The Fascia-Informed Therapist Podcast; Occupational Therapy, Myofascial Release, Fascial System, Posture, Movement, and More

Each discipline operates from different rules and definitions. A system can be defined as "a set of things working together as parts of a mechanism or an interconnecting network; a complex whole". So, is fascia a system? It depends on who you ask. The Fascia Nomenclature Committee, a group of international experts from different backgrounds clearly says yes in their current definitions, but anatomist disagree. Articles that may help you think more about this after you listen in to this episode are below.
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Neumann, P. E., Labib, H., Lhuaire, M., Boaz, N. T., Noel, G. P. J. C., Suárez-Quian, C., Tessema, C., Ward, P. J., Weinhaus, A. J., Anand, M. K., & Detton, A. J. (2026). Fascia, eh. What is it? What is it good for? Clinical Anatomy, 39(2), 262–272. https://doi.org/10.1002/ca.70047
Sharkey, J. (2026). Fascia is not a system: A critical appraisal of terminological drift in anatomical literature. Clinical Anatomy. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1002/ca.70175
Sharkey, J. & Flannigan, M. (2023) Towards a Paramedical Interdisciplinary Definition of Fascia Supporting Practitioners Offering Fascia-Focused Therapies (Part 1). Int J Anat Appl Physiol. 9(1):218-222.
Stecco, C., Adstrum, S., Hedley, G., Schleip, R., & Yucesoy, C. A. (2018). Update on fascial nomenclature [Letter to the editor]. Fascia Science and Clinical Applications, 22(2), 354. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbmt.2017.12.015

This episode explores lessons from Altahif and Davis (2026), a survey of hand therapy practitioners on self-management strategies for clients with chronic hand pain. The survey examined what clients were doing on their own before evaluation, what clinicians prescribed during care, and how practitioners perceived client adherence to these strategies.
Although the study does not focus on fascia or even mention it directly, there is a lot we can take from its findings. In this episode, I discuss how a fascia‑informed perspective can complement traditional hand therapy by offering additional ways to support people living with chronic pain and to improve follow‑through with home self‑treatment programs.
Courses mentioned in the study may be found here: Fascia-Informed CE Home
 
Reference:
Altahif, R., & Davis, C. (2026). Self-management in chronic hand pain: Clinician perspectives from members of the American Society of Hand Therapists. Journal of Hand Therapy. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jht.2026.05.007

In this episode I share a real‑life phone call from a very young potential client who reached out about a tongue‑tie release and frenectomy, expecting a quick surgical solution. Instead of rushing to agree or disagree, I slowed things down, asked targeted questions, and uncovered signs of temporomandibular disorder (TMD) that had never been considered in the process of her search for help. In this episode, I walk you through how I used education to shift her understanding of her symptoms, and why clarifying goals and history matters just as much as any hands‑on technique.  You’ll also hear how these kinds of conversations can build relationships with physicians and other providers—not by “selling” OT, but by helping clients land in the right place, with the right services, at the right time through the process of education.
Thanks for listening! - Amy
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In this episode of The Fascia Informed Therapist, we unpack a recent scoping review on the future of fascia research and translate its findings into practical clinical direction for occupational therapists and rehab professionals. We explore how upcoming studies are likely shifting toward fascia’s role in movement organization, chronic pain in older adults, and integrated approaches that blend manual therapy, movement‑based interventions, and neurophysiologic methods. You’ll hear what the author recommends about effect sizes and sample sizes in the simplest possible language—and, more importantly, how those choices shape the kind of evidence you’ll be seeing in the coming years. By the end, you’ll have a clearer picture of where fascia research is headed and how to use this emerging evidence to support fascia‑informed reasoning in everyday practice.
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Resources:
Trewartha, D., & Wheeler, A. (Eds.). (2020). Scars, adhesions and the biotensegral body: Science, assessment and treatment. Handspring Publishing.
Zieliński, G. (2025). The future of fascia: A scoping review on emerging research. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 26(18), 8871. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26188871

In this episode I review the case of a new client who really made it hit home how we, as fascia-informed practitioners see the body differently. We engage with our clients differently and it gives them hope. 
When something as simple as a knee replacement (it is really NEVER simple) causes long-term discomfort, our clients benefit from a new perspective. After countless doctors, surgeons and therapists, this client found hope. 
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What do you do when a client comes to you following advice that doesn’t align with your approach? In this episode, we explore how to navigate those moments with professionalism and clarity. Learn how to explain your clinical reasoning, educate in a way clients can understand, and empower them to make their own informed decisions without dismissing or undermining another practitioner. Through a fascia-informed lens, we focus on communication that builds trust, supports autonomy, and transforms care.
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In this episode of The Fascia-Informed Therapist Podcast, I introduce my recently published book,The Occupational Therapy Practitioner’s Guide to Fascia-Informed Practice, and read the preface to provide context for its development.
The Occupational Therapy Practitioner’s Guide to Fascia-Informed Practice
This episode outlines the clinical and conceptual motivations behind the text, including the need for a more integrative framework that bridges emerging fascia research with occupational therapy practice. It reflects on gaps in traditional models of care and the growing interest among practitioners in approaches that support more comprehensive assessment, clinical reasoning, and intervention planning.
The book was written to offer a structured, evidence-informed perspective on fascia as a clinically relevant system, while remaining accessible and applicable to everyday practice. It is intended for occupational therapy practitioners seeking to expand their theoretical foundation and consider new dimensions of patient care.
Listeners will gain insight into the purpose, scope, and intended application of the book, and may find it particularly relevant if they are interested in advancing their clinical reasoning or integrating fascia-informed concepts into their work.
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In this episode, I sit down with Madeline Seide, OTD, OTR/L, RYT, LSVT-BIG, to explore how trauma shows up across the clients we work with every day. We discuss what current research is revealing about trauma’s impact on the brain, why understanding trauma matters for all healthcare professionals, and how it can influence behavior and engagement in therapy. Madeline and I also share practical ways we apply trauma-informed principles in our daily practice to create safer, more effective therapeutic environments.
 
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In this episode, I’m sharing one of the most foundational parts of my fascia‑informed approach: the progression of matching, pacing, and leading. Before I introduce any hands‑on work, movement exploration, or self‑treatment strategies, I focus on helping the client’s nervous system settle enough to participate.
I talk about how I attune to a client’s initial tempo, tone, and level of activation, and how that simple act of matching creates the safety their fascia and nervous system need. From there, I share how I gradually shift the rhythm of the session—using posture, breath, cadence, and presence—to support regulation without forcing change.
You’ll hear how I use these relational cues as the first intervention in fascia‑informed care, and why this sequence makes such a difference in interoception, tissue responsiveness, and therapeutic outcomes. If you’re looking for practical, immediately usable ways to help clients arrive more fully in their bodies, this episode will give you a clear, grounded framework you can bring straight into your next session.
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Recent headlines have once again brought childhood sexual abuse into public view, often in ways that expose survivors while protecting systems of power. In this episode, we shift the focus away from spectacle and back to care.
Using evidence from two large systematic reviews, we explore how childhood sexual abuse, often occurring alongside other adverse childhood experiences, shapes nervous system development and increases the risk of chronic pain and pain-related disability in adulthood. We discuss how long-standing threat responses can amplify pain even decades later.
For fascia-informed therapists, this episode offers a clear rationale for trauma-informed evaluation, education, and referral which are grounded in science, not assumption. Pain, in this context, is not a failure of tissue, but a signal from a system that learned to survive.
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References from the podcast:
Bussières, A., Hancock, M. J., Elklit, A., Ferreira, M. L., Ferreira, P. H., Stone, L. S., Wideman, T. H., Boruff, J. T., Al Zoubi, F., Chaudhry, F., Tolentino, R., & Hartvigsen, J. (2023). Adverse childhood experience is associated with an increased risk of reporting chronic pain in adulthood: a stystematic review and meta-analysis. European journal of psychotraumatology, 14(2), 2284025. https://doi.org/10.1080/20008066.2023.2284025
Karimov-Zwienenberg, M., Symphor, W., Peraud, W., & Décamps, G. (2024). Childhood trauma, PTSD/CPTSD and chronic pain: A systematic review. PloS one, 19(8), e0309332. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0309332
See the alarming extent of NIH and NSF funding cuts in 2025