Last Updated Sep 2012
Fascia is perhaps the least understood and appreciated tissue in the body. But healthy, well-functioning fascia is critical for normal function of our musculoskeletal system. Patrick Ward, athletic conditioning specialist and massage therapist, wrote a nice article about the anatomy and function of the thoracolumbar fascia. What is truly fascinating to me is the fact that there are cells in fascia that are similar to smooth muscle cells and are controlled by the autonomic nervous system.
As Patrick points out in his article, breathing and relaxation exercises are key elements of keeping our fascia in a healthy state. He states, “Respiratory function is one aspect of the autonomic nervous system that we actually have direct control over. We can change our breathing and help to elicit a parasympathetic response to allow for greater relaxation and potentially less overall tissue tone/tension.”
I often refer to the thoracolumbar fascia while teaching. I most often talk about it when students follow one of the yoga poses which is the Child’s Pose. In this posture the thoracolumbar fascia is stretched and it’s a bit easier to feel. Try to do the following exercise to practice mobilizing your own thoracolumbar fascia:
- In Child’s Pose, become aware of the back body.
- Visualize the thoracolumbar fascia, which is a thick sheet of connective tissue.
- That connects the back of the pelvis to the back of the ribcage.
- Inhale and feel the fascia stretch.
- Exhale and feel it release.
- Inhale, the back body expands and the fascia stretches.
- Exhale, the fascia releases as it slides between the between the skin and muscles.
- With each exhalation, feel it release more and more.
- Repeat for at least 10 breath cycles.
About the Author: Lisa B. Minn is a licensed physical therapist and yoga enthusiast. She has been incorporating aspects of Yoga her physical therapy practice since 2001 and became a certified yoga instructor in 2004. You can read more about the theraputic applications of yoga on her blog, ThePragmaticYogi.com.
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