Fascia Focused With Solange Ross
Apr 16, 2019
Pelvic floor physical therapist and Franklin Method educator Solange Ross is back to join me in geeking out over one of my favorite topics to discuss on the podcast… FASCIA! Don’t know where to begin with your fascial work? No worries! Solange talks us through a variety of movements that help to relieve aches + pains, hydrate your body and rejuvenate your cells. You are going to learn the importance of “slide and glide” while understanding how everything in the body is connected. Is more fascia the answer? Tune in to find out!
MEET SOLANGE
Solange is a women’s health physical therapist trained in evaluation and treatment of pelvic floor muscles. She is a level two Franklin Method Educator with a background in personal training, group fitness and is a lactation specialist.
THE FRANKLIN METHOD
Solange is a level two Franklin Method educator that has worked to help her students improve the connection between their mind and body, have a better understanding of the design and function of their anatomy and improve their experience with daily movement and exercise. The Franklin Method is a student-centered teaching system that looks at embodying functional anatomy. Teaching is done through different types of imagery to improve the way that one moves and feels. It’s applied to every type of exercise, but most importantly to the movement that is done in daily life.
THE DIFFERENT LAYERS OF FASCIA
If you are reading this and are like, “Woah, I have no idea what this fascia thing is…” then I encourage you to listen to my episode with David Lesondak who loves fascia so much that he wrote a book about it! If you are looking for an easy understanding of fascia, David describes it as, “a sheath that goes around every muscle in your body. It also covers every bone, organ and nerve as it keeps everything interconnected, but also keeps everything separate at the same time. It is one tissue, one system that is designed to respond to supply and demand.” Got it? Okay, let’s dive on into these layers!
SUPERFICIAL FASCIA
Superficial fascia lies underneath the skin and is what allows the skin to slide. This layer of fascia is made up of superficial fat tissue, a layer of loose connective tissue and a deeper layer of fat tissue underneath. The superficial fascia can be looked at as a stocking that’s continuous throughout the whole body.
DEEPER FASCIA
Deeper fascia is found underneath the superficial fascia and there are two different types of it. One part is called the muscular fascia and it provides containment and structure to our muscles. The other part of this layer of fascia is described as a tendinous sleeve which allows the muscles to transfer force over longer distances.
The difference between these two lies in that the muscular fascia provides containment and allows the muscle to transfer force outwards to its tendons and neighboring muscles, while the tendinous sleeve communicates over a larger distance in the body.
RELEASE EXERCISES
Solange talked us through a lot of different movements to release your fascia, hydrate your body and rejuvenate your cells. Here are a few videos that demonstrate some of the movements that were brought up in this episode! Be sure to follow Solange on Instagram for more great content on how she personally uses her Franklin Method techniques.
We all experience neck and shoulder pain from time to time, try this fascial release flow to improve the way that you move and feel!
View this post on Instagram
In Solange’s recent Franklin Method training, she learned that 25% of the fluid lives in the fascia and that’s more than what’s in our blood vessels. She recommends hydrating the tissue through footwork with a ball as shown below!
View this post on Instagram
View this post on Instagram
STRETCHING VS. HANDS-ON APPROACH
When you do different types of hands-on massage work, you are increasing the temperature of the tissue by 2-3 degrees. That small temperature change in the tissue is enough to decrease the viscosity of the tissue by 30%. Just a couple of minutes of being hands-on with your body allows your tissue to become more pliable and less tense.
Then when you look at stretching, you try to get to your furthest point first without even moving into it given the range of motion that you have. With stretching, you haven’t done anything to warm up or connect with that area that is causing you pain. It’s the same experience each time whereas with a more hands-on approach you are connecting with your body and brain to better your experience.
SITE OF PAIN NOT BEING SOURCE OF PAIN
If something was bothering you, the last thing you would want to do is aggravate it. The same thing goes with your body! If you are tight or experiencing pain in an area and are working, rolling and stretching around that site of pain, it could actually be making it worse.
This is where fascia comes into play. As you are working to release and lengthen the fascia, you start to become more in tune with your body. Solange suggests rolling out the feet to get a better idea of how you’re aligning while bringing awareness into your body.
View this post on Instagram
Working to change the way we look at exercise and shift it into this fascia focused movement will help to create better daily habits, relieve you from aches and pains and improve your quality of life.
CONSEQUENCES OF NOT MOVING THE FASCIA
Solange and I get a lot of women that come to us and are afraid to move because of pelvic floor issues, diastasis recti, etc. But when you are not moving, you actually create more fascia… and in this instance, more is not better. It gets thickened and glues together which is not helpful for movement. Movement is needed to get the different layers of the fascia to slide and glide on top of one another.
EPISODE QUOTES
MENTIONED IN EPISODE
SOLANGE'S LINKS
RELATED EPISODES
- Collagen: Your Natural Anti-Aging Solution
- David Lesondak, Fascia: What It Is and Why It Matters
- Dry Brushing + Detoxing
- Fascia + Collagen... The Dynamic Duo
- Interstitium: Bringing It All Together
- Pelvic Floor + More With Solange Ross
- Unlock Change Through Consistency
The material contained within is provided for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. You should seek prompt medical care for any specific health issues and consult your physician before beginning a new regiment or purchasing any product(s).
