How do you 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 is not in your muscles but in a - in my mind - MEGA interesting network? Fascia. Let's take a deep dive into this wonderful system together. Fascia (in Dutch: connective tissue), also called "Connective tissue" plays a much bigger role than was thought for years. In this blog you will learn what exactly it is, why it is such an important system and how to keep it healthy.
For the past ten years I, Jeroen, have been studying the human body, anatomy and physiology. For your imaging: at sports college you learned a lot about everything related to the above-mentioned topics. However, when I look back at that period, I think that at that time we had too much of a one-sided view, perhaps forgetting the most important system. In our anatomy classes, we mainly looked at all the individual parts. The body was viewed from the anatomical position and each muscle or joint was examined separately. This approach dates back to a time when bodies were cut open and looked purely at one muscle and what that muscle did. This is how the science around anatomy came about. For example, we learned that the arm consists of a biceps and triceps, which are responsible for bending and extending the arm, respectively. But in reality, the body works as one cohesive whole - and in this, fascia plays a starring role. Your body is a system with all kinds of internal systems. It is a machine. And when something moves somewhere, it impacts 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 Spiderman suit. It goes through everything and around everything. It is 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 "get a better view" of muscles and organs, it was not seen as 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.
Despite having been researched for quite a while, Thomas Meyers was the first to powerfully describe and highlight the fascia network in the book "Anotomy Trains." In which he shows the different fascia chains in detail.
In this book you will see the different "trains," or chains. Your body is made up of important fascia chains that allow you to maintain the structure of your body. You can think of your body as the mast of a ship. The ropes on the mast keep the mast straight. You can imagine that if a rope is pulled too much (tension is created), the mast will become crooked. Those ropes are your fascia chains. You have chains running down the front and back of your body (front and backline) that provide balance and connect your body from head to toe. But also lines around your spine (spiral line) and a Deep Front Line that protects your organs, for example, and has an important function in your breathing system.
On an anatomical image, you often see muscle, with a bunch of white tissue surrounding it. That 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 is the bridge, the translator and the network that makes everything work with everything else.
Tendons are a part of it - they are the connection between muscle and bone. But the fascial system goes far beyond tendons. Fascia runs through, around and between everything: muscles, organs, nerves and blood vessels.
You have superficial fascia (just under the skin), which provides gliding surfaces and temperature regulation. You have deep fascia, which snakes throughout your body and organizes your muscles and bones, for example, into functional chains. And then there's visceral fascia, which holds your organs in place and protects them.
So fascia is not one type of tissue, but a complete network - a communication system, a force conductor, a protective layer and a motion memory all at the same time. When you understand how fascia works, you will never look at the body the same way again.
What does fascia consist of?
Fascia, then, as I mentioned earlier, is not a "shell. It is a living, breathing and continuously adaptive network composed of three main components:
Collagen - the powerhouse of fascia.
Collagen fibers provide structure and tensile strength. They lie in layers, spirals and bundles that move with how you move. Collagen is what 'stress wood' is to trees: it gets stronger with the right stimulus (load) and recovers if you eat, sleep and hydrate well. Your body makes it continuously, but its quality depends on lifestyle. Without exercise or variation, collagen becomes stiff, sticky or loses its resilience. That's where vague symptoms and injuries often arise.
Elastin - the resilient partner of collagen.
Elastin fibers cause your fascia to spring back after a stretch or jump. It is the reason you 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 little cells that actively respond to what you do. They "sense" mechanical stimuli and build new connective tissue based on them. They make collagen, reorganize existing fibers and communicate with your immune system. Think: you move → fibroblasts sense that strain → they adjust your fascia. Not in a day, but over time. So 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 provides efficient force transfer. When you push into the ground with your foot during a jump, you feel that effect all the way down your arm. Not through pure muscle action, but through those connected fascial structures.
Force leaks out when your chain is interrupted. You can think of it as a guardrail next to 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 glide over each other. We call that property viscosity.
The smoother the fascia, the better you move. But with stress, dehydration or inactivity, connective tissue can dry out or harden. Then your body feels woody, stiff or "fixed.
Movement = hydration = smooth gliding.
3. Proprioception: feeling where you are
Fascia is full of receptors that help you feel where your body is in space. We call this proprioception. So the fascial system is literally your internal GPS. It provides information about pressure, stretch, direction and tension - and sends that to your brain. If that feedback isn't going well, you feel out of balance, uncoordinated or "disconnected.
So Fascia also trains your body awareness.
4. Cooperation with - but also apart from - your nervous system
Fascia works partly autonomously: it reacts directly to tension, temperature, pressure and movement - without you consciously controlling it. But it does communicate with your nervous system, your hormones and your immune system.
Chronic stress? Then the tone of your fascia increases.
Trauma? Then fascia stiffens in that spot - sometimes for years.
Fascia stores information. So movement and release can also release emotions.
5. Recovery and protection
Fascia protects your organs, absorbs blows and plays a key role in recovery. Fibroblasts (the "building cells" in fascia) make new collagen in response to damage or stress. Fascia literally forms the structure in which recovery takes place.
It is 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 about 80% water (opinions are divided on the exact percentage), it is crucial that it stays well hydrated. When dehydration occurs due to certain factors, fascia can no longer do its job properly. It loses its gliding ability, structure as well as its ability to transmit tension.
Causes? Consider trauma (in any form), injury, chronic stress, a lot of sitting or dysfunctional movement - for example, through isolated strength training without chain activation. Your fascia then becomes rigid, so to speak, less elastic and loses its flow. Energy can no longer flow properly through the system, causing bottlenecks - also called trigger points. These, in turn, can lead to complaints.
But here comes the interesting part: that complaint is by no means always at the site of the cause. Are you suffering from your ankle? Then it could just as easily stem from an imbalance higher up the chain - for example, your hip, back or even your shoulder. Fascia works in lines and fields of tension, not individual parts. Symptom vs. cause. And that distinction is essential if you want to become permanently symptom-free.
What many people do not know is that fascia also reacts electrically to tension and pressure. We call this the piezoelectric effect. When fascia is loaded (for example, by movement, compression or stretching), a slight electrical charge is created in the tissue. That charge attracts charged particles - such as calcium or sodium - which in turn activate fibroblasts, the cells that make collagen and keep your fascia healthy.
I will explain it a little easier: imagine yourself with a dry sponge (dried out fascia), you squeeze it in your fist. Then you bring your fist into a bucket of water and release the sponge. What happens
Indeed, smartass that you are. The sponge sucks up water. So this is exactly how you can see the above process.
But: with prolonged unilateral stress or inactivity, the exact opposite happens. The system stiffens, the electrical response stagnates, fluid drains ... and your fascia slowly becomes dehydrated. Your body becomes more rigid, your range of motion decreases and the likelihood of strain or pain increases.
The way to keep your fascia healthy? By moving the way your body intended. Multidimensional. With rotations, bends, stretches and spirals. Across different axes, in different planes. Think throwing, running, jumping, swinging, twisting, lifting. Movements that are functional - not forced isolation.
Avoid monotonous patterns.
Your fascia does not like repetition without variation.
So: bye bicep curls, hello natural strength.
Should your Fascia not be nicely hydrated, I would recommend getting started with myofascial releases. You can do this with a Theracane or lacrosse ball. You look for sensitive spots and apply pressure to them. When you hold this for at least 1.5-2 minutes, you press the trigger point out, so to speak (hello sponge effect). This rehydrates your fascia.
What else can you do for a pain-free body?
Sunlight
Stimulates your mitochondria (power plants of your cells), which are needed for repair and collagen building. More sun = more energy for your connective tissue.
Grounding (barefoot on earth)
Lowers inflammation, cortisol, improves electrical conduction and literally helps your body discharge. Fascia = conductive tissue, so grounding = win.
Be careful with caffeine
Too much coffee increases stress hormones (cortisol), which can harden and dehydrate your connective tissue. Especially with chronic stress or poor sleep: beware.
Collagen (from food)
Eat bone broth, skin from fish or chicken, or supplement with collagen). Glycine, Proline and hydroxyproline are essential for fascial building.
Hydration (but really)
Drinking water is great, but it's all about cellular hydration. Combine with elektrolyten (zout, kalium, magnesium) zodat het water ook ín je weefsels komt.
Ademhaling
Functionele ademhaling (via je neus, laag en rustig) beïnvloedt je bindweefselspanning via de nervus vagus en de diepe fasciale lijnen rond je middenrif.
Slaap & herstel
Fascia herstelt niet tijdens actie, maar tijdens rust. Goede slaap = collageenproductie, weefselherstel en spanningsafbouw. Ook heeft dit uiteraard impact op de hoogte van je HRV.
Avoid chronic compression
Long sitting, same posture, squishy shoes - anything that puts continuous pressure on fascia without movement - works against you.