Fascia is your body’s hidden superpower. It censors, adapts, and even responds to your emotions. Mindful movement and self-care can help keep it healthy and flexible.

Take care of your fascia and it will take care of you.

Imagine your body is like a big jigsaw puzzle. What’s fascia inside your body? Fascia serves as the connective tissue that binds together interconnecting parts of your body like muscles, bones, organs, even the brain. Fascia is like the glue or the wrapping that holds all these parts together. For many years, fascia was considered an inert or passive connective tissue. It didn’t really matter, it was just there holding stuff together. What we’ve learned over the last 10 or so years is that fascia tissue actually is neurologically integrated, with free nerve endings that communicate positional awareness to the brain.We know the brain runs the body, but the brain needs information from the body in order to make plans and execute them. So our fascia system allows us to take care of that hardware/software connection. That’s where we start to see the benefit of things like soft tissue work, massage therapy and foam rolling. These techniques help to keep fascia supple and ensure that your brain is getting really good information about movement.

We are learning that fascia is much more than just connective tissue. It’s a living system with an incredible secret. In recent times, fascia has become recognised a sensory organ – housing around 250 million sensory nerves in fascia- more than your skin, more information than even  your gut, which we know now is so critical, with fascia now being called the body’s largest sensory organ and science suggests that fascia at different layers of the body form an incredible 3 dimensional network that not only surrounds and supports our muscles and organs, but also perceives, responds and adapts to the world around us. Within it, these millions of sensory fibres record movements, tensions and even emotions, creating a complex network that links body and mind in ways we are only beginning to understand. What’s truly fascinating is how fascia interacts with our experiences. Research shows it’s sensitive to positive emotions and mindful practises like fluid movement, intentional touch, massage, yoga and meditation, which all significantly improve its health and elasticity, a well-cared for fascia enhances flexibility, reduces tension, and promotes overall well-being, it’s a reminder that our physical and emotional states are deeply connected. By nurturing fascia we’re not just caring for our body, we’re also fostering harmony between how we feel and how we move through life.

CORTISOL AND ITS IMPACT ON YOUR FASCIA.

Chronically elevated stress hormones lead to structural and functional changes in connective tissue. Cortisol is the body’s primary stress hormone. It is released by the adrenal glands and also cells within your skin in response to environmental, physical or emotional stress. While essential for immediate stress responses, prolonged cortisol elevation disrupts tissue repair and weakens connective tissue. We are living lives that our bodies, our fascia, can’t keep up with.

COLLAGEN BREAKDOWN

Cortisol inhibits collagen synthesis and increases collagen degradation, leading to weakened fascia, ligaments and tendons. This can contribute to less resilient connective tissue (sagging face – I’m looking at you!)

DEHYDRATION OF FASCIA.

Cortisol disrupts the balance of hyaluronic acid and glycosaminoglycans (AKA: GAGS) within fascia, making it less hydrated and pliable, becoming more prone to adhesions and restricted movement. (Think deep structural wrinkles, and banding on neck)

INCREASED INFLAMMATION AND PAIN SENSITIVITY.

While cortisol has anti-inflammatory properties in the short term, chronic stress leads to a dysregulated immune response, increasing inflammation, pain perception, and stiffness in the fascia.

MUSCLE AND FASCIA TENSION.

Chronic stress triggers persistent muscle guarding, causing fascia layers to become more rigid and less, adaptable. This can result in chronic tightness and poor circulation, which has a knock on effect on the lymphatic system – resulting in puffiness and water retention (under eye bags!)

DELAYED HEALING AND RECOVERY

Elevated cortisol suppresses fibroblast activity, which slows tissue repair and regeneration. This makes it harder for the body to recover from injuries or micro trauma or even just the day to day assaults of living.

When we remember that fascia is the scaffolding that holds us together, we start to see that chronic stress and unchecked cortisol is silently reshaping  fascia into a rigid reactive system. You don’t have to live with tension and fatigue; your intuitive body is wired to heal with the right support. Change your habits, regulate your nervous system, and give your fascia the space to breathe, move and thrive.

SUPPORTING YOUR VAGUS NERVE

Cortisol is the body’s primary stress hormone released by adrenal glands in response to signals from the autonomic nervous system. Its main functions include regulating metabolism, controlling inflammation and mobilising energy by raising blood sugar and increasing alertness. Chronic activation of the sympathetic nervous system keeps cortisol levels high, which disrupts parasympathetic balance, slows down tissue repair, and leads to fascia stiffness, pain and systemic inflammation over time.

Elevated cortisol levels are a hallmark of prolonged sympathetic nervous activation. Known as the bodies fight or flight response, when this state becomes chronic, it suppresses the parasympathetic branch, particularly the vagus nerve, which is responsible for regulating rest, digestion and repair. This imbalance keeps the body in a self repeating loop of tension, inflammation and poor tissue recovery. Supporting your vagus nerve helps shift the body back into a healing state, reducing cortisol levels and allowing fascia and connective tissues to regenerate more effectively.

SIMPLE STRATEGIES FOR STRESS REDUCTION

I always like to offer no cost easy ways to address things that concern you. Putting feet up against a wall reduces cortisol by up to 30%. Do this for 10 minutes each night to reduce your stress by 1/3.

Speak to me in clinic about breathing patterns to help reduce stress and activate vagal nerve innervations.  Easy.

WHERE TO FROM HERE?

Our new understanding of the importance of fascia has opened a new perspective to understanding the biological mechanisms involved in wound healing, skin health, postural concerns and fibrotic, ageing tissue. Structurally fascia plays a role in your structural stability and your muscles and bones on macroscopic view, but it’s also playing a role in your cellular, hormonal, neurological, chemical, psychological and emotional stability it’s playing an important role in every aspect of your body on every level. Our new understanding is that fascia has a role in cellular life span, in your ageing, neural signalling, electrochemical adaptations, hormones and metabolism, this is why at Curated Skin and Wellness – I have pursued extensive and advanced training to understand the role of fascia in skin and body health. By incorporating specific techniques, such as Sculpt Massage, and modalities including LED and Lymphatic Activating masks in my treatments and providing tailored homecare advice, I aim to offer the very best holistic solutions for your skin and body wellness.