Fatigue, back pain, migraines, injuries, did you know that all of these ailments can be caused by your fascias? The fasciae are thin flexible and elastic membranes, which line our whole organism: organs, muscles, tendons, bones. When these twitch, they can cause a lot of pain. To remedy this, fasciatherapy, this manual therapy which acts on the good health of the fascia, improves our physical as well as mental balance. Astonishing!
The fascia, we talk about it more and more, but its concept is still rather vague. And yet, it contributes to the balance of our health. Indeed, myofascial tensions can block the machine that is our body and cause many ailments. Assimilated to alternative medicine, fasciatherapy is a manual therapy which aims to relieve blockages physical and emotional.
How does fascia work?
The fasciae are a set of connective tissue, both dense, flexible and elastic, which envelop all the structures of the body and connect them to each other. Bones, muscles, organs, vascular and nervous systems are covered with it. Like a spider's web, the fascia then forms a fiber network rich in collagen, which adapts to the various constraints imposed on it. It plays, among other things, an essential role in the protection of our organs, the transmission of forces and the control of our movements.
The term "fascia" has its roots in Latin and means "band" or "band". In English, the fascia is called connective tissue, which highlights its connector role between the different structures of the body. The term fascia was taken from the founder of osteopathy, Dr. Andrew T. Still (1828-1917). He made fascias "The place in the body where to look for the cause of the disease"(1).
Fascia, the new physical and mental health organ
Still unknown, the fascia is nevertheless omnipresent in our body and forms a complex network connecting the top of the skull to the toes. It has an essential role in the functioning of the major systems of the human body. We even talk about fascial system to evoke its importance in the same way as the other systems (cardiovascular, respiratory, digestive, muscular).
This is the reason why it is often considered the new key organ of our health. It is thanks to the development of in-vivo medical imaging – which allows us to better observe the interior of the living body – that we learn more about the fascia.
“Thus, we live, move, breathe, exist in, with and through our fascias!”, Explains Christian Courraud, fasciatherapist.
And we know today that a dysfunction of a fascia can upset the balance of the body. Dehydrated, tense, poorly sliding, or thickening fascia can cause pain, inflammation, fatigue, and even anxiety.
By its close link with the nervous system, it establishes a connection between the body and the psyche. And it was recently discovered that fascial tensions may be involved in disorders such as stress, anxiety, chronic fatigue, and emotions. "Under the action of stress, these connective tissues contract and then retract, explains Christian Courraud, author of Fascias, the new key organ of your health (Éditions Leduc Pratique). It also plays an important role in pain sensation and body awareness.
Fasciatherapy, where does it come from?
Fasciatherapy is a method of manual therapy developed in the 80s by Danis Blois, a French physiotherapist and osteopath. A pioneer in fascia therapy, he is now a Doctor of Sciences in Seville (Spain) and heads the Perceptive Psychopedagogy Research Laboratory (CERAP) at Fernando Pessoa University in Porto (Portugal).
Alternative medicine, fasciatherapy is a method used within physiotherapy as a specialization. In France, fascia therapies can now be found in other health and well-being practices such as osteopathy from which it arose, in particular thanks to the advance of medicine on the fascia. "Many therapeutic approaches such as acupuncture, massage, yoga or even the Pilates method, which until then did not specifically talk about this envelope, are starting to take a serious interest in it", explains Christian Courraud, fasciatherapist, director of CERAP and teacher of the Danis Blois method.
For several years, the CERAP research unit has been carrying out a comprehensive report on fasciatherapy and its clinical applications put into practice in various fields (sport, fibromyalgia, supportive care, stress, anxiety, low back pain, vascular, pelvi-perineology, etc. .).
Under the effect of a sedentary lifestyle, shock, trauma, stress or anxiety, the fasciae become dehydrated and rigid. Painless, fasciatherapy is based on slow and gentle pressures to release the fascia from its tensions.
After a preliminary assessment, the therapist follows by touch the trajectories of bodily tensions and areas of immobility of the fascia. It targets areas of fascial tightness and – by gentle, deep pressure – attempts to remobilize the tissue, soften it and release it from accumulated tensions and knots.
This connective tissue is strongly innervated and sensitive to physical and emotional shocks. Fasciatherapy thus restores fluidity to the body and clarity to the mind. It aims to restore functional balance of the body and promotes both physical and mental well-being.
Fasciatherapy is carried out in individual sessions with a physiotherapist or other health professionals who perceive what the patient feels in his body. Throughout the session, the therapist asks the person, lying on the massage table, on his feelings to involve him in the awareness of his body.
A fasciatherapy session lasts about an hour and allows you to release both physical tensions and emotional blockages. Following the session, an immediate well-being effect is felt and some pain may have reduced or even disappeared. One to three sessions is generally recommended but this depends on the type and origin of the pain.
The session lasts an average of one hour and can cost between 50 and 80 euros depending on the region. Social Security does not cover fasciatherapy sessions, but some mutuals reimburse part or all of this type of session.
What fasciatherapy heals
Fasciatherapy has many health benefits and is particularly indicated for people suffering from various disorders and pains such as:
- States of stress such as anguish, anxiety, fatigue, overwork, burnout.
- Acute pains such as lumbago, sciatica, cruralgia, stiff neck, tendonitis.
- Trauma or rheumatology such as sprains, osteoarthritis, muscle pathologies, sports injuries, after surgery.
- Pain in the cranial sphere such as headache, migraines, neuralgia, tinnitus.
- Transit disorders like irritable bowel syndrome (yes, even that!).
What are the contraindications for fasciatherapy?
In the event of pregnancy of less than three months, wearing of a pacemaker, high blood pressure without medical control, phlebitis without medical control, it is not recommended to do a fasciatherapy session. In this case, it is better to seek medical advice.
However, there are no noticeable side effects to fasciatherapy. Only post-treatment pain can appear and reveal compensation from the body related to other pain.
How to find a fasciatherapist?
In France, only health professionals (physiotherapists, doctors, osteopath, etc.) are authorized to practice fasciatherapy according to the Danis Bois method, after specific training.
Good to know : The Association FasciaFrance and the National Association of Physiotherapists both offer a directory of health professionals trained in this manual therapy.
Other fascia therapies
Fasciapulsology: Fasciatherapy differs from fasciapulsology (also called vascular fasciatherapy), a manual method developed by Christian Carini, which is very specific to him. This is based on special touch and work on the arterial circulation, after assessing the patient's pulse.
Sensory gymnastics: This method is based on the patient's awareness of movement, who learns to develop new postural, expressive and behavioral possibilities. Accompanied by the practitioner, this alternative method aims to make the patient autonomous in his health approach.
The somato-psychic tuning: This method combines a manual approach, a gestural approach and verbal interviews. The practitioner thus helps the patient to re-establish a dialogue between the body and the psyche. The patient thus develops a better knowledge of his body, of himself and perceives the relationship between them.
Special fascia shopping
One of the accessible ways to act on your fascia is to use a self-massage roller and perform appropriate exercises.
The self-massage rollers that we prefer are those of the Blackroll brand: dense and hard foam rollers, allow to massage the fascia and improve recovery, relieve tension. They exist in various formats and are delivered with a small, useful booklet. On Amazon, a standard 30cm Blackroll costs € 29.90.
To know more
- The Arte television channel broadcast a documentary on fascia: The hidden allies of our organization.
- Fascias, the new key organ of your health, by Christian Courraud, published by Leduc Pratique editions. The author relies on the Danis Bois method to flesh out the subject and provides solutions that are easy to adopt. We like the fact that no one is forgotten: pregnant women, athletes, children … and that Ch. Courraud also offers exercises.
To order on Amazon here, 17 € - Exercises for the fasciae, by Siegbert Tempelhof, Éditions Médecis; a very clear and educational book which looks back at what fascia are and then deploy a whole bunch of exercises, relatively easy to learn, and which can be done on a daily basis.
Order online here, € 15 - Functional training with BlackRoll, Amphora editions. This book teaches you how to use the massage rollers that we are starting to see everywhere and of which the Blackroll brand is a reference. A mine of self-massage exercises to know both how to use this type of roller and act on your fascia.
A book to order here, 19.95 €
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