“Muscle Knots” Might Not Be Causing Your Pain — Here’s Where Fascia Comes In
Fascia influences pain, mobility, and skin health. Experts explain why it’s often overlooked and how it shapes the way the body functions.
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We tend to think we understand our bodies. Muscles, joints, maybe even how the lymphatic system works. But there is one system most of us haven’t been taught to consider in a meaningful way.
On this week’s episode of the ‘Live & Well’ podcast, host Melissa Magsaysay sits down with fascia expert Ashley Black to explore why this connective tissue may play a role in how we experience pain, movement, and even visible changes in the skin.
What is Fascia?
Black describes fascia as a web-like connective tissue that surrounds and supports structures throughout the body. “Half of [the body] is fascia,” she says, reflecting on her early experience studying it. To make that more tangible, she compares it to soil. “It is as vital as the soil is to plants. The fascia would be the soil and the cells are the plants.”
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That framing shifts the focus from individual systems to the environment supporting them. “It makes our cells healthy,” Black explains. When that internal structure is compromised, she says the effects can show up across the body. “It has effects on your skin, your bones, muscle pain, stiffness… literally everything.”
Black clarifies that fascia is not a passive layer. “It’s not a casing over a muscle,” she says. “It literally surrounds every single muscle fiber.” That distinction changes how she interprets common complaints like tightness or knots. “Our muscle doesn’t tie in a knot,” Black explains.
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Instead, she describes layers of tissue becoming “tight and stuck,” forming what she compares to a “dreadlock.” These patterns, she says, often go unaddressed because the underlying system is not fully understood.
To describe how this shows up in the body, Black uses a framework she calls “RAD,” or restrictions, adhesions, and distortions. Each reflects a different way fascia can lose its ability to move and adapt, which can influence how the body feels and functions.
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Fascia vs. Lymphatic Drainage: What You Need to Know
What people often describe as muscle knots may not be the muscle itself. “Our muscle doesn’t tie in a knot,” she says. Instead, she describes layers of tissue becoming “tight and stuck,” forming what she compares to a “dreadlock” within the body. She adds that many people only start to hear about fascia when something feels off.
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“People are starting to understand that it’s connective tissue, that it can make us tight,” she says, but notes that “we’re missing the real definition of fascia.” She continues to explain that many people encounter fascia later, often when they are dealing with discomfort or mobility issues.
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While fascia and the lymphatic system are closely connected, Black emphasizes they are not interchangeable. “It is 100 percent intertwined,” she says, but explains that approaches like dry brushing or lymphatic massage tend to focus on more surface-level processes, while fascia-focused techniques are designed to work at different depths.
To simplify the distinction, she offers a comparison. Lymphatic drainage is like clearing existing drains, while fascia-focused work is like “getting new drains.” In her view, both can play a role, but they are not addressing the same layer.
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And so, as interest in recovery tools and longevity continues to grow, more people are taking an active role in how they approach their health. That said, Black positions fascia as part of this broader shift. “If you’re not taking care of your fascia, then you’re not taking care of you, period.”
The takeaway then, through Black’s lens, is that fascia offers a more connected way to understand pain, movement, and overall function.
Click here to listen to the full podcast episode.
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