Dr. David Orman

Most people think fascia is just a thin sheet that wraps around the muscles, like plastic wrap around leftovers. They believe its only job is to hold everything in place. But after 15 years of working with fascia, we see it in a much more exciting way that changes how we understand the body itself.

Fascia Is Smart

Fascia is not passive packing material. It is alive, responsive, and intelligent in its own way. Experience shows that fascia can
• Hold memories, storing physical and emotional imprints from past injuries or traumas
• Send signals like electricity, creating a body wide communication network faster than nerves alone
• Collect information from the environment and transmit subtle sensory data to the brain, shaping how we move and feel

Instead of being background tissue, fascia is an active participant in health, movement, and awareness.

The Healthy State of Fascia

When fascia is healthy, it feels and functions like soft jelly. Imagine fiber optic cables carrying beams of light at incredible speeds. Healthy fascia works the same way, transmitting information quickly, fluidly, and efficiently throughout the body. This smooth transmission is what makes movement graceful, recovery faster, and the body more resilient.

What Happens When Fascia Is Unhealthy

Problems arise when fascia stiffens, hardens, or loses hydration. Instead of soft jelly, it becomes tough and rigid, like dried glue. This can lead to stiffness, chronic pain, reduced circulation, and slower healing. Since fascia is made mostly of water, it thrives on hydration, movement, and pressure changes. The tissue itself lives inside tiny pressurized tubes, creating an internal hydraulic system that supports flexibility and flow.

Fascia’s Hidden Role

Fascia holds everything together: muscles, bones, tendons, ligaments, and organs. But it also connects them in ways we are only beginning to understand. It is not just structure, it is communication, memory, and intelligence.

The next time you stretch, move, or breathe deeply, remember that you are not just working muscles. You are awakening fascia, your body’s hidden network of light, water, and information.