Our muscles do not function in isolation and as shown by the below illustration, are connected together by fascia lines into what’s technically known as myofascial lines. The below graphic shows the main fascia lines, however it is not exhaustive as the body includes other lines such as the arm fascia lines and deep muscle lines.
In order to put you in the picture, think about a string of sausages, all connected together by their transparent seamless casing, where the sausages represent our muscles and the casing our fascia lines.
A pull on any part of the string will subsequently recur in the rest of the string. Similarly, an injury or tightness at one particular fascia location will have repercussions on the rest of the fascia and the muscles within it.
With this in mind, you can appreciate how tightness caused by bad posture at the upper body will have an impact on the lower body and vice-versa. Which is why when you experience recurring pain in one particular location, rather than obsessing with the tender spot itself, through the help of fitness/health professionals, determine whether the problem is originating somewhere else along that particular fascia line encapsulating the injured muscle.
In practical terms, if for example you are experiencing hamstring problems, it may be originating at another spot along the fascia line containing the hamstring (the rear superficial line) such as at the lower back or calves.
The takeaway from this post is therefore to start thinking of your muscles in terms of fascia lines rather than in isolation. This way your training and the way you think about your body will take a whole new dimension.
To fitness with love,
Andrew
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