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𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐧-𝐚𝐬-𝐚-𝐦𝐮𝐝-𝐟𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞, 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐦𝐧𝐢-𝐝𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐡𝐢𝐜 𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐮𝐦 𝐯𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐠𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐬𝐩𝐮𝐧 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐢𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐰𝐨 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐯𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬: 𝐇𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐳𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐕𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥.

𝐘𝐞𝐭, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐠𝐨, 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝. 𝐆𝐞𝐞𝐳!

"𝐌𝐮𝐬𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐃𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭 - 𝐌𝐮𝐬𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐓𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐅𝐚𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐚!"

"Muscles Don’t Contract - Muscles Tension Fascia!"

Jaap Van Der Wal 2022

It’s a relationship made in harmony.

Traditional academic education on muscular contractions informs this process happens in isolation and then provides an appropriate force to move a joint, thus creating motion.

This is the bedrock theory of the muscular skeletal system, backed up by the sliding filament theory which we’re all familiar with. However, this understanding missed out a most important ingredient and essential element of the party…. If there is a muscular spindle then there must then be a corresponding Fascial spindle at the same location?

Where is your Fascia? It is the most ubiquitous tissue within your whole being, it is the environment every cell & system exists & behaves within, having a plethora of roles to perform & interact amongst a symphony of coexisting systems.

Without doubt one of it’s most influential roles, second only to its relationship with the neurological system, must be its relationship with its intertwined muscular system without which neither could exist or function!
As muscles shorten or lengthen they tension the corresponding fascia environment within which each muscular sarcomere lives, by this tensioning effect a dynamic reaction occurs that enables structural integrity to be achieved and efficient motion can commence….

You cannot move or contract one without the other, they cannot be separated.

This harmonic relationship is called dynament (dynamic ligament tensioning) and must work seamlessly for effortless transfer of power and the associated forces to be distributed throughout your body.

Unfortunately people focus on strengthening & stretching the red muscular elements without understanding the dramatic effects on the white architectural fabric which dictates your form, ability to adapt & allows function. It’s called Fascia! Understanding the consequences of abusing this robust but delicate fabric is paramount to understanding movement for longevity and purpose.
For if you comprise your fascia’s ability to adapt & develop in a fashion that ensures gliding qualities consistently exists within the extra cellular matrix the result will be a loss of enhancement of your sensory feedback and inhibition will be the main outcome. Furthermore it’s essential that fascia is not over tensioned by excessive muscular forces as fascia thickens under tension and then makes the environment and structural location immobile and open to damage & pathology.

So be mindful of your choice of movement modalities & functional training methods as more often than not, they’re creating a dysfunctional outcome.

Remember ……. "Muscles Tension Fascia" [Paul Thornley]