FM is a manual therapy method developed by Luigi Stecco, a physiotherapist from the north of Italy. This method has evolved over the last 40 years through study and application in the treatment of a vast caseload of musculoskeletal problems. It focuses on the fascia, in particular the deep muscular fascia, including the epimysium and the retinacula and considers that the myofascial system is a three-dimensional continuum. Through collaborations with the Anatomy Faculties of the Descartes University, Paris, France and the University of Padova in Italy, Dr. Carla Stecco and Dr. Antonio Stecco have carried out extensive research into the anatomy and histology of the fascia via dissection of unembalmed cadavers. These dissections have enhanced the pre-existing biomechanical model already elaborated by Luigi Stecco by providing new supportive histological and anatomical data. This method presents a complete biomechanical model that assists in deciphering the role of fascia in musculoskeletal disorders. The mainstay of this manual method lies in the identification of a specific, localised area of the fascia in connection with a specific limited movement. Once a limited or painful movement is identified, then a specific point on the fascia is implicated and, through the appropriate manipulation of this precise part of the fascia, movement can be restored. Research in FM has progressed over the years in textbooks, peer review articles, and recently in Functional Atlas of the Human Fascial System, by Carla Stecco, Elsevier, 2015.
