Research.
Every peer-reviewed study on fascia in one place — graded for strength of evidence, summarised in plain language for clinicians, researchers, and curious patients.
We grade studies from A to 1A+++ using the Fascia Research Database rubric — 1A+++ is the strongest.
Cannabis sativa L. and Nonpsychoactive Cannabinoids: Their Chemistry and Role against Oxidative Stress, Inflammation, and Cancer
This narrative review explores the chemical properties and health effects of non-psychoactive compounds found in hemp (Cannabis sativa L.), focusing primarily on cannabidiol (CBD). The research suggests that CBD acts as…
Effect of Health-Promoting Agents on Exclusion-Zone Size
This experimental study investigated how various health-promoting agents affect the formation of "exclusion zone" (EZ) water, often referred to as the fourth phase of water. Researchers found that substances such as hol…
Structure and Distribution of an Unrecognized Interstitium in Human Tissues
Using a new imaging technique, researchers identified a previously unrecognized, fluid-filled structure within the body's connective tissues. This network of collagen bundles and fluid-filled spaces, which they term the…
Effectiveness of Physiotherapy Treatment for Urinary Incontinence in Women: A Systematic Review
This systematic review evaluated the effectiveness of different physiotherapy techniques for treating urinary incontinence in women. Researchers analyzed 16 studies covering methods such as pelvic floor exercises, vagin…
Low Back Pain: The Potential Contribution of Supraspinal Motor Control and Proprioception
This narrative review explores how motor control—the brain's management of posture and movement—adapts in people with low back pain. While these movement adaptations may reduce pain in the short term, they can sometimes…
Small leucine-rich proteoglycans and matrix metalloproteinase-14: Key partners?
This narrative review summarizes research on a family of proteins called small leucine-rich proteoglycans (SLRPs). These proteins are important regulators of the extracellular matrix and have been identified as potentia…
Multimerin-2 is a ligand for group 14 family C-type lectins CLEC14A, CD93 and CD248 spanning the endothelial pericyte interface
Researchers investigated how certain proteins interact to form new blood vessels, a process called angiogenesis that is crucial for tumor growth. This study, which included lab experiments and mouse models, identified a…
Mechanical properties of a collagen fibril under simulated degradation
This study used computer simulations to investigate how collagen fibrils lose their strength. Researchers modeled three different types of degradation: the removal of cross-links, surface damage, and damage throughout t…
Mechanical Properties of the Cytoskeleton and Cells
In this review article, the authors describe the cytoskeleton, which is the cell's main mechanical structure. It is a complex and dynamic network of biopolymers that includes microtubules, actin, and intermediate filame…
Reconnecting the Body in Eastern and Western Medicine
Details for this 2017 publication, titled 'Reconnecting the Body in Eastern and Western Medicine' by Helene M. Langevin and Rosa N. Schnyer, have not yet been summarized. The title suggests a discussion comparing and in…
Correlation between chronic headaches and the rectus capitis posterior minor muscle: A comparative analysis of cross-sectional trail
Researchers investigated the relationship between chronic headaches and a small muscle at the base of the skull, the rectus capitis posterior minor (RCPmi). Using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), they compared the size…
Does the vaginal wall become thinner as prolapse grade increases?
This study investigated the relationship between vaginal wall thickness and the severity of pelvic organ prolapse. Researchers used ultrasound to measure the vaginal walls of 243 women with symptomatic prolapse. They fo…
Effects of vitamin C supplementation on glycaemic control: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials
This systematic review and meta-analysis compiled data from 22 randomized controlled trials to assess the effect of vitamin C supplementation on glycemic control. Overall, the researchers found no significant effect on…
Cellulite: a review with a focus on subcision
This narrative review examines cellulite, a common skin condition characterized by altered skin topography that primarily affects women on their buttocks and thighs. The authors discuss the potential underlying causes a…
Stretching Reduces Skin Thickness and Improves Subcutaneous Tissue Mobility in a Murine Model of Systemic Sclerosis
This animal study investigated the effects of stretching on systemic sclerosis, a condition that causes skin inflammation and fibrosis. Using a mouse model of the disease, researchers found that ten minutes of daily str…
Emotions in Motion: Myofascial Interoception
In this perspective piece, the authors argue that the myofascial system is closely linked to our emotional state. They suggest that manual treatment not only affects the body physically but also activates the interocept…
Microscopic anatomy of the visceral fasciae
Researchers examined the microscopic structure of visceral fascia—the connective tissue surrounding internal organs—from eight cadavers. They analyzed samples from the thorax, abdomen, and around organs like the heart,…
Ultra-weak photon emission as a dynamic tool for monitoring oxidative stress metabolism
This laboratory study investigated a method for measuring oxidative stress, a process linked to many diseases. Researchers used a technique called ultra-weak photon emission (UPE) to monitor human cells in a dish after…
The Lumbodorsal Fascia as a Potential Source of Low Back Pain: A Narrative Review
This narrative review examines the role of the lumbodorsal fascia as a potential source of low back pain. Research shows this fascia contains pain-sensing nerve endings, which may be morphologically altered in people wi…
Piezoelectric material – A promising approach for bone and cartilage regeneration
This paper outlines a novel hypothesis for regenerating bone and cartilage, two weight-bearing tissues that are challenging to repair. Current treatments for damage from trauma or diseases like osteoarthritis have signi…
Calcium Signaling in Interstitial Cells: Focus on Telocytes
This narrative review describes current knowledge on calcium signaling in a group of cells called interstitial cells, with a special focus on telocytes. These cells and their calcium signals are important for generating…
X-Rays Effects on Cytoskeleton Mechanics of Healthy and Tumor Cells
This study investigated how X-ray radiation affects the internal structure, or cytoskeleton, of both healthy cells and tumor cells in a lab setting. Researchers exposed both cell types to different doses of radiation an…
The significance of closed kinematic chains to biological movement and dynamic stability
Biomechanical research has long focused on the body as a system of levers, but this review highlights the importance of "closed kinematic chains" (CKCs). These are continuous mechanical loops that couple multiple parts…
The indeterminable resilience of the fascial system
This commentary proposes a model of fascia not as layers, but as a network of polyhedral microvacuoles of connective tissue. These structures connect the body's systems and can change shape in response to tension, allow…
The Application of Acoustic Myography in Canine Muscle Function and Performance Testing
This animal study on 11 Labrador dogs used acoustic myography (AMG) to measure muscle activity during walking and trotting. Researchers focused on two muscles, the m. gluteus superficialis and m. longissimus lumborum, t…
Evidence of both systemic inflammation and neuroinflammation in fibromyalgia patients, as assessed by a multiplex protein panel applied to the cerebrospinal fluid and to plasma
This study investigated signs of inflammation in people with fibromyalgia (FM). Researchers analyzed 92 different inflammation-related proteins in both blood plasma and cerebrospinal fluid from 40 FM patients, comparing…
Fibromyalgia and microglial TNF-α: Translational research using human blood induced microglia-like cells
Researchers are investigating the role of brain immune cells called microglia in fibromyalgia. This study used a new technique to create microglia-like cells from the blood of people with fibromyalgia and healthy indivi…
Concurrent validity of pain scales in individuals with myofascial pain and fibromyalgia
Researchers investigated the reliability of two common tools for measuring pain: the Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS), where patients rate pain from 0 to 10, and the Visual Analog Scale (VAS). The study included 60 part…
Spontaneous ultra-weak photon emission in correlation to inflammatory metabolism and oxidative stress in a mouse model of collagen-induced arthritis
In this animal study, researchers investigated a mouse model of rheumatoid arthritis using two techniques: metabolomics (the analysis of metabolic products) and ultra-weak photon emission (UPE), which measures extremely…
Measuring ultra-weak photon emission as a non-invasive diagnostic tool for detecting early-stage type 2 diabetes: A step toward personalized medicine
This study investigated whether ultra-weak photon emission (UPE)—a very faint light emitted by the body—could help identify different subtypes of pre-diabetes. Researchers had practitioners of Traditional Chinese Medici…
Oscillations of ultra-weak photon emission from cancer and noncancer cells stressed by culture medium change and TNF-alfa
All cells spontaneously emit a very faint light, known as ultra-weak photon emission (UPE). This study investigated how this light emission changes when different types of human cells, both cancerous and non-cancerous,…
Spontaneous photon emission: A promising non-invasive diagnostic tool for breast cancer
In this animal study, researchers investigated if ultra-weak light emission from the body, called spontaneous photon emission (SPE), could detect breast cancer. They measured light from the skin of mice with breast canc…
Structural and functional analysis of two small leucine-rich repeat proteoglycans, fibromodulin and chondroadherin
Fibromodulin and chondroadherin are small proteins that help organize the extracellular matrix. This study examined their 3D structure and how they interact with collagen. Researchers found that while their overall shap…
Fibronectin in cell adhesion and migration via N-glycosylation
Fibronectin is a protein in blood plasma that helps cells stick together and move, a process essential for wound healing. This study investigated how a specific chemical modification, called N-glycosylation, affects fib…
Complex mechanics of the heterogeneous extracellular matrix in cancer
This narrative review explores the complex role of the extracellular matrix (ECM), the non-cellular network that provides structural support to tissues. In solid tumors, the ECM becomes highly altered and complex, as ca…
Art Advancing Science: Filmmaking Leads to Molecular Insights at the Nanoscale
A project that began as an artistic endeavor to create an entertaining short film about fertilization led to the development of a new scientific simulation tool. By integrating physics-based animation software from the…
All you need to know about the AIP diet
This article reviews the Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) diet, which aims to reduce inflammation and relieve symptoms of autoimmune disorders. The diet is based on the idea that problems with the gut wall, sometimes called 'l…
S100A4 in cancer progression and metastasis: A systematic review
This systematic review examines the role of the protein S100A4 in cancer progression and metastasis. S100A4 is involved in the epithelial-mesenchymal transition, a key process that allows cancer cells to spread. The aut…
Identification of a new subset of lymph node stromal cells involved in regulating plasma cell homeostasis
This study investigated how antibody-producing plasma cells are supported within lymph nodes. Researchers identified a specific type of connective tissue cell, a medullary fibroblastic reticular cell (FRC), that forms a…
Rectus Capitis Posterior Minor
This cadaver study investigated the connection between a small neck muscle (Rectus Capitis Posterior Minor, RCPMi) and the spinal dura mater. Researchers used both microscopic analysis and biomechanical testing to clari…
The myodural bridge existing in the Nephocaena phocaenoides
The myodural bridge is a connection between a small neck muscle and the spinal cord's outer covering (the dura mater) previously identified in humans. In this anatomical animal study, researchers investigated whether a…
The universal existence of myodural bridge in mammals: an indication of a necessary function
The myodural bridge is a connective tissue structure linking one of the deep, upper neck muscles to the spinal dura mater. This anatomical study investigated whether this structure, known in humans, also exists in other…
The second terminations of the suboccipital muscles: An assistant pivot for the To Be Named Ligament
In this anatomical dissection study of 35 head-neck specimens, researchers investigated small muscle attachments in the suboccipital region. The scientists confirmed the existence of "second terminations" from several s…
EFFECT OF MATRIX RHYTHM THERAPY (MRT) COMBINED WITH PHYSIOTHERAPY INTERVENTION IN FROZEN SHOULDER – A CASE REPORT
This case report describes the treatment of a 52-year-old man with a painful and stiff right shoulder, diagnosed as frozen shoulder. His condition also involved tendinosis, bursitis, and osteoarthritic changes. The pati…
The effect of pre-exercise vibration stimulation on the exercise-induced muscle damage
This study investigated whether vibration stimulation before or after exercise could reduce exercise-induced muscle damage. Thirty healthy men were divided into three groups: one receiving vibration before exercise, one…
Adhesive Capsulitis of the Shoulder Joint: Value of Glenohumeral Distance on Magnetic Resonance Arthrography
Researchers investigated a new way to help diagnose adhesive capsulitis (frozen shoulder) using a specific type of MRI called MR arthrography. They measured the distance between the ball and socket of the shoulder joint…
Correlations of magnetic resonance imaging findings with clinical symptom severity and prognosis of frozen shoulder
Researchers used a specific type of MRI (indirect MR arthrography) to examine the shoulders of 52 people with frozen shoulder and 52 without. They found that certain features, like thickening and inflammation-related ch…
Non-contrast MRI diagnosis of adhesive capsulitis of the shoulder
This study investigated whether a standard MRI without contrast dye could be used to reliably diagnose adhesive capsulitis, also known as frozen shoulder. Researchers reviewed MRIs for specific signs, such as a thickene…
CT arthrography of adhesive capsulitis of the shoulder: Are MR signs applicable?
This retrospective study investigated whether signs of adhesive capsulitis (frozen shoulder) typically seen on MRI could also be identified using CT arthrography (CTA). Researchers compared CTA scans from 22 patients wi…
Hypermobile Ehlers–Danlos Syndrome (a.k.a. Ehlers–Danlos Syndrome Type III and Ehlers–Danlos Syndrome Hypermobility Type): Clinical Description and Natural History
This 2017 review summarizes the clinical understanding of hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (hEDS), thought to be the most common hereditary disorder of connective tissue. It is primarily characterized by musculoskelet…
Bi component T1p and T2 Relaxation Mapping of Skeletal Muscle In-Vivo
Researchers evaluated a specific MRI technique for creating more detailed images of skeletal muscle. Using what is known as T1ρ and T2 relaxation mapping on the calf muscles of healthy volunteers, they were able to dist…
Minimizing Injury and Maximizing Return to Play: Lessons from Engineered Ligaments
Musculoskeletal injuries are a primary reason for time away from sports, partly because our understanding of how training affects tendons and ligaments is limited. This study used engineered ligaments grown in a lab fro…
Effects of the menstrual cycle on lower-limb biomechanics, neuromuscular control, and anterior cruciate ligament injury risk: a systematic review
This systematic review evaluated how the menstrual cycle affects lower-limb biomechanics, neuromuscular control, and anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury risk in women. The authors found strong evidence that the risk…
The Effect of Menstrual Cycle and Contraceptives on ACL Injuries and Laxity
This systematic review and meta-analysis investigated the relationship between the menstrual cycle, hormonal contraceptives, and the risk of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries. The researchers found that knee lig…
Sensitivity of ACL Volume and T2* Relaxation Time to Magnetic Resonance Imaging Scan Conditions
This animal study investigated how different magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) conditions affect measurements of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). Researchers in this pig study compared images taken at different reso…
Vitamin C–enriched gelatin supplementation before intermittent activity augments collagen synthesis
In a small study involving eight healthy men, researchers investigated the effect of vitamin C-enriched gelatin supplementation before exercise. Participants who consumed 15 grams of gelatin one hour before a short, int…
Acute effects of foam rolling on passive tissue stiffness and fascial sliding: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial
This document is a study protocol, outlining the planned method for a randomized controlled trial, not a report of its results. The researchers intend to investigate the immediate effects of foam rolling on the anterior…
Acoustic wave therapy for cellulite, body shaping and fat reduction
This study evaluated the efficacy of acoustic wave therapy (AWT) for cellulite and body shaping. Thirty women with moderate to severe cellulite underwent 12 treatment sessions on the glutes and thighs over six weeks. Th…
Human mesenchymal stem cells secrete hyaluronan-coated extracellular vesicles
Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are known to help with tissue repair, partly by releasing tiny packages called extracellular vesicles (EVs). This study investigated the connection between these EVs and hyaluronan (HA), a…
Evaluation of fascial manipulation in carpal tunnel syndrome
Details for this study are not yet available. The research, published in 2017, appears to evaluate the effectiveness of Fascial Manipulation® for treating carpal tunnel syndrome. Without an abstract, further details abo…