Aging, Inflammation, and the Fascia-Brain Connection
Why do some clients bounce back quickly from injury while others linger in chronic pain, brain fog, or fatigue? The answer may lie in how fluid leaves the brain.
Aging and the Glymphatic System
As we age, the glymphatic system — the brain’s fluid-clearing network — begins to falter. Research indicates that alterations in astrocytes, lymphatic contractility, and vascular pulsatility impair CSF clearance.
The result? Slower removal of toxins, increased neuroinflammation, and greater vulnerability to neurodegenerative changes.
The recent study on CSF rerouting highlights this reality. Younger brains adapt by redirecting fluid through veins. Middle-aged brains attempt rerouting through carotid arteries but with less efficiency — and more inflammatory markers. Aging fascia may exhibit these characteristics: stiffening, reduced hydration, and diminished adaptability.
Fascia as a Key Player
Fascia is often overlooked in discussions of aging brains. Yet fascia is deeply tied to fluid dynamics. Restrictions in cranial and cervical fascia can compress lymphatic pathways, alter venous return, and even change posture — all of which influence how CSF drains from the skull.
As Simone Fortier has observed in treating athletes and concussion patients: when you release key fascial restrictions around the cranium, occiput, and cervical spine, symptoms like dizziness, brain fog, and headaches often resolve quickly. This is not coincidence — it is physiology catching up with fascia.
A Call for Next-Level Practice
For manual therapists and bodyworkers, this is more than interesting science. It is a call to elevate practice. Traditional approaches focus on muscle or joint. Next-level practitioners focus on fascia as the bridge between structure, fluid, and brain health.
When you treat fascia with precision and respect for its fluid properties, you are not just releasing tissue — you are potentially reducing neuroinflammation, enhancing detox, and helping clients age with resilience.
The fascia-brain connection is not a metaphor. It is science, and it is the future of therapy.
Reference
Habliz, Nedergaard; Cerebrospinal fluid blow modulates Brain health, the Journal of Clincal Investigation 2025, 135(17) e 197202