Why You Should Add Fascia Stretching to Your Mobility Routine

If you're a fan of foam rolling or massage therapy, you've probably heard of the term ​fascia​ tossed about here and there: Your fascia is sticky or you have knots in your fascia.

But what the heck is fascia anyway? Here, we offer the facts about fascia, including why stretching this tissue is so terrific for your body (and the best fascia stretching exercises to do daily for more mobile limbs and less muscle stiffness).

Fascia is the sheath of connective tissue that encases, separates and protects the organs, bones, neurological structures and cardiovascular vessels in the body, says Winnie Yu, PT, DPT, CPT, a physical therapist at Bespoke Treatments.

"Since fascia surrounds many of the body's main structures, it is naturally meant to stretch as you move," Yu says. In fact, when you move, your fascia functions to reduce friction and stress between your muscles and organs, she adds.

But when fascia becomes irritated or stressed, it can grow tight, stiff or painful and restrict your mobility.

Sometimes this happens when there's a shortage of hyaluronan, a substance found between the different layers of fascia, which supports smooth movement, Yu says. Decreased levels of hyaluronan can occur from a lack of physical activity, overuse of a certain body part or during recovery from a surgery or injury, she explains.

Thankfully, regular movement and stretching can heal fettered fascia. By introducing load to fascial connective tissues (such as tendons) through targeted stretching, you stimulate collagen, which helps heal structural tissues and aids in injury recovery, Yu says.

Simply put, stretching fascia tissue can tone down tension, stiffness or even pain throughout the body.

"For example, runners with plantar fasciitis or adults with low back pain or muscle stiffness can incorporate fascial stretching into their program to allow for symptom reduction," Yu says.

Fascia stretching — which may decrease inflammation — can also help prevent mobility problems. That's because keeping your fascia flexible and limber (read: healthy) will enable you to maintain adequate mobility, Yu says. And having good mobility (i.e., ease of movement and range of motion) can reduce your risk for injuries and improve performance in and out of the gym.

The following three amazing moves will stretch your major muscles and accompanying fascia from head to toe, hitting all the hot spots that tend to get tense (including the fascia in your feet and back).

You can do all the moves in order — for a complete, full-body, fascia stretching routine — or separately when you want to target an especially tight body part (lower back, we're looking at you) that needs a little extra TLC.

If you're dealing with an acute injury (or something that developed relatively recently), aim to do them twice per day, starting with round one in the morning (or at least after a period of inactivity), Yu says.

Doing your fascia stretching exercises first thing (i.e., before loading the tissues with your normal activity) will help limit the microtrauma and associated inflammation that may build up throughout the day, she explains.

For those doing static fascia stretches as a preventative measure to reduce the risk of injury, pain or stiffness, try tacking them onto your post-workout cooldown.

Either way, for the best results, perform 2 to 3 reps of each stretch for 20 to 30 seconds.

This is one of the best stretching exercises for the plantar fascia — the band of tissue that runs from your heel to the ball of your foot that provides arch support and absorbs shock.

When the plantar fascia is irritated, it can cause a condition called plantar fasciitis, which may develop from overuse, faulty foot mechanics (like flat feet) or inflammation along the bottom of the foot or heel, Yu says.

Stretching the plantar fascia can help prevent or manage pain.

Also known as the thread the needle stretch, this move primarily helps lengthen the rotators of the upper part of the trunk, but it also stretches your thoracolumbar fascia (a diamond-shaped area of connective tissue that covers the muscles in your thoracic and lumbar regions) and your latissimus dorsi (the large, flat and triangular muscle that covers your lower back), Yu says.

Stretching fascia in this area is stellar for anyone who experiences upper (and to some degree lower) back stiffness or tightness.

This is the ultimate stretch for people with stiff, tight low back issues since it helps elongate the rotators of the lower part of the trunk as well as the lower portion of the thoracolumbar fascia, Yu says.