Aging is a major influence on fascia, never more obvious (unfortunately!) than in the sagging and wrinkling of skin. The density, thickness and integrity of fascia tends to deteriorate, with a general loss in organisation and structure. The arrangement of collagen fibrils becomes denser and more regular with age, with an associated gradual decrease in the…
Remember we spoke last week about the idea that hormones – namely estrogen and relaxin – may be implicated in the sensitization of fascial nociceptors, making females far more susceptible to myofascial pain than men? Caterina Fede’s work with colleagues from the Anatomy Department of the University of Padua from 2016 can be extrapolated to…
Caterina Fede and her associates hypothesized that hormones – namely estrogen and relaxin, for example – are possibly implicated in the sensitization of fascial nociceptors. These hormones are critical to remodeling of the extracellular matrix by constraining fibrosis and inflammation, both of which exert a major influence on the stiffness of fascia and on sensitization…
I was walking along the beach today and started thinking about how much we take “functional feet” for granted. Let’s face it, the only time you think about your feet is when they’re misbehaving (read “painful”)…. And the plantar fascia (aponeurosis) is so often the cause of that pain. Take a look at the picture…