New book on fascia helps runners run efficiently, reduce injury risk

Running efficiently, whether recreationally or professionally, and with a decreased risk of injury, requires knowledge and an understanding of how that type of movement happens. Chiropractor Dr. Wilbour Kelsick, founder of MaxFit Movement Institute based in Port Moody, B.C., has recently added to the pool of running knowledge as the author of one of the chapters in a recently published book titled, Fascia in Sport and Movement (Handspring Publishing, 2014).

The book, compiled by Robert Schleip, one of the foremost explorers in the field of fascia research, is a collection of the most advanced information about fascia and its role in improving function and performance. It also contains a wealth of hands-on exercises with detailed instructions.

Also called ‘Cinderella tissue,’ fascia has a cellophane-like appearance and is found in and around muscle, bone and all over the body’s connective tissue, tendons and ligaments. It has both sensory and elastic properties, and is a crucial component of the human/animal locomotion process. Fascia has the ability to store energy and return it quickly, which is what we see in cyclic movements, such as walking and cycling.

Training while keeping fascia in mind, and understanding its complex function, improves performance because it involves explosive, rhythmic-type exercise movement patterns, similar to animals that are known as great runners, such as gazelles and kangaroos, Kelsick explains.

Running elastically (as a result of fascia training) uses less glucose and less muscular power, and it helps prevent typical running injuries.

Aside from complementing the book’s rich details on fascia training, Kelsick’s chapter on running presents a well-designed exercise protocol for training the runner’s fascia, and offers advice on how to perform these specific exercises, from pre-exercise preparation to posture and movement technique, while also emphasizing the necessity of strength training.

Running is a whole body activity, and fascia training is helping redefine it as such. The newly released Fascia in Sport and Movement gives justice to a tissue that has been forever employed by the body to perform various physical activities but improperly acknowledged, and helps both trainers and athletes improve performance and minimize the risk of injury.

With its wealth of knowledge about the soft tissues and how different kinds of activities affect the soft tissue matrix (and the types of injuries they might cause), the book benefits sports coaches, fitness trainers, yoga teachers, Pilates instructors, dance teachers and health practitioners (e.g. chiropractors, physiotherapists, osteopaths, medical doctors, massage therapist, etc.) treating sports and other musculoskeletal disorders and injuries, and consequently, every athlete whose activity can be improved with the right type of movement knowledge.

Fascia in Sport and Movement is not just presenting facts, says Kelsick, but a detailed how-to that is intended to enhance performance while avoiding injuries and making the whole movement process more efficient.