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 studiesThe role of collagen crosslinks in ageing and diabetes - the good, the bad, and the ugly
This narrative review explores how glucose in the body can bind to proteins like collagen, a process called glycation. This process creates crosslinks that can change the mechanical properties and function of connective…
Molecular assembly and mechanical properties of the extracellular matrix: A fibrous protein perspective
This review article examines the extracellular matrix (ECM), the dynamic network of molecules surrounding our cells. The authors focus on fibrous proteins like collagen and elastin, which form the structural backbone of…
The effect of menopause on the skin and other connective tissues
This narrative review examines how menopause and the resulting decline in estrogen affect the body's connective tissues, particularly the skin. Research suggests that skin collagen levels drop significantly following me…
Fascia Research from a Clinician/Scientist’s Perspective
In this perspective piece, a clinician-scientist summarizes exciting areas in fascia research. The article describes the fascial network as a body-wide system that connects individual cells and shares loads with muscles…
Exercise training reduces fibrosis and matrix metalloproteinase dysregulation in the aging rat heart
In this animal study, researchers investigated how exercise affects age-related fibrosis (scarring) in the rat heart. They found that aging was associated with an increase in collagen and a dysregulation of enzymes call…
The extracellular matrix: an active or passive player in fibrosis?
Fibrosis, the excessive buildup of scar tissue, can be understood as a wound healing process that has gone awry. Normally, specialized cells called myofibroblasts help repair tissue and then disappear, but in fibrosis,…
A new lock-step mechanism of matrix remodelling based on subcellular contractile events
Myofibroblasts are cells that contribute to tissue contracture in fibrotic conditions like scarring. This study investigated how these cells contract to remodel tissue. The researchers identified two separate contractio…
3D reconstruction of the crural and thoracolumbar fasciae
Researchers created detailed 3D computer models to visualize the structure of the crural fascia in the lower leg and the superficial layer of the thoracolumbar fascia in the lower back. They found the crural fascia is c…
Mechanical Strain Stabilizes Reconstituted Collagen Fibrils against Enzymatic Degradation by Mammalian Collagenase Matrix Metalloproteinase 8 (MMP-8)
This laboratory study investigated how mechanical tension affects collagen's resistance to breakdown. Researchers created small networks of type I collagen fibers, gently stretching some while leaving others unloaded. B…
Relevance of Collagen Piezoelectricity to “Wolff’s Law”: a Critical Review
This narrative review explores how bone adapts to mechanical stress, a principle known as Wolff's Law. For decades, scientists have investigated how bone cells sense this stress to trigger remodeling. An early theory pr…
Differential effects of hyaluronan and its fragments on fibroblasts: Relation to wound healing
This lab study investigated how hyaluronan (HA) of different molecular sizes affects human fibroblast cells, which are key to wound healing. Researchers exposed fibroblasts to native HA and two smaller fragments. All th…
Subcutaneous Tissue Fibroblast Cytoskeletal Remodeling Induced by Acupuncture: Evidence for a Mechanotransduction-Based Mechanism
In 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…