Fascia

• Fascia


  - Dense fibrous connective tissue

  - Touches, surrounds and supports all other systems

  - Interconnects muscles, organs, vessels

  - Can bind structures together

  - Allows movement of vessels and nerves from one area to another
• Classification of fascia - superficial


  Superficial - subcutaneous found between the skin layers

  - Loose connective tissue

  - Lots of fat

  - Thickness variable throughout body

  - Allows movement of skin over deeper areas of the body and allows channels for vessels and nerves coursing to and from the skin
• Classification of fascia - deep


  Deep - found between skin and muscles

  - Dense and organised

  - Outer layer attached to superficial fascia

  - Intermuscular - compartmentalises groups of muscles

  - Muscular fascia - surrounds individual muscles, bones and blood vessels

  - Visceral fascia - suspends organs with cavities and wraps them up in their own membrane
• Function of fascia


  - Important sensory organ

  - Makes the body a single continuous unit

  - Connects organs to other organs

  - Assists with proprioception - nerve endings in fascia

  - Key supportive connective tissue - elastin, collagen, ground substance

  - Act as lubricant to allow contraction of muscle

  - Sends info to nervous system
• Structure - Matrix (ground substance)


  - Proteoglycans (bind to water)

  - Glycosaminoglycans (assists collagen resisting compression forces)

  - Other organic cells
• Structure - Cells


  - Fibroblasts (produce collagen and elastin)

  - Myofibroblasts (cells that have a contracting ability)

  - Telocytes (mechansensitve cells - helps cellular signalling)

  - Adipocytes (energy storage and helps hormonal production)
• Structure - Fibre


  - Collagen (type l and ll, resist tension and adapt to mechanical stress)

  - Elastin (give resilience and elasticity)
• Force transmission


  - Degree of elasticity - withstand deformation

  - Elastic response due to the wavy nature where slack is taken up

  - If loading persistent creep occurs - where there is a sustained slow deformation of the tissue

  - Water is key for the tissue to return to its normal resting state, depending on the amount of water depends on how quick the tissue is restored