Each type is key to facilitating movement. Dense fascia, made of sturdy collagen fibers, helps give your body its shape. It holds muscles, organs, blood vessels and nerve fibers in place.

But experts now know that it does far more than cushion and support. It helps our muscles move smoothly against each other.

“Fascia surrounds every muscle, bone, nerve fiber, and organ; fascia is interwoven throughout the entire body. Similar to the pith of an orange, it surrounds the peeled orange, as well as each ...

“What we’re ultimately working on is the fascia around the organs,” says Heather Jeffcoat, DPT, president of the Academy of Pelvic Health Physical Therapy.

Until fairly recently fascial tissues have been studied after death, on cadavers; because of this, fascia’s major functions were unrecognized. These newly discovered characteristics broaden the role ...