Gil Hedley: Fascia and stretching: The Fuzz Speech

[ib2good2btru]

this guy loves to melt fuzz

[functionalpatterns]

Absolutely amazing man, one of the best wellness videos i've ever witnessed. Can't thank you enough sir :)

[ECRooney]

In Alexander Technique we discuss the importance of releasing tension and allowing our bodies to reorganize themselves based on an exploration of easier movements in which only necessary muscle groups are involved. Is "fuzz" a product of inactivity or is it also a product of tension? If muscles are released are they also generating fuzz? It seems that even released muscles are in movement in some way since a body moving with ease is one in which (ideally) no muscles are locked down.

[marketamaj]

once there is a build up of "fuzz" can this fuzz be reduced in amount(for example, yoga)? or will it continue to be there with less resistance?

[1632riaz]

@marketamaj Active release techniques or Rolfing especially treats scar tissue in fascia.

in europe osteopaths do these treatments

[katbunker1]

this one scared me ! I've been mostly bedridden for 7 1/2 years due to SI Joint dysfunction. Now 5 mos postop for SI fusion. I can't IMAGINE how thick the adhesions are in me. I can feel how imbalanced my muscles are. This was a great impetus for getting better in PT, re-training my whole self and then never letting go ! Thanks !

[dragonmammma]

The term I've heard used is "muscular adhesions". ("Fuzz" is much shorter to say!)

[liftny]

Please make video available for mobile viewing.

[robineliza1961]

Wow this is great & very motivating to go do Pilates!

[CariLaythorpeMusic]

@robineliza1961 My Pilates teacher showed me this!

[93natho]

mmm looks like chicken.

[moosh36]

Does CNS and/or joint structure (normal or abnormal).

[moosh36]

Does CNS and/or joint structure (normal or abnormal).

[nyclear]

I love that you exist!!!! Great great stuff!!!!

[Aaron652211]

NICE!!!! Great way of explaining what happens! Thanks a lot!

[Inci7atus]

What does Gil Hedley have his Ph.D. in? Is it medicine, biology or something completely different?

[somanaut]

@Inci7atus My Ph.D. is in Theological Ethics from the Divinity School of the University of Chicago. My exploration of anatomy for the past 20 years has been part of my belief that the voice of the body should be heard in the realms of ethical discussion, so I should listen to what it has to say. I make no pretensions of being a scientist. Science to me is another religion among many, whose dogmas I am attempting to shed. I am a student of life. Thank you for watching!

[bullmeecham]

@somanaut Gil, if you get a chance can you please explain how Science is a "religion." Bearing in mind that nothing in science is taken as a fact based on a faith in a supernatural being.

[eitanart]

very LIKE !!!

but offcorse there's the opposite situation - of TO MUCH movement. and as a former gymnist im' well familiar with that to. carlos cataneda written something interesting about this in his MAGICAL PASSES - in the past, in gneral, native people used to move alot - to much, and today people don't move enough. just balancing the scales....

[rbwhill]

love the fuzz speech!!!! thank you!!!

[Heavenkay]

Melt the fuzz is going to be my new mantra, Melt The Fuzz!!

[msimm42]

My dh and I have hunted for game meat as a staple and butchered it ourselves for years. I have found that fuzz between the muscles on wild animals. Can you explain why that would be in wild animals roaming the range in Wyoming and North Carolina? Also I'm really interested in knowing what the nature sounds recording at the introduction and end of your video is. It sounds more realistic than a lot I've heard and I could use something just like that to sleep to. Thanks MjD

[somanaut]

@msimm42 "FUZZ" is simply "filmy fasciae" placed in tension to reveal something about its structure. It belongs there! Questions regarding "fuzz" should be not around whether it's there, cause it's always there...The important issue is what quality of movements can occur depending upon the distensibility of the filmy fasciae: is it over bonded and a limitation, or does it permit full range of motion as it should? Thank you for your important question!

[rolfingoz]

I recently watched Stop Making Sense again after many years and was newly impressed by the way David Byrne used his body. It led me to wonder if David Byrne had done some sort of somatic learning, as well as wonder what he might have been like with an awareness of anatomy: the fuzz speech has gone some way to answering this idle musing!

Thanks Gil: very entertaining as well as informative!

[jazze2778]

Time in fuzz, ahhhh health professionals are so trendy!!!

[spinbunny]

I knew I loved how I felt after doing Yoga, now I know why! No more "fuzz". I love how a great teacher can explain things in a way everyone can understand. :)  Thanks for sharing.

[Supiseki]

@somanaut Thanks for the translation to technical jargon! It makes key word searching the literature much easier!

[Supiseki]

@somanaut Thanks for the translation to technical jargon! It makes key word searching the literature much easier!

[Supiseki]

I believe the fuzz here is called loose connective tissue more formally. It has a high ratio of ground substance to collagen fibers. I have felt it myself in the anatomy lab in PT school. While the fuzz certainly exists, I see no grounds for inferring fuzz accumulation during sleep or inactivity. Are there any references you can give me regarding loose connective tissue changes in vivo? I find this topic interesting and would like to pursue it further.

[somanaut]

@Supiseki Hi there! Thank you! Indeed, loose connective tissue is more correct, though less inspiring to lay folks, I agree!!! What we can see is not accumulating during sleep or inactivity, though there does occur hydrogen bonding of fibrils which I am suggesting (merely as a thought experiment, heck, I don't even claim to be a scientist, more of a sculptor actually) may have a cumulative effect of reducing the movement potential in what I call "filmy" transitional fasciae (loose aereolar CT)

[EQmassage]

@Supiseki Jarvinen, Tero A. et al. "Organization and distribution of intramuscular connective tissue in normal and immobilized skeletal muscles". Journal of Muscle Research and Cell Motility, 2002; 23: 245-254.

See also, Williams PE and G Goldspink. "Connective tissue changes in immobilized muscles". Journal of Anatomy 1984; 138(2): 343-350.

[gregcset]

Thank you for the great visual !!

[poetrywithedge]

Now I can see even more why yoga is so important...WOW!!!

[probiolac]

I love you man!

[x3Dre]

Hi Gil - Awesome fuzz speech - Is the book ready now ?

[nkruck]

NoBody knows how to explain the fuzz any better than Gil. 

[MpowerDMassage]

This is another reason why we should just keep on keepin' on... no matter what!

[lovewins22]

This is so awesome and so true!!! Thanks!

[joysnsunshine]

A thousand thank you's, it makes so much sense,

Your a genius!!!!

[somanaut]

Technosoma: Sweet! That's the spirit :-)  Thank you also for your video post!

[Technesoma]

Sorry, couldn't hold back! Watching the vid stirred excitement I couldn't contain. Better yet, I felt my throat closing the lid on my heartfelt expletive, and per your excellent example let go of the character posture trying to hold it back- cause I feared creating more fuzz. ; )

[somanaut]

Hi Technesoma! I appreciate your enthusiasm, and also keeping the comments as "child friendly" as possible, I want my kids to be able to follow this too~~Thank you!

[TeriChristine]

This is great Gil. It certainly has changed many of my clients minds about stretching! We love it!

[DojiSan]

i hurt my shoulder and was not able to move it for a few months..now i'm afraid there are solidified fuzz around it!!! Just wanted to make sure, that I CAN still get rid of them right? by stretching? Thanks for the info

[somanaut]

@DojiSan I don't know if you need stretching alone or a more thorough course of therapy, but if you need help with your injury, you should by all means consult a competent professional of your choosing! Good luck with that! I do believe anything can be healed, but the methods are variable and I'm sure you'll figure out just what works for you. Gentle exploratory movement is a powerful healer too.

[somanaut]

Hi there fishergn, I'm sorry this seems to have exasperated you! Don't take it more seriously than it was intended: it's just a lighthearted rant to inspire stretching, which it seems to do. It is indeed just a bit of stream of consciousness doggerel, I'm not a scientist and have never claimed to be one, and having posted it for free, I don't make a dime on it. For more clarifications regarding what I would agree are a stream of unfounded assertions, you might (or might not!) enjoy my JBMT art.

[fishergn]

Sigh, your imagination seems to work very well Gil. The stream of non sequitors and utter nonsense I have just viewed beggars belief, But then , one does not have to be fuelled by facts to inhabit the Utube world and , make a few bucks from the poorly educated. I would urge all those who view this fellows videos to put them on the same shelf as anything you may read in "Nexus" magazine

[GymnosEvolution]

Great presentation! Very easy to understand and gives a great mental pic of what's happening with our body. One of the best "fuzz melter's" I have ever experienced: Circular Strength Training's Intu-Flow.

[pegva]

Finally, Gil Hedley's Fuzz speech is on YouTube! YAY!! I show this to my massage students every year.

[TeriChristine]

Ah Hah!! Frozen shoulder!! That is what us therapists do....get rid of the fuzz that people dont do for themselves! Massage, it does a body so good! Stretch people!! You need to stretch! Woooo hoooo!!

[faething]

Does this relate to abdominal adhesions? I'm working with a PT to help "loosen" abdominal and pelvic fascial tissue. I'm trying to gather all the information I can find relating to non-surgical solutions for adhesions. Any response would be greatly appreciated.

[somanaut]

@faething Yes, visceral adhesions in general rank as "fuzz" in my way of thinking, and such adhesions also amplify stillness over time in the surrounding tissues, until addressed by informed touch and movement, which can restore original/normal range of motion by fascilitating the signal to dissolve/reabsorb the binding tissues.

[faething]

@somanaut Thanks for your reply. With regard to adhesions, does "informed touch and movement" include abdominal visceral massage?

[healthpracticesucces]

Great demonstration and 'real' explanation Gil. I'm looking forward to more from you and sharing this with my massage therapist husband.

[hookeleolapono]

whoa! stunning! I guess that makes me a "Fuzz Buster"

See you at the SF AMTA workshop!

Thanks for your contribution!

[workoutwithwendy]

I have heard great things about you, Gil. Thank you so much for your knowledge. I look forward to more from you!!

[upcycle]

This information fits very well with the discovery by Italian Dr Simoncini in the connection between fungal growth potential to cause cancer, tumors, cysts, etc. They may be fungus.

[somanaut]

While fungal fibers are certainly interesting phenomena in their own right, they are not the "Fuzz" of which The Fuzz Speech is directed. The "fuzz" of which I speak is a phenomenon rooted in various covalent and hydrogen bonds associated with the formation of collagen fibrils from collagen molecules... Thank you for your keen interest and interesting comments!!

[upcycle]

Perhaps the two - fungal fibers and hydrogen bonds associated with the formation collagen fibriis from Collagen molecules - may related. Paul Stamens, the fungal expert has spoke of how in nature, that fungus forms a kind of netting that helps bind soil together. And that the bound dirt then is in position to better be able to facilitate growth of other plant life. Perhaps fungus may be creating this in human tissue? Such as for tissue regeneration.. kind of like a scabbing of the outter skin?

[upcycle]

Perhaps also, this may explain why people who regularily have therapeutic sun baths may help hasten the growth of the fungus.

[upcycle]

Is it possible that the "Fuzz" is the build up of Fungal fibers from the nights sleep(or period of inactivity? And that the stretching, yoga and other exersice helps to break down the fungal fibers and wash them away with body fluids

Is it possible that the regovination that people experience from regular distilled water fasts is also helping to eliminate this fungal growth?

[UndulationLady]

This is a wonderful explanation, Gil! Awesome with the videos of fascial connections. I am sharing with everyone I know; it will be a great visual for clients, for everyone. Like lucisue53, I agree that your fluid movement is a model.

[lucisue53]

We talked about this video in yoga this morning. It is great to directly observe the fuzz, and listen to how it affects movement.

By the way, your body moves so fluidly as you talk, it looks like your muscles are completely de-fuzzed!

Awesome!

[somanaut]

Thank you for all your appreciative comments!

[glenwoodfin]

Anja Bowen, massage therapist, in Greenville, SC recommended this video to me.

Wow, you had me at the 'cat stretch'.

Thanks!

[Xavienne]

Watched this & now I have the overwhelming urge to go do some yoga & bellydance; stretch & shake the fuzz out!

[rossieighttimes46]

amazing video!love the style u use to get ur message across!makes so much sense too!long live the fuzz!

[nmjunction]

I just Love your Videos Gil! Although I have not had a chance to order my own, my D.O. let me borrow his to view them, which introduced me to your awesome content. I have told clients about the "fuzz" and now I will share it on my site. with proper warning of its content. I know not everyone is open to watching cadavers being explored.

[somanaut]

Thank you, I'm glad my stuff works for you, and that you are sharing it gently :-)

[lambliesdown]

This blows my formal anatomy training from over 20 years ago out of the water! The description of the fuzz is excellent. My explanations were not this easy and precise. How do explain numb tissue in the arch of the foot and nerve pain in tissues.specifically the back?? With Gratitude

[somanaut]

lovely moniker :-) Nerve pain is tricky stuff, 'eh? The nerve tree can be affected in so many ways, from direct irritation to deyhdration...sometimes it just needs to be petted gently to get the "sap" flowing through places at issue...just thinking with you :-)

[somanaut]

When I place filmy fasciae in traction, they look like cotton candy, eg fuzzy, but that is normal, and belongs in our bodies. When normally sliding surfaces suffer the buildup of adhering fibers/bonds as a result of lack of motion where motion is possible, we get the limiting version of the fuzz, which can be overcome with stretching, movement, joy, etc.

[bamb00sage]

Is this collagenous "fuzz" made of fibrin and would fibrolytic enzymes also help to dissolve them?

[somanaut]

Yes, fibrin is at the root of it, and beyond stretching, there are certainly chemical and electromagnetic means for transforming the cellular substance. Our bodies are capable of dissolving and adjusting all of the substances of which we are made. That said, signals of movement and position/stress vectors, or, on the contrary, stillness, convey information to our internal matrices to dissolve or build up accordingly. Stillness tends to breed stiffness/stuckness.

[pepperfire]

You mention Yoga as a good anti-fuzz, Tai Chi is another one.

Thanks for posting this, it was really interesting.

Questions:

Is this what causes atrophy?

Do you find "fuzz" in babies, and if not, at what age, generally, do you start to see it?

Thanks again.

[somanaut]

Yes, seven years of Tai Chi helped me through some painful times in my life, and I'm forever grateful!! Atrophy as I understand it comes from lack of use: my leg was in a cast for three months, and when it came off, the casted leg was hairier (lack of friction) and skinnier (muscle protein loss). Was it fuzzier? Probably: I felt awfully stiff, but when I started using my leg again, everything soon was back to normal: we are incredibly restorable. Babies are perpetual motion angels: not too fuzzy

[ireginawells]

Yes! And please add to these Rosen Method Movement! Developed by Marion Rosen Pt.

[AdiYogini]

Do you practice yoga? It's a great way to plow through the fuzz and energize and clear the mind in the process.

[somanaut]

Indeed, yoga is an excellent practice, and though I have dabbled with yoga, I am not an advanced practitioner, but I have enjoyed working with a number of advanced yogis in the lab, and I have had the priviledge of receiving some very kind feedback as regards the "yogic" quality/character of my videos. Happy stretching!

[AdiYogini]

I believe that etheric fuzz clogs our energy fields from lack of efforts to break through to awareness, where we may experience true yoga and union with the Divine. In shamanic circles this is known as "the Veil of Illusion," and is sensed as a physical barrier to entering the Upper World of spiritual guides.

[lambliesdown]

Thanks for your explanation. If someone is experiencing numbed tissue in the arch of the foot, does this mean that there is a barrier stopping the walking away from this illusion. 14 years ago, I spent 2 weeks with a Peruvian shaman and he stated that at times his ceremonies were required several times to open that veil. Therefore, Yoga is a way to transcend the Fuzz!? Namaste

[littleredhenrietta]

Do you ever know the history of the cadavers that you work on; such as what their physical complaints were? I'd love to know what you'd find if, for example, someone complained of right hip pain for most of their life. What is this fuzz made up of and what does it actually turn into when it hardens? Thanks.

[somanaut]

I know only what I learn from the exploration of that form, otherwise they are anonymous to me. "Fuzz" is my made-up word for the collagenous connective tissue fibers which can accumulate in places of limited movement. I wouldn't say it "hardens" as even a scar is a fluid matrix. It generates "drag" where movement has the potential to be more free. Thanks for watching!