A Letter from Your Fascia
HI!
I would like to shine a little limelight on myself and introduce myself properly. My name is Fascia. Not to start a pity party or anything, but I often feel like the redheaded stepchild in the healthcare/medical world, as in: I am often OVERLOOKED, rarely TREATED, and frankly often IGNORED especially when it comes to healing a human body.
Yeah, I am that gunk they told medical students to throw away in cadaver anatomy class so they could get a clear view of muscles, organs, bones, nerves, and blood vessels. Those anatomy professors totally forgot or ignored the fact that in a living human body, I am well hydrated and play quite active roles in the body.
I guess since I have so many layers to me, I feel very misunderstood. Simply put, one of my main purposes in life is to keep your human body structure and form. I also allow your muscles to glide over each other, support your organs, and communicate so much information throughout your body, since I am connected from head to toe, like a spiderweb in your body. I am made of elastin, collagen, hyaluronan, and a lot of water.
I function best in environments when I am hydrated and moving. When I become dehydrated or restricted, I can restrict movement in your body, decrease your posture, and increase tension anywhere else in your body, and unfortunately this may cause pain. It is my way of alerting you to a problem, and I wish people would use that pain as the guide it was meant to be.
Did you know that anytime you suffer an injury, accident, or trauma, whether it is physical, mental, emotional, surgical, Brain doesn’t necessarily remember it fully, but I sure do! And this can cause me to become restricted. As you can imagine, I do get a bit hot and bothered that Brain gets credit for being the master of your body. Deep down, I am a sensitive soul.
So when I am restricted, I like a gentle yet firm touch with pressure over time, so I can let go of my hold on your body and free my restrictions, allowing myself to open up and become more hydrated so I can continue to move freely. My wish for the world is that I start to get some recognition for the role I play in the human body and healing, and get treatment more regularly with a John Barnes Myofascial Release Approach. If you want to meet up with me more sometime and learn how I help to heal your body, find a John Barnes trained Myfascial Release Practitioner, because I do not want to continue being overlooked, untreated, and ignored.
Sincerely,
Fascia (not the redheaded stepchild)
Five Signs that You May Benefit from Myofascial Release
1 – You have pain and get relief of pain with massage therapy, chiropractic care, acupuncture, or other modalities, yet the pain relief only lasts 2 hours to 1 day after treatment.
2 – You are constantly reinjuring the same part of your body.
3 – You maintain the same posture for long periods of time. (For example: sitting at a desk for an 8 hour work day.)
4 – You are diagnosed with fibromyalgia, myofascial pain syndrome, chronic fatigue syndrome, and/or PTS.D
5 – You wish to achieve a pain free active lifestyle and/or optimal health.
Five Fun Facts about Fascia
1 – The human body has bones, muscles, organs, blood vessels, nerves, and so much more. Fascia is what maintains the body’s structure and form!
2 – Fascia is made up of both elastin and collagen portions, including fiber proteins, hyaluronan, and lots of water! Hyaluronan is a critical component of the extracellular matrix that regulates normal structural integrity, and also regulates tissue responses during injury, repair, and regeneration. It helps retain water in the cells of your body. Fascia likes to be hydrated.
3 – Fascia is multilayered in the body, and is fully connected from head to toe. If you can, imagine a spiderweb throughout your body. Fascia supports the tissues and organs, lessens friction between the muscles. eases muscle tension, transmits movement from muscle to bones, and tightens up reflexively. When fascia is healthy, it is slippery and smooth, stretching with you as you move.
4 – When your fascia tightens up, it can restrict movement, decrease postural efficiency, and cause painful health conditions.
5 – What can cause fascia to tighten up or become restricted (fascial restrictions)
* a lifestyle without enough physical activity
* activity that uses your body over and over in the same certain ways
* poor posture
* injury or surgery that causes damage to your body
Anytime you suffer an injury, accident, or trauma, whether it is physical, mental, emotional, surgical, etc., your fascia remember. This may cause your fascia to become restricted and/ or dehydrated causing increased tension and tightness somewhere else in your body.
Who is Practically Perfect’s go to Myofascial release provider? Beth Ann Schumacher!
Here are some informative and fun facts about her!
She graduated cum laude from Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science in 1991 with her Masters of PT. She has worked in a variety of settings as a PT, including acute care, acute and subacute rehabs, outpatient orthopedics, and skilled nursing facilities. She is passionate about myofascial release. She feels that her job as a PT is to empower patients with knowledge so they can have an active part in their healing. Beth generally tends to look at people holistically.
Many can say they were trained by John Barnes – not many can say they worked alongside him for any period of time.
Some of her professional achievements:
*APTA CAPP cert for Pelvic Health/PF
*LSVT Big
*Certified in foot reflexology
*Studied Thai Yoga Bodywork
* Experience with aquatic therapy and hippotherapy through clinical rotation.
*Licensed massage therapist
Some personal facts:
*Halloween is her favorite holiday.
*Single mother of 3 beautiful, albeit quirky adult children who are her greatest blessings. They love playing board games together.
*Lettered in four sports in high school: gymnastics, soccer, diving, and lacrosse.
*When healthy, likes aerial training, preferably silks (like in the circus)
*Vices are coffee and excessive reading of books
*Love to travel (and hike when there)
*From a large loud Sicilian family – 1 of 5 kids
*Didn’t talk or even babble until she was 3 years old and when she did talk, she went straight to full sentences and reading at a 3rd grade level → “Guess I’m neurodivergent”
*Competed as baton twirler and played flute, piccolo, and bells in marching band.
*Was a coxswain and have rowed crew with Under the Bridge Crew club
*Loves Marvel and Star Wars movies!
Beth is one of the pelvic health providers at Practically Perfect Physical Therapy and sees patients under our umbrella through their insurance. She is also the owner of Changing Tides Myofascial Release, which offers private myofascial sessions and treatment. You can visit her website to check out her services and contact her to set up an appointment!
