How does your body communicate with the world around you?
How does your body communicate with itself and the world around you? The nervous system, right?
This is actually not entirely true! The fascial system is a crazy fast and critical messaging system in our body. Fascia wraps around muscles, bones, blood vessels, organs, and nerves, making it the only system in the body that touches all the rest.
Dr. James Oschman, a pioneer for fascia research, discovered that cells within the fascia are not only able to communicate with the nervous system, but also with each other. Even cooler (because I’m a fascia nerd), messages traveling through the fascial system zip around at a whopping 750 mph (compared to only 150 mph of the average nerve message)! More about that in this article by Dr. Russell Schierling.
How is the speed so much faster? It’s largely due to the ECM (extracellular matrix) which is a water-based substance within our fascia tissue. The ECM plays many roles in our body, such as carrying food to nourish our cells, carrying out cellular waste, acting as our shock absorbing system, and helping our muscles glide easily. It helps keep us “greased” and hydrated! In relation to such fast communication, however, it’s simply that water is a fantastic conductor.
I understand that the article below is a straight-up research article, but for those of you burning to know more details on how fascia is able to effectively transfer energy and information throughout your body, it’s an interesting read.
I see this as support for why changes in your pain and mobility happen so quickly with The Fascia Remedy. We are able to contact all of the systems of your body through the fascial system. If fast and efficient communication is happening throughout the body while we work on it, it's possible that your fascia is able to immediately integrate changes in itself as well as in our muscles, blood vessels, joints, and neural pathways.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/285208490_Fascia_as_a_body-wide_communication_system
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While the nervous system plays a major role in communication, it’s not the only system involved. Fascia is a body-wide communication network that connects muscles, bones, organs, blood vessels, and nerves. Because fascia touches every system, it provides an incredibly fast and efficient way for information to travel throughout the body.
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Fascial communication happens largely through the extracellular matrix (ECM)—a water-rich, gel-like substance within connective tissue. Water is an excellent conductor, allowing signals to move rapidly through fascia. Research suggests fascial signaling can travel significantly faster than nerve impulses, helping explain why changes in pain, movement, and sensation can happen so quickly with fascia-based work.
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The extracellular matrix supports hydration, shock absorption, nutrient delivery, waste removal, and communication between cells. When fascia becomes dehydrated or restricted, this environment changes. Communication slows, movement becomes limited, and pain signals may increase. Restoring hydration and space in the ECM helps the body re-establish efficient signaling and adaptability.
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Yes. Fascia is rich in sensory receptors and constantly responds to mechanical, chemical, and emotional input. Stress, trauma, and repetitive strain can all influence fascial tone and holding patterns. Because fascia communicates so quickly throughout the body, emotional stress can show up physically, and physical changes can also influence emotional state.
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When fascia is addressed directly, you’re working with a system that communicates with muscles, joints, nerves, blood vessels, and organs simultaneously. Instead of trying to isolate one structure, fascia work allows the body to integrate change globally—often resulting in immediate shifts in movement, sensation, or ease.
