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- A2018
Low Back Pain: The Potential Contribution of Supraspinal Motor Control and Proprioception
Michael Lukas Meier, Andrea Vrana, Petra SchweinhardtThis 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…
proprioceptionlow back painmotor controlchronic painmotor cortex - A2018
Immediate effects of self-myofascial release on latent trigger point sensitivity: a randomized, placebo-controlled trial
Jan Wilke, Lutz Vogt, Winfried BanzerThis randomized, placebo-controlled trial examined whether foam rolling could immediately reduce sensitivity in latent trigger points. Researchers compared 90 seconds of static compression, dynamic rolling, and a placeb…
fasciaMyofascial painFoam rollingSelf-masage - A+++2018
Sagittal plane fore hoof unevenness is associated with fore and hindlimb asymmetrical force vectors in the sagittal and frontal planes
Sarah Jane Hobbs, Sandra Nauwelaerts, Jonathan Sinclair, Hilary M Clayton, Willem BackUnevenness in a horse's fore hooves, defined by differences in the dorsal hoof wall angle, affects how force is distributed across both the fore and hindlimbs. This study of 34 riding horses found that hooves with a ste…
asymmetryriding horsesuneven feethoof angleforce - A2018
Biotensegrity and myofascial chains: A global approach to an integrated kinetic chain
S L Dischiavi, A A Wright, E J Hegedus, C M BleakleyThis theoretical paper proposes a holistic way to understand human movement, contrasting it with the traditional approach of studying body parts in isolation. The authors suggest a model based on "biotensegrity," where…
RehabilitationbiotensegrityMuscular chainsDynamic knee valgusHip - A2018
Chest pain in patients with COPD: the fascia’s subtle silence
Bruno Bordoni, Fabiola Marelli, Bruno Morabito, Roberto CastagnaIn this article, the authors discuss potential causes of chest pain in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). They highlight that chest pain is common in COPD and propose that an often-overlooked so…
fasciadiaphragmmuscle painCOPDthoracic pain - A+2018
Endogenous systems involved in exercise-induced analgesia
R DA SILVA SANTOS, G GALDINOThis narrative review describes the phenomenon of exercise-induced analgesia, which is the pain-relieving effect of physical activity. Studied since the 1970s, this effect is seen in both endurance and resistance exerci…
EndocannabinoidspainexerciseNitric oxideanalgesia - A2018
The infrapatellar fat pad and the synovial membrane: an anatomo-functional unit
Veronica Macchi, Elena Stocco, Carla Stecco, Elisa Belluzzi, Marta Favero, Andrea Porzionato, Raffaele De CaroThis descriptive review summarizes evidence on the close relationship between the infrapatellar fat pad and the synovial membrane in the knee. Anatomically, they are linked, as parts of the synovial membrane insert into…
infrapatellar fat pad; knee plicae; osteoarthritis; synovial membrane. - A+++2018
Structure and Distribution of an Unrecognized Interstitium in Human Tissues
Petros C Benias, Rebecca G Wells, Bridget Sackey-Aboagye, Heather Klavan, Jason Reidy, Darren Buonocore, Markus Miranda…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…
interstitiuminterstitial spacesfascia fluid - B2018
The different distribution of enzymatic collagen cross-links found in adult and children bone result in different mechanical behavior of collagen
B Depalle, A G Duarte, I A K Fiedler, L Pujo-Menjouet, M J Buehler, J-P BerteauThis computational study explored how molecular bonds called collagen cross-links affect bone mechanics differently in children and adults. Using models based on real bone samples, researchers simulated how collagen fib…
Cross-linksChildren boneMolecular modelingBiomechanical properties - A2018
Not merely a protective packing organ? A review of fascia and its force transmission capacity
Jan Wilke, Robert Schleip, Can A Yucesoy, Winfried BanzerThis review article examines fascia's role in transmitting force throughout the body. Traditionally seen as just a "packing" material, research now suggests fascia is an active tissue that connects muscles into a body-w…
epimuscular; fascia; force transmission; myofascial chains - B2018
Effectiveness of sodium bicarbonate infusion on mortality in septic patients with metabolic acidosis
Zhongheng Zhang, Carlie Zhu, Lei Mo, Yucai HongThis retrospective database study investigated whether sodium bicarbonate infusion affected mortality in septic patients with metabolic acidosis. The researchers found no overall survival benefit in the general populati…
sepsiscritical careSodium bicarbonateMortalityMarginal structural Cox - A++2018
Emerging Therapies for Spastic Movement Disorders
Preeti RaghavanSpasticity following a central nervous system injury can cause muscle stiffness, partly due to secondary changes in muscles and connective tissue. The 'hyaluronan hypothesis' suggests that an accumulation of hyaluronan,…
Spasticity; Muscle stiffness; Peripheral mechanism; Stroke; Brain Injury; Hyaluronidase; Hyaluronic Acid; Hyaluronan hypothesis