Research.
Every peer-reviewed study on fascia in one place — graded for strength of evidence, summarised in plain language for clinicians, researchers, and curious readers.
We grade studies from A to 1A+++ using the Fascia Research Database rubric — 1A+++ is the strongest.
Researchers behind the studies- A2008
Tensegrity and Mechanotransduction
D E IngberThis article summarizes a lecture on how mechanical forces influence biological processes at the cellular level. The author describes mechanotransduction, the process by which cells convert physical forces into biochemi…
fasciaTensegritycytoskeletonmechanotransductionIntegrins - A2008
Fibronectin Unfolding Revisited: Modeling Cell Traction- Mediated Unfolding of the Tenth Type-III Repeat
Elaine P S Gee, Donald E Ingber, Collin M StultzCells build the extracellular matrix by pulling on the protein fibronectin, causing it to assemble into fibrils. This study used computer simulations to investigate how this process works at a molecular level. Researche…
fasciaFibronectincell tractionintegrinfibrillogenesis - A2008
Mechanotransduction – a field pulling together?
Christopher S ChenIn this 2008 review article, the author discusses mechanotransduction, the process by which cells convert mechanical forces into biochemical signals. Cells are constantly subjected to forces, both from external pressure…
fasciastiffnessmechanobiologycell adhesionmechanical force - A2007
Anatomy of the deep fascia of the upper limb. Second part: study of innervation
Carla Stecco, O Gagey, A Belloni, A Pozzuoli, A Porzionato, V Macchi, R Aldegheri, R De Caro, V DelmasThis anatomical study examined the nerve supply within the deep fascia of the upper limb. Researchers analyzed tissue samples from 20 arms, focusing on five specific areas including the brachial fascia and the flexor re…
fasciainnervationproprioceptionmotor coordinationruffini corpuscles - A2007
Extracellular matrix, mechanotransduction and structural hierarchies in heart tissue engineering
Kevin K Parker, Donald E IngberThis narrative review explores the challenges of engineering artificial heart tissue. The heart functions across vast scales of time and space, from tiny ion channels to the whole organ's pumping action. The authors sug…
fasciaextracellular matrixcytoskeletonmechanotransductionmyocardial cell - A2007
Connective Tissue Fibroblast Response to Acupuncture: Dose- Dependent Effect of Bidirectional Needle Rotation
Helene M Langevin, Nicole A Bouffard, David L Churchill, Gary J BadgerThis study on mouse tissue explored how connective tissue cells respond to back-and-forth rotation of an acupuncture needle. Researchers observed that fibroblasts, a type of connective tissue cell, changed shape by spre…
fasciaacupunctureFibroblastsneedle rotation - A2007
Formation and Function of the Myofibroblast during Tissue Repair
Boris HinzMyofibroblasts are specialized cells that play a key role in wound healing and tissue repair. Formed from fibroblasts, their primary function is to contract, which helps pull the edges of a wound together. While this is…
fasciaextracellular matrixfibrosisMyofibroblastwound healing TGF-beta - A2007
Myofascial force transmission between antagonistic rat lower limb muscles: Effects of single muscle or muscle group lengthening
Hanneke J M Meijer, Josina M Rijkelijkhuizen, Peter A HuijingIn this study on rats, researchers investigated how lengthening muscles on the front of the lower leg affects their neighbors. They observed that stretching one muscle group significantly changed the forces within an ad…
fasciaConnective tissueAntagonistic musclesExtensor digitorum longus muscleMyofascial force transmission - A2006
Passive muscle stiffness may be influenced by active contractility of intramuscular connective tissue
Robert Schleip, Ian L Naylor, Daniel Ursu, Werner Melzer, Adjo Zorn, Hans-Joachim Wilke, Frank Lehmann-Horn, Werner Kli…This paper proposes the hypothesis that connective tissue within muscles, specifically the layer known as the perimysium, can actively contract. This contraction, likely driven by specialized cells called myofibroblasts…
fasciamuscle stiffnessperimysiummyofibroblaststonic muscle - A2006
Subcutaneous Tissue Fibroblast Cytoskeletal Remodeling Induced by Acupuncture: Evidence for a Mechanotransduction-Based Mechanism
Helene M Langevin, Nicole A Bouffard, Gary J Badger, David L Churchill, Alan K HoweIn this mouse tissue study, researchers investigated how rotating an acupuncture needle affects fibroblasts in the connective tissue under the skin. They found that rotation caused the fibroblasts to actively change sha…
fasciacollagenfibroblastcytoskeletonmechanotransduction - A2006
Pathophysiological model for chronic low back pain integrating connective tissue and nervous system mechanisms
H M Langevin, K J ShermanThis paper proposes a theoretical model for how chronic low back pain might develop and persist. The authors hypothesize that fear of pain leads to reduced movement, which in turn causes physical changes and inflammatio…
fasciaConnective tissuechronic Low Back Painneuroplasticityconnective tissue remodeling - A2006
Fibroblast spreading induced by connective tissue stretch involves intracellular redistribution of a- and b-actin
Helene M Langevin, Kirsten N Storch, Marilyn J Cipolla, Sheryl L White, Thomas R Buttolph, Douglas J TaatjesResearchers investigated how fibroblasts, the primary cells in connective tissue, respond to mechanical stretching. In this ex vivo study, they stretched samples of subcutaneous tissue for 30 minutes and observed change…
fasciamechanical stressfibroblastmechanotransductionSubcutaneous tissue
