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.
FasciaInformed.com
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
