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- B2012
Recent Developments in Myofibroblast Biology
Boris Hinz, Sem H Phan, Victor J Thannickal, Marco Prunotto, Alexis Desmoulière, John Varga, Olivier De Wever, Marc Mar…This 2012 narrative review summarizes advances in understanding the myofibroblast, a specialized cell crucial for both normal wound healing and the development of fibrotic diseases. The authors discuss how these cells g…
fibrosisMyofibroblast - A2012
Hyaluronic acid, A key molecule in skin aging
Eleni Papakonstantinou, Michael Roth, George KarakiulakisThis review article discusses the role of hyaluronic acid (HA) in skin aging. The authors explain that youthful skin's plumpness and resilience are largely due to its high water content, which HA is uniquely able to ret…
CD44fasciaHyaluronic acidhyaluronic acid synthaseshyaluronidases - A+++2012
Fascia as a body-wide communication system
James L OschmanThis abstract proposes that fascia acts as a body-wide communication system. The author draws an analogy to single-celled organisms, like a paramecium, which can perform complex functions without a nervous system by rel…
Fascia - A2012
Massage Therapy Attenuates Inflammatory Signaling After Exercise-Induced Muscle Damage
Justin D Crane, Daniel I Ogborn, Colleen Cupido, Simon Melov, Alan Hubbard, Jacqueline M Bourgeois, Mark A TarnopolskyThis study investigated how massage therapy affects skeletal muscle at a cellular level after exercise-induced damage. Researchers took muscle biopsies from 11 young men after an intense workout; one leg received 10 min…
fasciamassage therapyinflammatory cytokinesstretchstrain - A+2012
Nutritional regulation of muscle protein synthesis with resistance exercise: strategies to enhance anabolism
Tyler A Churchward-Venne, Nicholas A Burd, Stuart M PhillipsIn this 2012 review article, the authors discuss how nutrition can regulate muscle protein synthesis, especially when combined with resistance exercise. Consuming protein (amino acids) stimulates muscle building, an eff…
MusclenutritionhypertrophyAnabolic intramuscular signaling - A2012
Earthing: Health Implications of Reconnecting the Human Body to the Earth’s Surface Electrons
Gaétan Chevalier, Stephen T Sinatra, James L Oschman, Karol Sokal, Pawel SokalThis 2012 review paper explores the concept of 'earthing' or 'grounding,' which involves direct physical contact with the Earth's surface electrons. The authors propose that modern lifestyles separate humans from this c…
fasciaearthinggroundingearth surface electrons - A2012
Mathematical model of fiber orientation in anisotropic fascia layers at large displacements
Hans Chaudhry, Max Roman, Antonio Stecco, Thomas FindleyResearchers developed a mathematical model to better understand how collagen fibers within fascia change their orientation when the tissue is stretched. The model suggests that fibers already angled away from the direct…
Fascial; Reinforcement; Collagen fibers; Re-orientation; Tension - A2012
Myoton Pro: A Novel Tool for the Assessment of Mechanical Properties of Fascial Tissues
Aleko Peipsi, Ricardas Kerpe, Heike Jäger, Sonja Soeder, Christopher Gordon, Robert SchleipThis research entry, for which only the title is available, appears to introduce a device called the MyotonPRO. The title suggests its purpose is to assess the mechanical properties of fascial tissues, such as their sti…
fasciaMyotone Pro - A2012
Strain hardening of fascia: Static stretching of dense fibrous connective tissues can induce a temporary stiffness increase accompanied by enhanced matrix hydration
Robert Schleip, Lutz Duerselen, Andry Vleeming, Ian L Naylor, Frank Lehmann-Horn, Adjo Zorn, Heike Jaeger, Werner Kling…This study investigated why fascia sometimes gets stiffer after being stretched and then rested, a phenomenon called strain hardening. Researchers stretched fascia samples from mice and pigs, finding that after a 15-min…
Lumbar fascia; Paraspinal tissues; Stiffness; Hydration; Stretching - A2012
Human myometrium – the ultrastructural 3D network of telocytes
Sanda M Cretoiu, Dragos Cretoiu, Laurentiu M PopescuThis study examined a relatively new type of cell, the telocyte, within the human myometrium, the muscular layer of the uterus. Using advanced microscopy, researchers visualized these cells and their very long extension…
telocytes ! telopodes ! podoms ! podomers ! human uterus ! extracellular vesicles - A++2012
Diet-Induced Dysbiosis of the Intestinal Microbiota and the Effects on Immunity and Disease
Kirsty Brown, Daniella DeCoffe, Erin Molcan, Deanna L GibsonThis 2012 narrative review explores the connection between diet, gut microbes, and the immune system. The gastrointestinal tract must balance tolerance for harmless bacteria and food with responsiveness to pathogens. An…
inflammationnutritionintestinal microbiotadisease susceptibility - A2011
Structure and function of the skeletal muscle extracellular matrix
Allison R Gillies, Richard L LieberThis narrative review explores the extracellular matrix (ECM), the connective tissue network within skeletal muscle. The authors describe the ECM's crucial roles in transmitting force and in muscle maintenance and repai…
Skeletal muscle; extracellular matrix; collagen; biomechanics; fibrosis