About Doctor Fascia

The Doctor Fascia Pro Tool is an Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization (IASTM) Tool

Fascia is the cause of all Diseases

Top 10 Fascia Facts for Understanding Dis-Ease and the Healing Power of Fascia

1. Fascia dictates how we move

Fascia communicates inter-cellularly at 720 MPH (Speed of Sound); by contrast, nerves only communicate at 7-170 MPH. When you move, it is indeed your fascia that initiates movement 3.5 times faster than the time it takes for nerves to communicate with your muscles (Myers, Thomas W. (2011). Anatomy Trains. London: Urban & Fischer.). How does it do this? Fascia has awareness. Billions and trillions of cells work as a collective to coordinate movement. Fascia becomes aware of repetitive movements and creates a cellular pathway based on repetition. This is great when we want to master a sport or play the piano. However, the same can be said when we maintain a poor posture for too long. Your fascia is even working when you’re asleep. Fascia is very receptive, and can heal you or hurt you.

2. Facial compression leads to pain and immobility

As I state above, fascia reacts to how we we live. Period. For example, if you are not paying attention to your posture and sitting all day long, then your fascia responds to this state and compensates to the demand of your heavy, straining skeletal system. Repetitive motion stress signals to the fascial system to create more collagen fibers to support the tissue under tension. When your fascia is under tension, the collagen fibers take on the ability to perform a low grade contraction. Over time, this steady contraction builds and builds creating an incredible compression type force on the body. The collagen 1 fibers actually contain the same tensile strength as structural steel. Meaning, if you try to stretch that body part, you can’t. Try lengthening a steal pole. It’s not going to budge.

Fascia has the ability to create a compressive load of up to 2000 lbs of force per square inch. It is this compression of nerves, blood vessels, lymphatic flow, organs, muscles, and cells that eventually leads to pain, loss of motion, loss of function, and even metaplasia (change in cell type) which can lead to cancer. So it is extremely important we take care of our fascia on the same level as we would take care of other parts of our bodies like our teeth or heart.

3. Fascia dictates our strength, balance, and coordination. If we lose these functions, chronic pain becomes the result

Unhealthy fascia leads to muscle disfunction. When the muscle becomes compressed and stiff due to fascial adhesions throughout the muscle, a decrease in sensory nerve output to the brain results. This sensory system in our muscles accounts for 80% of all nerve activity in the muscle. Only 20% of nerve activity is responsible for muscle contraction. As the sensory nerve loop becomes more and more deactivated due to chronic compression and undergoing disuse, the 80% sensory nerve function decreases to 60%, then 40%, then 20%–you get the picture. The decrease in that sensory system reduces our ability to balance, catch ourselves if we trip, activate coordinated movement, or create optimal muscle contraction. The most important finding to me is that this cellular and global deactivation of sensory nerves in the body is the true cause of pain! With daily use of The Breakthrough Tool and Breakthrough Movements you can follow the fascial chains so that you address the root of the pain, not just temporarily bandage the area where it hurts.

Bordoni B, Simonelli M, Morabito B. The Fascial Breath. Cureus. 2019;11(7):e5208. Published 2019 Jul 23. doi:10.7759/cureus.5208
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6758955/
1. Schleip R, Klingler W. Active contractile properties of fascia. Clin Anat. 2019;32(7):891–895. doi:10.1002/ca.23391
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31012158/?from_term=fascia&from_pos=6

4. The fascial system is in fact your immune and lymphatic systems

Your white blood cells responsible for fighting infection and destroying diseased cells like cancer, live abundantly in the watery matrix of the fascia. Think of this matrix as a river carrying vital supplies to your cells to keep them healthy, vibrant and alive. Not only does stagnate fascia contribute to pain and movement restriction but also this stagnation, from years of compression, creates a dam-like situation where it limits the watery fascia river the ability to flow properly to every cell. The decrease in flow causes the immune system to become sluggish and weak. This state also leads to toxicity overload. In Western cultures, most medical doctors believe disease stems from inflammation and toxemia. We will discuss inflammation below, but when cells dump waste or toxins, it enters into the extra cellular matrix of the fascia. With daily use of the Breakthrough Tool and Breakthrough Movements you can help improve your lymphatic drainage and overall immune system.

Optimizing your Fascia for Movement, Strength, Balance, and Vitality

5. Fascia is the cause of bone spurs and arthritis

Let’s explain fascia’s role in our health with something more specific: bone spurs and arthritis. Fascia is attached to the outer bone known as the periosteum. When the fascia has stiffened up in a particular place for an extended amount of time, it produces constant tension on the entire fascial chain. This constant tension eventually starts to pull the membrane lining of the bone toward the line of stress. Tension from up to 2000 pounds of force is literally ripping the lining of the bone away from itself. In response to this deformation, bone cells see this migration of the outer bone and grow outward toward the membrane which in turn creates a bone spur. The problem with this is that once the bone is developed it becomes permanent. Many doctors and textbooks coin this diagnosis as “arthritic degeneration” (Mayo Clinic) and view it as untreatable. Exercise, movement, and chiropractic manipulation can manage symptoms but in the worse case, surgery may be required.

In my practice, I see bone spurs all the time. When we think of bone spurs we think of the heel, but spurs also grow along the spine, knee and shoulder to name some more common locations. Something as simple as bad posture can lead to bone spurs on the inside of the spinal canal that can compress the spinal cord itself and contribute to debilitating back pain. Yes, most back pain is from your fascia! So when you create movement and fluidity of the fascial chain, you alleviate pressure on the bone and mitigate the opportunity to create bone spurs in the first place. You mitigate this risk by using The Breakthrough Tool and the Breakthrough Movements keeping your fascia fluid and healthy. As a side note, don’t only think of healthy fascia as an adult issue. I feel it is so very important to get our children moving. We have to start them young to give them good habits of wanting to move and stay fluid to keep them from developing a stagnant fascia as they grow older.

6. Fascia has the ability to decrease inflammation

Beauty and the Fascia

As noted above, reducing inflammation is an anti-aging health benefit because every disease stems from chronic inflammation. Lowering inflammation is also a pain reliever. So whether you are battling chronic pain, an acute injury, or desire to work out without creating that annoying post-workout muscle soreness, treating the fascia can help reduce pain and disease by reducing inflammation.

Let me give an example of how fascia treatment is necessary for producing a speedy recovery post-workout. Immediate stimulation of the fascia after or during a workout may significantly reduce post-workout soreness. As mentioned earlier, fascia is interconnected to every cell in the body. When the fascia is stimulated by pressure or vibration, it communicates with the nucleus of the cell to influence gene transcription that shuts off pro-inflammatory genes.

For example, studies show (Crane JD, et al) that after exercise, deep tissue massage causes surrounding cells to produce anti-inflammatory cytokines and create new mitochondria. Mitochondria produce energy for the cell to improve muscle function, improve immunity, and regulate stem cells to list a few of its many functions. The Breakthrough tool helps you create that same experience at home. As you activate the tissue and stimulate the fluidity of the fascia, you begin to reduce inflammation, reduce your pain and start healing. I use my Breakthrough Tool in the shower after every workout. I personally have noticed an 80-90% reduction in muscle soreness when I wake up the next day. It’s truly amazing! Crane JD, Ogborn DI, Cupido C, Melov S, Hubbard A, Bourgeois JM, Tarnopolsky MA. Massage therapy attenuates inflammatory signaling after exercise-induced muscle damage.

Sci Transl Med. 2012 Feb 1;4(119):119ra13. doi: 10.1126/scitranslmed.3002882. PMID: 22301554.

7. Fascia is responsible for the mind/body connection and storage of trapped emotions

The scientific name for being able to sense the internal state of the body is known as interoception. Interoception encompasses visceral (organ) signaling, but more broadly relates to all physiological tissues that relay a signal to the central nervous system, aka the brain, about the current state of the body. We are quantum beings. Our thoughts control our bodies and our reality. Fascia is the system that truly makes you a human and it is directly connected to how we think.

Cureus. 2018 Oct; 10(10): e3397.
Published online 2018 Oct 1. doi: 10.7759/cureus.3397
PMCID: PMC6281443
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6281443/?report=reader

Fascia gives us the ability to experience life through emotions by connecting the energy of individual cells. Fascia links all cells together and allows the body to become aware of our emotions. From the joy you feel from witnessing a pet greet you at the door to the tightness in your chest and body numbness when you just avoided a car accident or thought you lost your wallet and phone at the restaurant is the visceral experience made possible by your fascia. Your fascia directly responds to your mental state– the intensity of our thoughts and emotions. We are constantly fighting between stress and inner peace. Since the fascia rapidly allows us to become aware of our organs, muscles, nerves and vessels (720 mph), our thoughts literally become the basis of the tension or peace within our body. Herein lies the new age movement of mindfulness. Our thoughts really do create our ability to thrive or suffer. Meditation and intention can create the most profound connection to the body through the fascia. We can send mindful energy to parts of the body in need of healing through intention. The science to prove this is here and becoming more prevalent.

8. Fascia treatment improves athletic performance and how young we feel

Knee Valgus Treatment

A healthy fascial system improves overall health and vitality in general but more specifically it improves overall athletic performance. Through therapeutic compression, shearing, and stretching you can counteract any abuse you give your bodies daily. This is where the Doctor Fascia Method comes in. My method guides you to find the imbalances in your body so that you can optimize your workouts toward pain-free performance. The Doctor Fascia method will help to alleviate any imbalances created by repetitive motions. Every muscle in the body has an opposite muscle to oppose its action. For example, when the bicep lifts the forearm, the opposite muscle, the tricep is neurologically deactivated to extend or lower the forearm. This concept is a fundamental law in biomechanics and neurology. But too much of a repetitive motion will lead to imbalances and eventually to pain.

For example, let’s say you overwork your quads during running and squatting, your fascia responds by making the muscles shorter and tighter. This repetitive motion and cellular change create a feedback loop of a learned motion. We’ve all been taught that “practice makes perfect.” However, this concept is great if you train correctly the first time. It locks your body into perfect form and strength. However, if you do an exercise or movement incorrectly over and over again, you will start to experience a decrease in performance and/or an increase in pain. In an article by Buscemi, volleyball athletes were able to make significant gains in explosive strength in their legs after fascia treatment was administered before the jump. A final note is that theoretically if every joint in the body has the full range of motion, we would not have any pain. We would also be optimally powerful and flexible beings.

Fascia can create a compressive load of up to 2000 lbs of force per square inch. It is this compression of nerves, blood vessels, lymphatic flow, organs, muscles, and cells that eventually leads to pain, loss of motion, loss of function, and even metaplasia (change in cell type) which can lead to cancer. So we must take care of our fascia on the same level as we would take care of other parts of our bodies like our teeth or heart.

Buscemi A, Petralia MC, Ramaci T, et al. Ergojump evaluation of the explosive strength in volleyball athletes pre- and post-fascial treatment. Exp Ther Med. 2019;18(2):1470‐1476. doi:10.3892/etm.2019.7628
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31384337/

9. How practitioners heal through energy work. Fascia is sensitive to electromagnetic frequency (EMF)

This topic is difficult to comprehend because we are dealing with energy — and energy is invisible. It can be best understood in terms of how a radio works.

“Radio works by transmitting and receiving electromagnetic waves. The radio signal is an electronic current moving back and forth very quickly. A transmitter radiates this field outward via an antenna; a receiver then picks up the field and translates it to the sounds heard through the radio (https://exhibits.library.gsu.edu/current/exhibits/show/georgiaradio/radio1920s/howradioworks).”

The fascial system is literally the EMF receiver in the body. When a harmful frequency wave is picked up by the fascia, it starts communicating to the cluster of cells receiving the energy. Overtime negative energy (thoughts, worries, resentment, etc) starts to alter your DNA and cellular activity and contribute to disease. (You may have heard of a similar energy practice known as Reiki.) Most traditional therapists, tend to asses pain by concentrating on what is effected under the skin. However, as we develop skills to tap into the energy radiating from our patients’ bodies, the EMF, we start to learn how to use our own positive energy to clear any negative emotions contributing to their pain.

As the energy practitioner holds his/her hands over the patient’s negative frequency, oftentimes the patient can sense tingling, warmth, or different body sensations, more range of motion, feeling lighter, etc. The fascial system is responsible for all of these effects. As mentioned above, if coached correctly, we have the ability to eliminate these negative EMF’s ourselves through meditation or with the help of others. To me, this is the most fascinating function of fascia. I have seen amazing results. In my practice, I release any negative EMF energy first, then physical body therapy comes second. I have found that most patients’ chronic pain is directly correlated to trapped EMF energy in the form of negative emotions or compromised mental states. If you are leery of this section, I encourage you to do some basic scientific research not related to the body specifically. (Emotion Code, Bradley Nelson) At the end of the day, our planet is a collection of frequencies arranged in millions of ways to create billions upon billions of unique energy fields. From your fluorescent light bulbs, microwaves, house plants, negative thoughts, positive thoughts, television shows/movies, music notes, and words spoken or sung, everything emits a frequency. So be mindful of what you consistently think, say, do, who you surround yourself with, and the things you passively listen to and watch. Yes, we are complicated beings, and our exposure to the energy around, and us creates who we are and will become.

10. How acupuncture actually works on the fascia and the promotion of Qi (chi)

Below I have copied text from an article in which the author explains how acupuncture works. To me, they call the fascial system the primo vascular system (PVS). But here they also explain the amazing capability of how we operate as humans at the tiniest cellular level. “We conclude that the Primo Vascular System allows communication between living organisms and the environment. The PVS is duplicated by the vascular and nervous systems during the very early stage of body development. For this reason, the PVS combines the features of the vascular, nervous, immune, and hormonal systems. The PVS in all its aspects is understood as a system that covers the entire body and regulates and coordinates all biological life processes. The PVS receives external and internal signals. The external signals come from the environment as electromagnetic waves. The internal signals are products of metabolic processes and arise in bioelectrical, bioluminescence, and acoustical fields. These fields all bring information to the PVS concerning bioprocesses in the body.”

Fascia as a watery system needs to maintain fluidity. If we become stiff, we start to fail to thrive. Stimulation with The Breakthrough Tool and Breakthrough Movements can restore your health. Being healthy can be this simple. It just takes understanding this science and creating a new belief system and a desire to move and create healthy fascia. For your fascia is your health.

Miroslav Stefanov, Michael Potroz, Jungdae Kim, Jake Lim, Richard Cha, Min-Ho Nam, The Primo Vascular System as a New Anatomical System, Journal of Acupuncture and Meridian Studies, Volume 6, Issue 6, 2013, Pages 331-338, ISSN 2005-2901. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2005290113002082?via%3Dihub