Fascia Under The Microscope
One of the leading schools of thought on the physiology behind the Qi mechanism or sensation elicited during acupuncture involves the fascial network of the body, a massive web of non-specific connective tissue that creates planes and groupings of muscle and tissue, not unlike acupuncture meridians. This tissue surrounds and connects every muscle, down to the myofibril, and winds around and throughout every organ of the body. It is the matter that connects us and helps to give us shape. Fascia has been shown as an important element in our posture and movement organization. Disruptions, knots, tears or tangles in this tissue super-highway are what prevent us from reaching optimal health and can be viewed as a form of Qi stagnation in Chinese medicine, preventing optimal flow of information or fluids.
(For visual evidence of our myofascial networks and their similarity to acupuncture meridians, please read “Anatomy Trains: Myofascial Meridians for Manual & Movement Therapists” by Tom Myers. Please note however that “Anatomy Trains” is not light reading so for those who aren’t “anatomy nerds” like myself, you might want to look for another source).
