How to get a pain-free body?

Your body doesn't lie.

What if the key to a pain-free and strong body, better posture, and more energy lies not in your muscles, but in a—in my opinion—MEGA-interesting network? Fascia. Let's take a deep dive into this wonderful system together. Fascia (also known as "connective tissue" in Dutch) plays a much larger role than was previously thought. In this blog post, you'll learn exactly what it is, why it's such an important system, and how to keep it healthy.

For the past ten years, I, Jeroen, have spent years studying the human body, anatomy, and physiology. To give you an idea: at the sports academy, you learned a tremendous amount about everything related to the aforementioned topics. However, looking back on that period, I think the perspective was too one-sided, and we perhaps forgot to highlight the most important system. In anatomy classes, we primarily focused on all the individual parts. The body was viewed from an anatomical position, and each muscle or joint was discussed separately. This approach stems from a time when bodies were cut open and the focus was purely on a single muscle and its function. This is how the science of anatomy developed. For example, we learned that the arm consists of a biceps and a triceps, which flex and extend the arm, respectively. But in reality, the body functions as a single, coherent whole—and fascia plays a key role in that. Your body is a system with all sorts of internal systems. It's a machine. And if something moves somewhere, it has an impact on the entire system.

What exactly is Fascia?

Fascia is a network that connects everything in your body. I often describe it as a kind of subcutaneous Spider-Man suit. It goes through and around everything. It's a gel-like structure with hollow tubes that is about 80% water.

Yet, for a long time, this tissue was overlooked in classical anatomy. Because it was often removed during dissections to gain a "better view" of muscles and organs, it wasn't considered a functional part of the body. Only in recent years has science begun to recognize how essential fascia is for movement, strength, coordination, and even pain perception.

Although research on the fascial network has been ongoing for quite some time, Thomas Meyers was the first to comprehensively describe and explain it in his book "Anotomy Trains," where he comprehensively illustrates the various fascial chains.

This book shows you the different "trains," or chains. Your body consists of important fascial chains that help maintain its structure. Think of your body as a ship's mast. The ropes on the mast keep it upright. Imagine that when a rope is pulled too hard (causing tension), the mast becomes tilted. These ropes are your fascial chains. You have chains running along the front and back of your body (front and back lines) that provide balance and connect your body from head to toe. There are also lines around your spine (spiral lines) and a Deep Front Line that protects your organs and plays a vital role in your respiratory system.

In anatomical images, you often see muscles surrounded by a mass of white tissue. This white tissue is myofascia : the combination of muscle and fascia. The muscle itself functions like a cable, but the fascia is what connects that cable to other cables. It's the bridge, the translator, and the network that ensures everything works together.

Tendons are part of this—they form the connection between muscle and bone. But the fascial system goes much further than just tendons. Fascia runs through , around , and between everything: muscles, organs, nerves, and blood vessels.

You have superficial fascia (just beneath the skin), which provides gliding surfaces and temperature regulation. You have deep fascia, which winds throughout your body and organizes your muscles and bones into functional chains, for example. And then there's visceral fascia, which holds and protects your organs.

Fascia isn't just one type of tissue, but a complete network—a communication system, a conductor of energy, a protective layer, and a movement memory all rolled into one. If you understand how fascia works, you'll never look at the body the same way again.

What does fascia consist of?

So, as I mentioned before, fascia isn't a "sheath." It's a living, breathing, and continuously adaptive network made up of three main components:

Collagen – the powerhouse of fascia.
Collagen fibers provide structure and tensile strength. They are arranged in layers, spirals, and bundles that move with your movements. Collagen is what "stress wood" is to trees: it grows stronger under the right stimulus (load) and regenerates when you eat, sleep, and hydrate well. Your body produces it continuously, but its quality depends on lifestyle. Without exercise or variety, collagen becomes stiff, sticky, or loses its resilience. This is where vague complaints and injuries often arise.

Elastin – collagen’s resilient partner.
Elastin fibers ensure that your fascia bounces back after stretching or jumping. This is the reason we can move smoothly. A good ratio of collagen to elastin provides both strength and flexibility – exactly what your body needs during daily movements and sports.

Fibroblasts – the workhorses of connective tissue.
Fibroblasts are tiny cells that actively respond to your actions. They "sense" mechanical stimuli and build new connective tissue based on them. They produce collagen, reorganize existing fibers, and communicate with your immune system. Think: you move → fibroblasts sense that stress → they adapt your fascia. Not overnight, but over time. Fascia literally has a memory of how you move and live.

The core functions of fascia

1. Transferring power

Fascia connects your entire body in functional chains and ensures efficient power transfer. When you push your foot into the ground during a jump, you feel that effect all the way down to your arm. Not through pure muscle action, but through those interconnected fascial structures.

Power leaks away when your chain is broken. Think of it like a guardrail along a highway. Fascia = connection.

2. Viscosity: the 'lubricating layer' of your body

Fascia contains a gel-like fluid structure that determines how well the layers slide over each other. This property is called viscosity.
The more flexible the fascia, the better you move. But with stress, dehydration, or inactivity, the connective tissue can dry out or harden. This can make your body feel wooden, stiff, or "tight."

Movement = hydration = smooth glide.

3. Proprioception: feeling where you are

Fascia is packed with receptors that help you sense where your body is in space. This is called proprioception. The fascial system is literally your internal GPS. It provides information about pressure, stretch, direction, and tension—and sends it to your brain. If this feedback isn't working properly, you feel off-balance, uncoordinated, or disconnected.

Fascia also trains your body awareness.

4. Collaboration with – but also separate from – your nervous system

Fascia functions partly autonomously: it responds directly to tension, temperature, pressure, and movement—without your conscious control. However, it does communicate with your nervous system, hormones, and immune system.
Chronic stress increases the tone of your fascia.
Trauma? Then the fascia in that area stiffens—sometimes even for years.

Fascia stores information. Movement and release can therefore also trigger emotions.

5. Recovery and protection

Fascia protects your organs, absorbs impact, and plays a key role in recovery. Fibroblasts (the "building cells" in fascia) produce new collagen in response to damage or stress. Fascia literally forms the structure in which healing takes place.

It's your protective layer, shock absorber and recovery environment all in one.

How do you ensure a healthy, strong and pain-free body?

Because fascia is approximately 80% water (the exact percentage is debatable), it's crucial to keep it well-hydrated. When dehydration occurs due to certain factors, fascia can no longer function properly. It loses its gliding ability, structure, and ability to transmit tension.

Causes? Think of trauma (in any form), injuries, chronic stress, prolonged sitting, or dysfunctional movement—for example, from isolated strength training without chain activation. Your fascia then becomes stiff, less elastic, and loses its flow. Energy can no longer flow properly through the system, creating tight spots—also called trigger points. These, in turn, can lead to complaints.

But here's the interesting part: the complaint isn't always located at the source of the problem. Are you experiencing ankle pain? Then it could just as easily stem from an imbalance higher up in the chain—for example, your hip, back, or even your shoulder. Fascia works in lines and tension fields, not in separate parts. Symptom vs. cause. And that distinction is essential if you want to become permanently pain-free.

What many people don't know is that fascia also reacts electrically to tension and pressure. This is called the piezoelectric effect. When fascia is stressed (for example, by movement, compression, or stretching), a slight electrical charge is generated in the tissue. This charge attracts charged particles—such as calcium or sodium—which in turn activate the fibroblasts, the cells that produce collagen and keep your fascia healthy.

Let me explain it a bit more simply: imagine you have a dry sponge (dried-out fascia). Squeeze it in your fist. Then place your fist in a bucket of water and release the sponge. What happens?

Indeed, you're a clever one. The sponge absorbs water. This is exactly how you can see the process above.

However, with prolonged, one-sided tension or inactivity, the exact opposite happens. The system stiffens, the electrical response stagnates, fluid drains… and your fascia slowly dries out. Your body becomes stiffer, your range of motion diminishes, and the risk of strain or pain increases.

The way to keep your fascia healthy? By moving the way your body was meant to. Multidimensionally. With rotations, bends, stretches, and spirals. Across different axes, in different planes. Think of throwing, running, jumping, swinging, twisting, lifting. Movements that are functional—not forced and isolated.

Avoid monotonous patterns.

Your fascia does not like repetition without variation.

So: goodbye bicep curls, hello natural strength.

If your fascia isn't properly hydrated, I'd recommend starting myofascial releases. You can do this with a Theracane or lacrosse ball. You'll find sensitive spots and apply pressure. By holding this for at least 1.5-2 minutes, you'll essentially push out the trigger point (hello, sponge effect). This will rehydrate your fascia.

What else can you do for a pain-free body?

Sunlight
Stimulates your mitochondria (your cells' powerhouses), which are essential for recovery and collagen production. More sun = more energy for your connective tissue.

Grounding (barefoot on earth)
Reduces inflammation, cortisol , improves electrical conductivity, and literally helps your body discharge. Fascia is conductive tissue, so grounding is beneficial.

Be careful with caffeine
Too much coffee increases stress hormones (cortisol), which can harden and dehydrate your connective tissue. So be careful, especially with chronic stress or poor sleep.

Collagen (from food)
Eat bone broth, fish or chicken skin, or supplement with collagen . Glycine, proline, and hydroxyproline are essential for fascial development.

Hydration (but really)
Drinking water is great, but it's all about cell hydration . Combine it with electrolytes (salt, potassium, magnesium) so the water also reaches your tissues.

Breathing
Functional breathing (through your nose, low and calm) affects your connective tissue tension via the vagus nerve and the deep fascial lines around your diaphragm.

Sleep & recovery
Fascia doesn't recover during activity, but during rest. Good sleep = collagen production, tissue repair, and tension reduction. This also naturally impacts your HRV.

Avoid chronic compression
Sitting for long periods of time, the same posture, tight shoes – anything that puts continuous pressure on fascia without movement – ​​will work against you.