CARE FOR YOUR FASCIA?
The most effective way to keep your fascia sturdy and elastic is to stay active. Experts also recommend a few things in particular.
Resistance training keeps fascia strong, Dr Langevin said. “A weak muscle is not going to do a great job at moving and mobilising the fascia,” she said, nor will stiff and congealed fascia help the muscle do its job. “They need each other,” she said. “Once one starts improving, it helps the other.”
Exercises that involve a range of movements – like dancing, jumping jacks, tennis and swimming – also help keep the fascia lubricated, Dr DaPrato said. Movements that involve bouncing are particularly effective at keeping fascia healthy.
“Skipping, for example, is such a wonderful movement,” said Robert Schleip, director of the Fascia Research Group at Ulm University in Germany.
For those who haven’t been active recently, it’s important to “be gentle with our fascia and to go slowly and try to reestablish the movement that has been lost”, Dr Langevin said. Dynamic stretching, which contracts the muscle while elongating it, will benefit healthy and damaged fascia alike. Try trunk twists, squats or forward lunges. Consider seeing a physical therapist who can offer hands-on treatment and guide you toward the best programme.
Along with moving, experts recommend sipping water throughout the day, which can help fascia glide with ease.
Despite the popularity of tools and treatments that involve applying pressure to fascia, research hasn’t yet proved their long-term effectiveness. Foam rollers and percussion guns can temporarily alleviate fascial soreness and improve flexibility by “changing some of the fluid dynamics in that local area”, Dr DaPrato said.
If you choose to use a self-massaging device, don’t overdo it: No evidence supports the recent trend of “fascia blasting”, or aggressively manipulating fascia through the skin, which can lead to bruising.
The same may be true for treatments like myofascial massage and cupping. If these treatments make you feel and move better, that’s great, experts said – but simply staying active is the best medicine.
By Danielle Friedman © The New York Times Company
The article originally appeared in The New York Times.
Source: CNA
