170. A Comprehensive Look at Fascia Release Therapy with Julia Blackwell
A Comprehensive Look at Fascia Release Therapy with Julia Blackwell
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In this episode of the Elemental Evan podcast, host Evan Roberts is joined by fascia release practitioner and educator Julia Blackwell to dive deep into the subject of fascia. They explore what fascia is, its importance in the body as a connective tissue enveloping muscles, organs, and more, and how it contributes to our overall health.
Today's discussion covers the impact of fascia on storing trauma and chronic pain, strategies for releasing fascial tension, and the significant role of active movement in maintaining fascia health. The conversation also touches on Julia’s personal journey with nerve damage and how fascia release work led to remarkable improvements in her condition. Moreover, they provide practical advice on identifying fascial tension and utilizing tools like foam rollers for self-release, emphasizing the necessity of incorporating active movement for effective fascia care.
This episode will provide you with some basic tools on how to live pain free through simple fascia release practices.
00:24 Understanding Fascia with Julia Blackwell
02:13 The Importance of Fascia in Our Body
03:32 The Connection of Fascia to Everything
04:47 The Concept of Storing Trauma in Fascia
14:35 The Role of Movement and Hydration in Fascia Health
18:20 Identifying and Addressing Pain in the Body
24:21 The Impact of Repetitive Movements on Our Bodies
25:37 Understanding the Role of Fascia in Our Bodies
26:15 The Debate Around Stretching and Fascia Release
27:53 The Importance of Active Movement in Fascia Release
29:14 Personal Journey: Overcoming Nerve Damage Through Fascia Release
34:17 The Connection Between Fascia Release and Emotional Healing
39:57 Practical Tips for Fascia Release and Foam Rolling
45:32 The Role of Theragun in Pain Management and Fascia Release
47:10 Final Thoughts and Ways to Connect
DISCLAIMER:
This podcast is for educational purposes only, it is not a substitute for professional care by a doctor or other qualified medical professional. Evan Roberts is not a medical professional and this podcast is provided on the understanding that it does not constitute medical or other professional advice or services. Statements and views expressed on this show are not medical advice, this podcast, including Evan Roberts and any guests on the show, disclaims responsibility for any possible adverse effects from the use of information contained in this episode. If you think you have a medical problem please consult a medical professional.
Transcript
Hello.
2
:And welcome back to the
elemental I've been podcast.
3
:This is your host, Evan Roberts.
4
:And on this show, I break down
health topics from a holistic
5
:and simplified perspective.
6
:To give you tools after every
single episode that you can actually
7
:apply to your life and hopefully
improve your health and wellness
8
:for the better on today's episode,
I am joined by Julia Blackwell.
9
:She is a fascia release
practitioner, educator, and
10
:creator of the fascia remedy.
11
:And overall, she is just a very
knowledgeable person in the fascia realm.
12
:She's been working with clients
for years now, and she really
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:knows how to get into the fascia.
14
:And not only to release in a lubricate
and LinkedIn this fascia, but rather to
15
:also help release some stored trauma,
which is a very interesting topic
16
:that I have been personally interested
in covering for a couple years now.
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:So really happy to have Julia on the
show today, we are going to cover
18
:what the heck fascia even is because.
19
:It can be kind of a weird topic unless
you've been in anatomy and physiology
20
:or, uh, maybe dissected an animal
and you saw it kind of coding all of
21
:the muscles, but nonetheless, we're
going to cover what fascia is, why
22
:it's important, why it gets tough,
dense in restricted and hard to move.
23
:How we can go ahead and loosen all of
that up and get some lubrication in there.
24
:And once again, as well, release
some of that stored trauma that
25
:can actually accumulate in our
fascia, which is absolutely wild
26
:and a really cool topic to get into.
27
:So without further ado, I know you guys
are all going to absolutely love Julia.
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:She has some incredible health and
wellness knowledge, especially when it
29
:comes to fascia and it was an absolute
pleasure to have her on the show.
30
:So let's go ahead and
get into today's episode.
31
:Here is Julia Blackwell.
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:Welcome to the show.
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:Hey, Evan.
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:How's it going?
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:I'm doing very well.
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:Thank you very much for joining me today.
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:Uh, I'm just going to jump right into it.
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:Let's start at the bird's eye view.
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:Like what is fascia?
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:Oh, yeah, we are just diving right in.
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:Okay.
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:Well, fascia, it's also the connective
tissue that you have in your body.
43
:It is the biological fabric
that organizes all of the water
44
:and material in your body.
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:So one of my favorite analogies is
that it's like plastic wrap that wraps
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:around every single thing we have.
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:So every muscle fibril, multiple
of those make up one muscle fiber
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:and fascia wraps around that.
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:It wraps around every muscle,
every muscle group, every bone,
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:nerve, ligament, tendon, bone.
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:blood vessel, organ,
have I said them all yet?
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:It's, it's around everything in your body.
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:So without it, we would go
tumbling to the ground in a
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:pile of bone fragments and goo.
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:So this is one uninterrupted
interconnected system that
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:functions like a unit.
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:And of course, it's not only imperative
for our posture and our shape and
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:our structure because of that.
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:organization of all of the things.
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:It plays a lot of different
roles in the body.
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:It's the only system that
touches all of the other systems.
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:So I've been very fascinated over
the last 12, 13 years to figure out
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:how to optimize the health of this
tissue, because it then optimizes the
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:health of all of your other systems.
65
:Okay.
66
:Gotcha.
67
:So it's, you said it's
connected to everything.
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:And so Uh in my mind for some reason I
was thinking like fascia Was just like
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:specifically around like a group of
muscles and like maybe separated from
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:each other But rather you're saying like
it's entirely connected throughout your
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:entire body Yes, so i've heard before
people thought it was like a sausage
72
:casing around the muscle, but it's
really this Crisscrossing spider web
73
:layer on layer on layer of plastic wrap.
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:It's like a three dimensional plastic
wrap suit that you wear on the inside.
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:Wow.
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:Okay.
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:Uh, now this is okay.
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:So just to give a little bit of
my background in terms of fascia
79
:and my understanding of it, like.
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:Definitely , I do remember some from
like taking anatomy and physiology,
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:but rather, uh, hearing more of it in
my yoga practices and kind of doing
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:deeper stretching to, you know, hold a
pose for a specific amount of time to
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:really start to work into the fascia.
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:But.
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:I don't really feel like I have a
super strong understanding of it and
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:also this idea of storing trauma in
the fascia was a very interesting
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:topic for me because I don't know.
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:It was a very hard, it's almost
like hard to correlate the two.
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:So I'm wondering like, how
is it that trauma actually
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:makes its way into fashion?
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:Why, why in the fashion?
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:Why not into like our muscles
or something along those lines?
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:Thank you.
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:Sure.
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:So we think about, we can go back
to that plastic wrap suit analogy
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:within that plastic wrap suit are
free nerve endings and proprioceptors,
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:which are the small receptors that
many people are familiar with.
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:That they play a role in your balance or
your coordination, which is absolutely
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:true, but they do so much more than that.
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:They are taking in information constantly
about your internal environment
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:and your external environment and
communicating that within itself.
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:I know this is a different tangent, but
the fascial system actually communicates.
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:outside of the nervous system.
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:It can communicate within just
itself and then respond to whatever
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:information or stimulus it's getting
very similar to the nervous system.
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:And of course they do talk to each
other, but fascia has been called the
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:most highly sensory organ that we have.
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:And so if it's taking in all of this
information about your external or
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:internal environment, And responds
to, again, stress, anxiety, maybe
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:an actual physical trauma that
you've had, that information is
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:passing through your fascial system.
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:And what happens a lot of the time is
that prolonged experiences, prolonged
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:traumatic experiences or something
ultra traumatic, the fascia will start
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:to lock down and become constricted
and stuck in that contracted state,
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:thinking that it's protecting you from
whatever threat might be out there.
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:So if you have, again, if you have
a stressful job, you've been through
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:some trauma in your life, your, your
fascia is essentially like the paper
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:that your life story is written on.
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:So if you've got a lot of tension, a
lot of chronic pain, Um, some feelings
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:of just being dense or heavy, you feel
like you're getting injured all the time.
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:There's a lot of signs that fascia
might be stuck in that contracted
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:state, but they're absolutely
correlated with each other.
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:It's super wild to me.
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:Um, yeah, and also just when people
are releasing the trauma from like the
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:fascial, um, work that they're doing.
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:Really wild to to see that it like it's
literally almost like, uh, an emotion is
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:stored in that little piece of your body.
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:And just by, you know, working in
that area, you're able to release
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:that from the body, which I can
only imagine is very liberating.
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:Have you ever done breath work before?
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:Yeah, like a, like a holotropic
style, like the three part breathing.
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:Okay.
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:Um, have you ever, have you ever had
any of the, what do they call it?
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:Like petney, where your, your hands
start to kind of cramp up and all that.
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:Yeah.
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:Yeah.
137
:Definitely experienced that.
138
:I get the, I get the
claws every single time.
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:, but one time I did experience where I was
just going through the breath and I like
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:kept going and kept going and kept going
and I decided like I was just going to
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:push past the point in which I had stopped
before and my calves like completely
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:clenched up almost like, uh, like a cramp.
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:And, uh, yeah, so it was very interesting.
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:I was like, I don't know if that was.
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:Like an area of trauma, you know that
like was just and that's what they say
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:is sometimes when you're breathing into
your body Like it can trigger areas
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:where there might be some trauma stored.
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:Um, but it's also
interesting I don't know.
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:Do you know if that would have
been like doing that deep breath?
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:Does that get into the fascial network or
is it like something completely different?
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:I mean, it could definitely be related
Unfortunately, we don't get to pick
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:where we store trauma in the body Uh,
I've heard many times before people
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:get really attached to the idea that
trauma is stored in the hips, which
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:it absolutely can be and I've seen it
happen just about everywhere in the
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:body, um, between working on clients,
but I've, I've experienced it for myself,
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:you know, the first time I ever had.
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:an emotional release.
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:It was in the side of my neck in this
upper SEM area, and it was so gentle.
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:It didn't hurt at all.
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:And as I started moving and working
through this tissue, tears were
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:just falling out of my face.
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:And I was like, Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry.
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:I don't know why I'm crying.
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:It doesn't hurt.
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:And had to be, you know, brought
into the idea that this can
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:happen sometimes when you.
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:I finally pull pieces apart of
something that's been stuck for a
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:really long time and there's some
type of energy that's stuck in there.
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:It just comes out and you don't always
have to know what it is or why it's there.
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:But I've had emotional releases in
breathwork as well where Suddenly
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:we change the style of breathing
and then I'm like, hold on.
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:I need to cry apparently for
15 seconds and then we move on.
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:Yeah.
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:Yeah.
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:It's, it is a very, a very interesting
process, uh, both breath work
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:, and, , working with the fascia.
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:How can you tell where a part of
your body would need some release?
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:like Are you able to actually
just look or feel on your body
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:or maybe if you try to like?
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:Do a stretch and you feel a little
bit of uh tension or pain Like
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:how do you know if you have an
area that needs to be released?
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:Yeah, well if you're super weird and
obsessed with fascia like me I can see
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:it on everyone I can usually see it from
what their posture is doing but even
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:to the average person right if you see
someone that is You really hunched over.
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:They've got rounded forward shoulders
and their heads down a little bit.
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:That's likely not a, the most
confident person ever, right?
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:Like that person has probably
got some other things going on.
188
:So fascia can be very represent
representative of our emotions or how
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:we're feeling in general and life.
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:Um, so you might take a look at your
posture and see what's happening there.
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:You might have a lot of constriction
around your heart space in the chest.
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:That's literally rounding you forward.
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:Um, however, mostly any type of, of
pain, like if you've got any aches
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:and pains, even ones that you're
convinced are from simply getting old.
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:That's my biggest pet peeve.
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:People are like, Oh, well, my
back hurts in the morning, but
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:it's just cause I'm getting old.
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:So are you pretty much saying like
getting older is not an excuse?
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:You can essentially live Your entire life,
pretty much, I mean, for a majority of
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:the time, like pain free, would you say?
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:Oh, 100%.
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:So, there is a natural part of
the aging process, which is that
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:we become more dehydrated, we
have less water in our tissue.
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:So, it does mean that we need to work a
little bit harder to restore more fluid
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:and keep that process of aging going.
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:Hyaluronic acid being produced in our
body and such, but, but yeah, every,
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:everything is wrapped in fascia.
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:So therefore the position and function
of everything is influenced by fascia.
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:So even if you think you have a structural
problem that you have a disc related
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:problem, or you have a nerve related
problem, it's actually a fascia problem.
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:So if you have really any type of pain,
whether that's tendinitis to pinch nerves.
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:Um, it's, it's a fascia related problem.
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:So that's a big indicator.
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:Um, I guess any type of mobility
issue is also an indicator.
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:Uh, if you're really struggling with
range of motion in your squats, or you
216
:don't feel like you can lift your hands
above your head as high as you used to,
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:that is also just the result of fascia
slowly becoming restricted over time.
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:Is it that this fascia is becoming
like, Rigid and dense or, or shortening?
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:Like what, what is it that's
usually the cause here?
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:Like, what are we trying to like work
on the lengthening or the, you know,
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:rather the, like smoothing it back out,
like what would be the process there?
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:That's a really great question because
we could actually go down a whole rabbit
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:hole of debating whether or not fascia
can truly be released in the lengthening
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:sense, but what we, what happens is.
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:Fascia can become rigid like
you were saying or dehydrated.
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:So most of the time when we're
talking about fascia, you know,
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:quote unquote release, we're really
talking about rehydrating and
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:retexturizing the fascia in that area.
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:Gotcha.
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:Gotcha.
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:Yeah.
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:And you had, you had touched
on the rehydration as well.
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:Um, and like hyaluronic acid.
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:Um, so what is, what's the, I
mean, obviously drink water, right.
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:But in terms of like, aside from
just drinking water, cause I'm
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:sure it goes deeper than that.
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:Um, like what's the best way in which we
can really get hydration into the fascia,
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:the muscles, um, as well, you mentioned
hyaluronic acid, like for example, is
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:it a good idea to supplement with that?
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:Like.
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:What would be the best practice there?
242
:So we've talked mostly for the sake of
being able to visualize it about the
243
:fibrous part of fascia, which, you know,
it's made up of collagen and elastin
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:fibers, but actually a huge part of
our fascia lays between those fibers
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:in the form of extracellular fluid.
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:So we have a very specialized,
Structured water that's in our
247
:fascia, and that's what really
deeply hydrates all of our tissues.
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:It's what allows our
muscles and joints to glide.
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:And hyaluron is present in
the extracellular matrix,
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:in this extracellular fluid.
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:So just by keeping our fascia hydrated,
we're already helping our tissues.
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:With that production of hyaluronic
acid and just keeping everything
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:in that more slippery state.
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:I guess it can be like a bunch of oil
between those layers of plastic wrap.
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:Extracellular fluid is what's allowing
all of that gliding to happen.
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:Fascia, though, is And this is a
essentially it's a water irrigation
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:system, so all of that water that we
already have in it, you can look at
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:it under a microscope, you can see the
drops of water being transported to
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:all of these areas of our body, and
the only way that we can really have
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:that happen is through one movement.
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:So unfortunately, if you are.
262
:Only adding another Nalgene at your desk
at work that you're drinking every day.
263
:You're not actually helping
yourself become more hydrated.
264
:You're only giving yourself an excuse
to go to the bathroom every 30 minutes.
265
:Movement is such a key part to
get that water through the fascial
266
:system and actually moving towards
the places that you need it.
267
:So movement is huge, but second,
secondly, you may need to actually
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:release those areas of fascia.
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:So if you think about.
270
:A crumpled up ball of plastic wrap.
271
:If you dumped a bottle of water
over it, we're not really going to
272
:get that water to that inside area
that's super tight and crumpled up.
273
:So through fascia release, as we
start to unstick all those layers
274
:that are stuck and retexturize that
area, now the water can actually
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:get to where we want it to go.
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:So it's definitely a twofold answer.
277
:Hmm.
278
:It kind of almost makes me think of
like the lymphatic system, right?
279
:Where.
280
:You have to move your body to really help
the lymphatic system move as well, right?
281
:Does it have its own like pump system?
282
:Uh, so I feel like there's got to
be some kind of correlation there
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:But yeah, just in general movement
is such a medic a medicinal practice
284
:to um for everything, right?
285
:But I guess as well with lubricating
the body which I always, uh, it's, it's
286
:a tough one when someone gets injured
or they're dealing with a pain of some
287
:kind, you know, and the one thing that
they don't want to do is move, right?
288
:They like they're bedridden or they're
even rather told to stay bedridden, um,
289
:whether by a medical professional or not.
290
:And I think to a degree
that is necessary, right?
291
:Depending on the injury.
292
:But at the same time like for
example and we can get into this
293
:but like sciatic pain, right?
294
:A lot of times sciatic pain can be
so painful people have trouble even
295
:standing up getting out of bed Whatever
it might be but at the end of the day
296
:you have to move and strengthen the
body You know work into the areas that
297
:you have that pain to really get past
that so Um, yeah, and sorry, I'm just
298
:going to leave it there with this.
299
:I had it because I'm sure you can go
on and I want to hear a lot on that.
300
:So, um, take it away.
301
:Sorry.
302
:Oh yeah.
303
:I mean, we don't have 10 hours
to talk about the bad advice that
304
:the medical system gives out.
305
:Um, and you know, I, I truly
understand what it's like to have
306
:a horrible pain that makes you
feel like you shouldn't be moving.
307
:You know, I've.
308
:Experience low back pain and knee pain and
neck pain in my life amongst other things.
309
:That's just like, it's
just a part of life.
310
:Pain happens, right?
311
:But yes, I really truly believe this, this
diagnosis of, Oh, this thing is injured.
312
:So now rest, you need to
rest to make this better.
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:Unless you've had a really
significant impact trauma, like a
314
:car accident or a fall, a mountain
bike crash, something like that.
315
:Usually movement is absolutely
the thing you need to be doing.
316
:Even with sciatica.
317
:Now, the thing I'll say about that,
though, is you're likely experiencing that
318
:pain due to a rotation in the pelvis, some
fascial tension in different areas of the
319
:legs, so you might want to release fascia
in these spots before you go do whatever
320
:activity you activity you like to do,
whether it's just walking or going to the
321
:gym to help minimize the pain so that it
allows you to do more movement for sure.
322
:Yeah.
323
:And I think I'd heard you saying
earlier as well, that just because you
324
:feel a pain in one area of your body
doesn't necessarily mean that's the
325
:area that needs the work done, right?
326
:Like, We were talking about
plantar fasciitis as well
327
:as with the sciatic pain.
328
:Like I know some people actually, uh,
I was speaking with someone just like a
329
:week ago and they were feeling, uh, pain
like right in the Achilles tendon, right?
330
:And it's like, yeah, you might
think to, okay, just work around
331
:the calf or, you know, like just,
just slightly above it or below it,
332
:whatever, uh, maybe down into the heel.
333
:But rather you're kind of saying that
that might not be where it stems from.
334
:And rather, you know, being
that the body's so connected,
335
:it might be further up the line.
336
:Is that correct?
337
:Oh, absolutely.
338
:Where we feel pain is almost never the
problem, which I understand can be a
339
:bummer at times because it's common
sense that we're like, Oh, my back hurts.
340
:I need to go roll out my back or
stretch my back, whatever that is.
341
:I, I totally understand that that's what
makes the most sense, but our body is
342
:a system of pulleys with the fascial
system that all ideally are balanced.
343
:They have the same amount
of tension front to back.
344
:Side to side, they're all
working and sliding together.
345
:So when something starts to get
like a little crinkled up ball of
346
:plastic wrap, it starts to pull
something in a different direction.
347
:And usually where something gets
overstretched or where a muscle
348
:begins working way too hard as a
compensation, that's the area that hurts.
349
:But that's not the actual root cause.
350
:Of the pain that's that crumpled up
ball of plastic wrap somewhere else
351
:is what you actually need to go find.
352
:So man, plantar fasciitis,
that's such a great example.
353
:I've worked with men, hundreds,
probably at this point of people with
354
:plantar fasciitis that are always
blown away that we can get rid of
355
:it without even touching their foot.
356
:because it's not a foot problem.
357
:As soon as you release that posterior
chain, especially up in the hamstrings
358
:or glute glutes, that's a huge area.
359
:Or if they, they likely have an imbalance
in the hips that, you know, fascial
360
:tension discrepancy between both sides.
361
:And as soon as you balance that out,
the plantar fasciitis goes away.
362
:It's the same with
sciatic and low back pain.
363
:Uh, yeah, I think the running joke in.
364
:Denver is, I'm some kind of wizard because
I keep releasing something seemingly
365
:random and it takes away pain, but it's
like it's, it actually makes a lot of
366
:sense once you know where to look for it.
367
:Hmm.
368
:And for example, what, what area of
the body would you say tends to be
369
:where a lot of the issues stem from?
370
:Would it be the hips?
371
:Um, the pelvis certainly
causes a lot of issues.
372
:You know, large, largely
none of us are moving.
373
:The way our bodies were intended,
myself included as active as we all are.
374
:You know, you could go to the gym every
day, week, but if you're sitting at a
375
:desk for eight hours and then you sit on
the couch and watch Netflix all night,
376
:that's, that's not taking your body
through a lot of different ranges of
377
:motions and different types of movement.
378
:So, um, that the pelvis absolutely
gets affected by that, but a pattern
379
:I've seen over and over with the
body plantar fasciitis is not
380
:necessarily a great example, but.
381
:Um, the.
382
:idea that the opposite area of
where you're feeling pain tends
383
:to be one of the main culprits.
384
:So if you have a lot of upper back
and neck pain, it's likely that the
385
:chest and the front of the neck is
actually the area that's super tight.
386
:Or if you have a pain right in
the center of your knee, it's
387
:likely the back of the calf and
hamstring contributing to that pain.
388
:So I see that so commonly throughout all
different kinds of areas in the body.
389
:Um, looking for that opposite
area as the root cause.
390
:Yeah.
391
:And also, you had mentioned, uh, like
hunched over shoulders and stuff.
392
:Uh, that actually, I mean, I don't have
it largely, but I do have it to a degree.
393
:And I, even in high school, I had went to
a chiropractor and he had mentioned it.
394
:And he was kind of mentioning that it
could also be from, you know, doing
395
:mainly like bench press as opposed to,
you know, flat poles or something along
396
:those lines to kind of balance that.
397
:Um, but what, what's really played
like, obviously I'm guessing both muscle
398
:and fascia could play a role there.
399
:Um, does fat is, is fascia always kind of.
400
:reacting to trauma or is it also like
through working out can we make it
401
:dense and and immobile and and kind
of crumpled up like you'd mentioned?
402
:Yeah, another contributor to fascia
becoming more unhealthy in certain
403
:areas is repetitive patterns.
404
:They've worked with a lot of, you
know, professional athletes and
405
:even recreational athletes over
the years where they're really
406
:into a certain type of sport.
407
:And while they're very high level
and they're very good at this thing,
408
:they end up having pain or mobility
problems because they're using
409
:the same muscles in the same way.
410
:Over and over and over again.
411
:So, you know, a CrossFit athlete, maybe
they're doing hundreds of squats over
412
:the course of a week's time, uh, maybe
for you, if you did bench press every
413
:single time you went into the gym.
414
:Fascia wants to, to actually help us.
415
:It's going to start to change
and mold into the shape.
416
:It thinks that you need to
perform whatever motions
417
:you're doing the most often.
418
:So if, yeah, if you're doing a lot
of bench press, you're going to The
419
:tissue might've started to shorten
to get you in a better position to
420
:be just pushing if it wasn't being
balanced enough with a pulling motion,
421
:something like that, if that makes sense.
422
:Yeah, no, absolutely.
423
:And so pretty much doing like a full range
of motion, switching it up, like really
424
:trying to kind of like, yeah, essentially
do movements that your body doesn't
425
:always do is probably a really great
idea to kind of open the body up then.
426
:Oh yeah, a hundred percent.
427
:It's tough.
428
:We were all creatures of habit and
it's, it's easier to go to the gym and
429
:do the same types of things every time.
430
:But yeah, the, our body's not made
to do 500 squats in a week's time.
431
:Like, you know, at 80 percent of your max
for time, whatever, I'm not anti CrossFit.
432
:I'm just, it's just an example.
433
:You know, I've worked with a lot of
baseball players and tennis players
434
:and people that they're throwing with
the same arm or they're swinging in
435
:the same way over and over again.
436
:It really.
437
:That's a more dynamic sport, but
it's still, it's the repetition
438
:of the same movement over and
over again that starts to get you.
439
:Yeah.
440
:And it always, it makes sense.
441
:I mean, it's also one of those things
where you can't always base everything
442
:off of this, but if you did just try to
take an ancestral kind of look at things
443
:to it is like, who the heck would have
been squatting 500 times a day, right?
444
:With like 80 or, you know, do an 80
percent max, like, It would have been very
445
:like, okay, maybe you killed an animal
and you have to carry it back, right?
446
:And like, okay, you're going to get some
squats and whatnot in there, but yeah,
447
:so I do, I like to try to try to put it
in terms of like the ancestral standpoint
448
:just because obviously biology takes a
while to catch up with our lifestyle and
449
:and we're Going exceedingly fast at that.
450
:Um, but yeah, so on that note though,
what would be some of the, just like
451
:the basic day to day stuff that we
can really do to either avoid our
452
:fascia kind of getting this crumpled
or dense, uh, you know, uh, locations
453
:in body and parts of our body.
454
:Or, what are some of the
simple things that we could do?
455
:Like, is it foam rolling?
456
:Is it stretching?
457
:Um, yeah, and does stretching,
cause you mentioned there's a debate
458
:even on the lengthening, right?
459
:So like how effective
is stretching even with.
460
:Releasing the fascia.
461
:Sorry, I gave you like a
multi part question there.
462
:So take whatever you want from
that So many things to answer.
463
:Um Yeah, evan i'm not a fan of
stretching like the classic static
464
:stretching that we're all used to.
465
:Um I don't think there's a lot of
very good evidence, especially when
466
:it comes to pain around stretching.
467
:Um, again, when you're stretching,
let's say, for example, your
468
:hamstrings, because we've all done it.
469
:Our hamstrings feel tight.
470
:We throw a leg up on a higher surface, and
we just crank forward on the hamstring.
471
:If that area is super tight, fascially
speaking, and we have these crumpled
472
:up balls of plastic wrap throughout
multiple layers through, you know, the
473
:muscle all the way down to the bone,
We're not able to pull out the wrinkles
474
:through just a one plane stretch.
475
:We have to be able to get in
some cross fibering motions and
476
:more active movement for anything
to truly change in our fascia.
477
:And so oftentimes that's Cranking
out a stretch over and over again.
478
:I've seen it increase people's
pain a lot of the time.
479
:So, um, if we go back to the
plantar fasciitis example, if
480
:you're just putting your foot up
on a wall and cranking forward on
481
:your calf, I've seen that actually
worsen plantar fasciitis over time.
482
:But as soon as you release
fascia properly in the calf.
483
:that makes a very positive difference.
484
:So I'm just not really a fan
of the static stretching.
485
:Um, yeah, I think it can work over
time possibly, but it's also going to
486
:take so much longer to get the result
that I think we're all looking for.
487
:So something super simple that you
absolutely could do is do more movement,
488
:even if that just means tilting your head
from side to side at your desk, Yeah.
489
:Yeah.
490
:nodding up and down, you know,
rolling your circles, reaching up
491
:above your head, doing little twists.
492
:Like there's a lot of movement
things that you can do.
493
:Even if you are required to do a
lot of sitting throughout your day,
494
:any type of movement you do is going
to help that water get through your
495
:fascial system more effectively.
496
:Um, but.
497
:As is my obsession for the last 10
plus years, I'm all about releasing
498
:fashion in a very specific way.
499
:And that combination is through
compression and active movement.
500
:And I do that with either a foam
roller or, you know, various tools
501
:that most people are probably already
familiar with, like any type of
502
:massage, little round or lacrosse ball.
503
:I've used all those different
tools before, and then just
504
:used it more as a tool for.
505
:The compression and movement instead
of simply rolling or holding on a spot.
506
:Yeah.
507
:You were saying, and you were saying
that through your practice, you've
508
:kind of like, you started doing
things and then later you kind of
509
:find out like what it was that you
were even doing in the first place.
510
:Right.
511
:What, what were some of those things?
512
:Yeah.
513
:I mean, we can backtrack a little bit.
514
:We haven't talked much about
how I got into this work.
515
:So I was, I was born with nerve damage.
516
:That was very significant.
517
:I had a massive nerve regraft surgery
when I was only four months old.
518
:I grew up going through the standard
Western medicine system run around,
519
:which is, you know, going from
practitioner to practitioner, doctor
520
:to doctor, continually told that
nothing could be done, um, about this
521
:tension Lack of sensation and mobility
and all of these things that were
522
:still causing problems with my arm.
523
:And I was still on the hunt for something
that might make a difference, but it
524
:seemed like, you know, for the first
23 years of my life, I laid on hundreds
525
:of tables for treatments by experts.
526
:I tried every tool that
you could think of.
527
:I went and did, you know,
anything I thought might make a
528
:difference, but nothing seemed
to make a lasting difference.
529
:Until I moved out to, I moved from
Cincinnati to Boulder in:
530
:met a lady that did A type of fascia
release work that I'd never heard of.
531
:And it was all about this compression
of a spot and then having, you know,
532
:you as the person getting compressed,
actively move through a range of motion.
533
:And I saw more results in the feel and
function of my arm in three months than
534
:I had in 23 years of doing other things.
535
:And was like, Holy crap.
536
:If, if this is able to make a dent
in what was supposed to be, you
537
:know, A completely irrevocable issue.
538
:What can this do for the average
pain or for everyone else?
539
:Or what else can this do?
540
:So I immediately got very obsessed with
fascia, started doing this type of fascia
541
:release, and, you know, even learned a few
more different modalities over the years.
542
:And as more fascia research comes
out, we start learning about
543
:things like a fascicite, which only
gets activated through shearing
544
:or cross fibering of tissue.
545
:And when that cell gets activated,
that's what really starts that process
546
:of hyaluronic acid being produced.
547
:Which is again, that full body grease
for our muscles and our joints.
548
:It even adds a little padding
and cushioning for our joints.
549
:Um, so that was cool to be like, Oh,
well, when I'm compressing something for
550
:someone and having them move actively,
we're actively cross fibering all of
551
:these different directions of the fascia.
552
:And so there's things like that, where as
I learn more and more about it, I'm like,
553
:Oh, this is why this is working so well.
554
:Or they'll, you know, I don't know
if you're familiar with Thomas Myers
555
:and all of his research about anatomy
trains, but once I saw all of these
556
:interconnected lines in the fascia,
I was like, Oh, that's why when I
557
:work on this area, it really reduces
or straight up eliminates this pain.
558
:So it's been a cool journey
to, to see as more and more.
559
:Research comes out, how that aligns
with what I'm doing, although
560
:there is the other side that it
seems like the more we learn about
561
:fascia, the more mysterious it gets.
562
:It's like, It does the coolest things
and we're, we're only hitting what
563
:I feel is the tip of the iceberg.
564
:Yeah.
565
:Yeah.
566
:That's, uh, wow.
567
:There's a lot I can go off of on that,
but I first off want to say, as a kid
568
:dealing with a lot of gastrointestinal
issues, it was a similar kind of like
569
:run around, I would say at the, you know,
at the doctor's office where it's just
570
:kind of like, I don't know, I feel like
maybe they just didn't have the knowledge
571
:beyond like what they were telling
me, you know, which was essentially
572
:that like, Hey, Transcribed you
probably have like lactose intolerance.
573
:Maybe you have irritable bowel syndrome.
574
:Like, you know, we're not really sure.
575
:And you're probably just going
to live with this for the
576
:rest of your life, you know?
577
:And, and, uh, as a kid, I mean, like
you kind of take it to heart cause
578
:you're like, Oh my God, for life.
579
:I, uh, you know, it's like, you just
kind of embody it and go from there.
580
:But, um, Sean Stevenson, he has a really
good podcast and, and he mentions, um,
581
:Uh, because he dealt with, uh, like he
broke a hip when he was like nine, he
582
:broke his hip when he was like 19 and
had the spine of like an 80 year old.
583
:And the doctors are telling him
like, there's nothing he can do.
584
:And he just mentions the fact of the
nocebo as opposed to the placebo, right?
585
:Which for those of you who don't know,
the nocebo is like, you know, just as
586
:telling someone with a placebo that,
Hey, if we give you this medication,
587
:like you're going to get better
while the nocebo is opposite of that.
588
:It's like you take this and
you're going to get worse or
589
:you're going to have side effects.
590
:And so.
591
:He was just kind of mentioning like
how what's being said to you at that
592
:age like especially yeah Or at any age
when someone tells you that like hey,
593
:this is there is no cure for this Like
you're just not gonna get better like
594
:that's already defeating you in the mind.
595
:So I really like commend you on Pushing
and like continuing to try to find an
596
:outlet, you know, and and it's led you
to here as well which is really amazing,
597
:so yeah, like kudos to you on that.
598
:Thanks.
599
:It, I would say one of the more
challenging aspects of this journey has
600
:been getting my mind to fully accept the
positive changes that are still happening.
601
:So I'm still on my journey.
602
:I still have to work.
603
:On my arm, just because my
condition was extra severe.
604
:But, um, I wonder actually
how much is, is still.
605
:Mental because yeah.
606
:When someone of authority that should
know what they're talking about,
607
:or you assume that they know what
they're talking about says something
608
:like, Hey, you're You are going to
have this for the rest of your life.
609
:This is never going to get better.
610
:Uh, that that's a very serious thing to
tell someone, no matter what age, you
611
:know, you know, you and I were both kids,
which maybe we're even extra vulnerable
612
:then, but that kind of stuff sinks in.
613
:And the mind body
connection is very powerful.
614
:And if your mind.
615
:Truly believes that there's nothing you
can do and there's no way for you to heal.
616
:Your body will likely follow suit.
617
:So, um, I definitely recognize there
are ways that I'm still working on that.
618
:It is a challenge when you've been
working, uh, on something that you've had
619
:no answers for, for a really long time.
620
:Yeah, and sorry to go back to
your, to your hand as well, like,
621
:so, uh, would you just not feel
like sensations in your hand?
622
:Like, what was kind of the, what
was the nerve damage like causing,
623
:uh, like in a tangible sense?
624
:Um, so it vastly limited
my range of motion.
625
:So I couldn't lift my arm up over my head.
626
:Um, I had a real tough time
straightening my elbow out, pronating
627
:my arm and using my hand for things.
628
:But, uh, if we're really going to go down
the mental side of this, I think being
629
:told that, you know, that there was damage
and there was nothing I could do about
630
:it, I'm not sure what was a true lack of
sensation and what was me just completely
631
:disconnecting from that side of my body.
632
:So I really feel like I
pretended that arm didn't exist.
633
:And so I didn't use it for anything.
634
:It was very tucked in at my side and.
635
:It took me a while to get out of that
phase of like, no, this, this moves.
636
:Now muscles are firing.
637
:Now I had, you know, a lot of
emotional releases on this side.
638
:Like there was just so many
incredible things that fascia
639
:release was able to offer, uh,
that I was like, Oh, wow, this is.
640
:I have to get my mind wrapped
around the changes that are
641
:happening so fast with my body.
642
:Yeah.
643
:Yeah.
644
:I do a little bit of foam rolling here
and there, but I'm very interested to, to
645
:go deeper into kind of your work and to
see what else I can try to do on myself
646
:or, uh, find a practitioner as well.
647
:But, do you feel like a lot of people
who come into your practice come in
648
:Because they have a trauma, like they're
going there specifically for trauma, or
649
:do you think they're going there more
so for like the actual release of the
650
:fascia and like they're dealing with a
pain or is it like a 50 50 mix there?
651
:Yeah, I have a pretty eclectic mix of
people that I've been working with.
652
:Um, I would say far and away pain is
the reason that people come in to begin
653
:with, but I've started getting more and
more people looking to Get more connected
654
:to their body and release trauma.
655
:Uh, I've certainly had more of those
people in the last couple of years.
656
:Um, it can be a little bit more
challenging simply because, you know, we
657
:can't choose the time and place that we'll
have an emotional release or, um, what
658
:the process is really going to look like.
659
:But I do really believe that
one of the fastest ways to
660
:the mind is through the body.
661
:Uh, so it, it's pretty much.
662
:It's a very interesting and different
approach, but mostly people are coming
663
:for pain, and it's a passion of mine
to help people really understand why
664
:they're experiencing whatever it is
that they're experiencing because as
665
:soon as you know what that root cause
is or what's the main, what are the main
666
:contributors, You can do this on your own.
667
:Uh, I, I don't want
people to need me forever.
668
:Um, I'm a great resource as a way
to kickstart the process with some
669
:really powerful compression and you
know, the intelligence of knowing
670
:where most of these patterns may live.
671
:But I mean, I, myself, I've had knee pain,
low back pain and neck pain over the years
672
:that I've gotten rid of myself with foam
rolling in a matter of days because I know
673
:what I'm releasing and where I should go.
674
:And so that is the greatest compliment
that I receive is I'll hear from a
675
:client after six months and they're
like, Oh my gosh, you know, that
676
:knee pain that I had came back for
one day and I went and rolled those
677
:places that I know are tight on me.
678
:And now it's totally gone after a day.
679
:And I'm like, that's it.
680
:That's the thing is just being able
to understand our bodies and knowing
681
:that it's not so mysterious where it's
not really as complicated as we think.
682
:Uh, you know, I think we all
want to think we're some kind of
683
:medical unicorn, myself included.
684
:We're just like, well, that
couldn't possibly work for me.
685
:Cause I have three degenerated
discs and a herniation at the top.
686
:Yeah.
687
:You know, whatever your excuses,
but it's like, it really works
688
:when you know where to go.
689
:And that's absolutely
something that I hope for you.
690
:I hope it'll be fun to dive into
and just get to know your own
691
:body and know, um, how to quickly.
692
:Address anything that might come up.
693
:Yeah, no, I appreciate that
because I'm definitely still
694
:new in the field of fascia.
695
:So this has been like an absolutely
eyeopening talk and experience for me.
696
:So I appreciate you bearing,
bearing with me here on my
697
:three part, four part questions.
698
:And so, uh, I know you mentioned that
you do have, uh, some resources that
699
:people can access, but like, I guess
just, um, at the most basic level,
700
:someone who is dealing with a pain, um,
do you have a general recommendation of
701
:like, Hey, you know, you want to look
at the muscles kind of above the area
702
:that's giving you pain or, you know,
obviously like avoiding, I don't know,
703
:you know, major joints, like not putting
a ton of pressure, like straight on your
704
:spine or something along those lines.
705
:Uh, but do you have general
recommendations that someone can just.
706
:Literally brand new to fascia and foam
rolling like what they could start trying
707
:Um, you know, you could keep it as simple
as like if you're experiencing a lower
708
:body problem Start with releasing areas
of the lower body The caveat would be
709
:I actually don't really recommend that
you do foam rolling on your lower back
710
:I think you'll find that releasing other
areas in the lower body have a much
711
:more significant and positive effect
than actually rolling on the back.
712
:Those vertebrae are more
fragile than they seem.
713
:Um, or if you have an upper body
issue, you could start releasing
714
:areas of the upper body that are near,
uh, you know, we talked about that.
715
:Opposites connection where yeah, is
the pain in the back of your body.
716
:See if you can release something on
the front of your body or vice versa.
717
:Um, the other recommendation would
be, um, rolling on your roller is not
718
:really going to be super effective.
719
:So whatever you're releasing, you want
to find an area that feels tender or
720
:sore because that's where the pain is.
721
:Healthy fascia doesn't hurt.
722
:So you're specifically looking
for an area that feels very tight
723
:and then you're going to keep that
compression wherever you're working
724
:and move your body a little bit.
725
:So let's take The quads, for example,
if you lay with your quads on a roller
726
:in a plank position, we've all done
the just kind of pulling ourselves
727
:up and down with the muscle fibers.
728
:Instead of doing that, simply pause on a
spot on your quads that feels very sore
729
:and then bend and straighten your knees.
730
:Kind of like you're doing a hamstring
curl, you can even keep your knees bent
731
:and then rock your heels side to side.
732
:So now your quad is going to cross
fiber over the roller instead of
733
:going with the grain of the muscle.
734
:Again, that cross fibering aspect
is very important, so you don't
735
:have to over complicate it.
736
:Maybe I'm making it
sound more complicated.
737
:No, no, you're not.
738
:Whatever you're, you know, holding,
just move your, whether it's
739
:your shoulder, your elbow, your
knee, just move something nearby.
740
:You're going to get a much better
result than you will if you're
741
:simply rolling up and down and
back and forth on the same spot.
742
:No, that's, that's excellent advice.
743
:And I was going to mention the it
band, like that's always an area that
744
:is very like, it could be very tender.
745
:Um, so yeah, I, I've definitely rolled
out, but I did the first version you
746
:mentioned where it was like just the
rolling and rather not, um, or I, maybe
747
:I've sat on a spot that, Oh, it did her
and like, just kind of held it there.
748
:But I've never.
749
:Like utilize my body to like really
find some movement in that space
750
:that is like feeling the pain.
751
:Yeah, the active movement
component is so important.
752
:We've got to bring in the brain
if we want to interrupt these poor
753
:movement patterns or to interrupt.
754
:This pattern that the fascia is stuck
in and we live in a world where most
755
:of our options are very passive.
756
:We just lay on a table and have
someone else to do something to us
757
:or, um, you know, we're just there
gunning the ever living crap out
758
:of our low back or whatever it is.
759
:Those, those aren't going to
make the changes that you'll get
760
:when you move your body yourself.
761
:Um, that was what was so life changing
for the nerve damage in my arm.
762
:I, everything I had tried up until that
point, I realized was largely passive.
763
:And that active movement was so important.
764
:But yes, I mean, the IT bands, I will say.
765
:Uh, they're often very intense, and
so if the intensity is above, let's
766
:say, a seven for any part of your
body, for that matter, it's totally
767
:fine to throw, um, you know, a yoga
mat over your roller or wrap your
768
:whole roller in a yoga mat, um, but
there is this, Little dance that you'll
769
:play between, Hey, this is very sore.
770
:And I can tell my fashion needs work here.
771
:And also, um, it's not about
beating your body into submission.
772
:So please, please, if you're trying
this on your own, know that you
773
:don't need to push through something.
774
:That's an eight, nine, 10 out of 10 on the
intensity scale, especially the IT bands.
775
:Um, it's more important that
our body is on board with the
776
:changes that you want to make.
777
:So, uh, we want to keep that intensity
at a six or seven at its maximum.
778
:Yeah, getting rid of the trauma,
not creating more of it, right?
779
:Right.
780
:Yeah.
781
:If you've got a scrunched face and you
can't move through the range of motion
782
:and you're not able to breathe through
your diaphragm, that's a sign, friends.
783
:You know, you really don't
have to do this to yourself.
784
:Yeah.
785
:Bring it down.
786
:And, and honestly, the more consistently
you do it, I think you'll be surprised
787
:on how quick the intensity goes down.
788
:Um, especially releasing fascia
in this, this specific way, it
789
:tends to create more change.
790
:And lasting change that, um, will
bring the intensity down pretty quick.
791
:Yeah.
792
:You mentioned Theragun.
793
:Theragun's good, bad, any ideas?
794
:Um, well, I think Theraguns are really
great for muscle recovery, which is how
795
:I imagine they were originally intended.
796
:Um, if you're using it as a tool for
pain, uh, you're going to be disappointed.
797
:Most of you probably know
what I'm talking about.
798
:So if it's something you have to
keep returning to every night,
799
:it's because you're not actually
on the root cause of your pain.
800
:So, uh, Theragun has a certain
vibration that Floods the spinal
801
:cord with stimuli that will actually
close these little gates that send
802
:the pain signal to your brain.
803
:Um, it's called gate control theory.
804
:And so it temporarily just overwhelms your
spinal cord with that stimuli and so it
805
:shuts down your pain receptors for a time.
806
:If you Theragun your back and you're like,
Oh, wow, that really helped my lower back,
807
:but you have to go right back to it the
next night or a couple of times a day.
808
:It's because you're really just
blocking the pain signal and you're
809
:not addressing the root cause.
810
:So, um, I certainly would say
it's a tool of pain management
811
:and who wants to manage pain?
812
:Let's just eliminate
it entirely, you know?
813
:Yeah.
814
:Yeah.
815
:No.
816
:And also getting to the root
cause and not just throwing a
817
:bandaid on the symptom, right?
818
:Like We want to actually fix this.
819
:We don't want to just make it so that
it's livable for the rest of our lives.
820
:So all about getting to the root
cause, which largely is getting
821
:to the fascia and, uh, yeah,
getting into and doing that work.
822
:So that's amazing.
823
:Um, Julia, we are pretty much
at the end of our show here.
824
:Um, I want to open up the floor for
you to just kind of share where people
825
:can, you know, connect with you.
826
:Um, any, you Uh, ways in which
they can learn from you as well.
827
:Uh, obviously your knowledge is super
vast when it comes to fascia and
828
:I'm personally excited to, to hear
a little about more of this because
829
:I'm going to be checking it out.
830
:But, uh, also just from me
personally, thank you so much
831
:for also coming on this show.
832
:It's been a pleasure.
833
:And I had mentioned to you earlier,
like I've been wanting to learn more
834
:about fascia and divine intervention
just decided to drop you here.
835
:So I love it.
836
:And uh, yeah, thank you.
837
:So please take the floor.
838
:Oh, thank you.
839
:Yes.
840
:So, um, I'm the most active
on Instagram, I would say.
841
:So you can follow me, come say hi.
842
:Uh, and my handle is at movement by Julia.
843
:If you're curious on learning more,
how to do the type of foam rolling
844
:that I'm talking about, I also have
a free video series called unlock
845
:your hips that lives on my website.
846
:So if you want Which is movementbyjulia.
847
:com.
848
:So, uh, really excited for you to try
it and feel the difference for yourself.
849
:I've gotten lots of messages about
what just three days can do when
850
:you're really seeing fascia correctly.
851
:So, um, definitely check it
out and Evan, thanks so much.
852
:I was excited to be on here
and talk to you about this too.
853
:Yeah, I appreciate that.
854
:And, and just thank you for also spreading
all of this knowledge and, uh, helping
855
:so many people to live pain free.
856
:That's a, that's a huge thing
and, and very commemorable.
857
:So thank you.
858
:Yeah.
859
:Alrighty, y'all, you guys know the deal.
860
:It is do everything with good
intentions, connect to your elements.
861
:Julia, thank you so much.
862
:Have a beautiful rest of your day, y'all.