Massage therapy and bodywork are professions that balance the art and science of touch. That equation consists of equal parts skilled training, intuition, interpretation, communication, continuing education, and research. But with this issue of Massage & Bodywork magazine, we’re tipping the scale more heavily toward the latter. Specifically, by considering fascia and its role in your practices and your clients’ lives.
We’re excited to let our fascia flags fly and “nerd out” on the latest research regarding fascia as a sensory organ (“The Fascial Network,” by Robert Schleip, page 40), and the interrelationship between fascia and lymph (“The Lymphatic System and Fascia,” by David Lesondak, page 52). And for the first time ever inside these pages, you’ll see images of FR:EIA (pronounced fray-uh), the world’s first whole-body, fascia-focused plastinate (“Meet FR:EIA,” page 28).
FR:EIA is the work of a group of passionate dissectors from around the world from the Fascial Net Plastination Project (FNPP), who collaborated with the team at Body Worlds in Germany to bring form to the body’s fascia. In total, more than three years of time were dedicated to the project by the FNPP team, who then passed along their efforts for preservation. The plastination process consisted of applying a plastic polymer to FR:EIA to give it structure, form, and posterity.
The result: a detailed anatomical understanding of the body. FR:EIA shows continuity of tissues from surface to deep within, head to foot, to display fascia’s patterns in motion. “Once you see FR:EIA, everything you already know about fascia instantly makes sense,” writes author Rachelle Clauson. As you read the article, you’ll feel Clauson’s and the team’s excitement and passion jump off the pages as they bring their life’s work to fruition. Massage & Bodywork magazine is honored and excited to have this important story.
Our features section closes this issue with Dr. Joe Muscolino’s “Cool Muscles: Confessions of an Anatomy Geek” (page 56). Although each muscle is important to the kinematic function of the body, there are some muscles that stand out—that Dr. Joe, a self-described anatomy geek, can only describe as cool. What makes them cool? “They each have something that is distinctive; something extraordinary only that particular muscle possesses.”
We hope these features, and the additional columns inside, increase your understanding of the body and provide guidance for your touch in your practice.

Darren Buford
Editor-in-Chief 
darren@abmp.com