Concepts
Fascia lexicon
The core terms that recur across research, clinic, and movement — briefly explained.
- Collagen Anatomy
- The most abundant protein in connective tissue — roughly 30% of the body's total protein — and fascia's primary building block.
- Densification Clinic
- Thickening of loose connective tissue as hyaluronan grows sticky — an early, reversible step toward pain and stiffness.
- Elastic recoil Movement
- Fascia's ability to store and release energy — the basis of jumping, running, and efficient gait.
- Elastin Anatomy
- The rubber-like protein that lets connective tissue return to its original shape after being stretched.
- Fascia Anatomy
- The continuous fibrous connective-tissue network that wraps, separates, and connects every muscle, organ, nerve, and vessel.
- Fasciacyte Physiology
- A specialised fibroblast that produces hyaluronan and regulates glide between fascial layers.
- Fascial adhesion Clinic
- An area where adjacent fascial layers have lost their glide — often after injury, inflammation, or immobilisation.
- Fascial lines Mechanics
- Continuous chains of connective tissue that coordinate posture and movement across the body.
- Fascial stretch Movement
- Slow, multi-joint movements that load fascial chains rather than isolated muscles.
- Fibroblast Physiology
- The cell that produces collagen, elastin, and ground substance — fascia's maintenance crew.
- Fuzz Anatomy
- Gil Hedley's popular name for the loose fibres between muscle and fascia that thicken in stillness.
- Ground substance Anatomy
- The gel-like matrix between fibres that governs how easily fluid, nutrients, and signals move through connective tissue.
- Hyaluronan Physiology
- A lubricating molecule between fascial layers whose viscosity determines how smoothly the layers glide.
- Hydration Physiology
- The fluid content of connective tissue's ground substance — directly tied to how smoothly fascia glides and signals.
- Inflammation Physiology
- The body's repair signal — acute is necessary, chronic remodels fascia and drives long-term pain.
- Interoception Physiology
- The sense of the body's internal state — richly supplied by free nerve endings in fascia.
- Manual therapy Clinic
- Hands-on therapy that changes fascia's hydration, glide, and sensory tone — not by ‘breaking up’ tissue.
- Mechanotransduction Mechanics
- The process by which cells translate mechanical load into biochemical signals.
- Myofascia Anatomy
- Muscle and its surrounding fascia treated as a single functional unit of force transmission.
- Myofascial release Clinic
- A manual technique that seeks softer tissue response via slow, sustained pressure.
- Nociception Physiology
- The sensory system that detects harmful stimuli — closely tied to fascia's rich nerve supply.
- Plantar fascia Anatomy
- The thick fascial sheet under the foot that stores and releases elastic energy with every stride.
- Proprioception Physiology
- The body's sense of position and movement — relying on mechanoreceptors in fascia, tendons, and joints.
- Tensegrity Mechanics
- A stability model where tension-bearing fascia suspends compression-bearing bones in balance.
- Thixotropy Mechanics
- The property by which fascia softens under sustained gentle load and stiffens at rest.
- Thoracolumbar fascia Anatomy
- The large fascial sheet of the lower back — innervated like the cornea and often implicated in lumbar pain.
- Viscoelasticity Mechanics
- A material that behaves both like a fluid (flows under pressure) and a solid (returns after stretch).