Myofascial Trains.

A few notes from Tom Myers’ text book, Anatomy Trains. Here are
some thoughts on the book. 

– the book is brilliantly written. You do however need a strong background in
anatomy to get through it.
– the concept behind it is that the body is held together by fibres made of collagen. These fibres form a net that holds the entire body together. For example, if you wanted to make a human being, you would not just pour his organs into the abdominal cavity and hope for the best. Rather you would
carefully place each organ and then hold it in place with a net type
substance.
– this fascia, or net type structure, tightens or pulls over time creating tight areas. This could be due to trauma or imbalances in our bodies. To overcome these imbalances, a body worker might try loosening the fascia.
– the body’s fascia is linked. Myers very carefully tracks these connections. For example, the superficial back line is a line of fascial tension that
extends from the forehead, down the back of the neck, alongside the spine, branches by the SI joint, goes down the hamstrings, into the calves and under the feet, ending by the toes.
– with the previous point in mind, a tight back might be helped with work as far afield as calves and neck.
– different personalities exhibit different body shapes. In other words, there is a connection between personality, life traumas and what that does to the body. It is therefore possible to influence certain aspects of personality through myofascial release. As an example, think of the diaphragm. It is impossible to feel depressed while the diaphragm is pushed outward. Depressed people over time allow the sternum and diaphragm to collapse inwards.
– there is a strong correlation between the meridians worked on in Chinese
medicine  and the myofascial lines. This has not been explored in any depth up
to this point.
– the technique sees the body as an integrated whole. Many practitioners target one small area and try and get that released. However, the body moves as a sum of all its parts. Shoulders work harder when there are hip restrictions, feet get injured due to stiff calves and hamstrings. To only see a muscle as the part that works a lever is a mistake. I have quoted Karel Lewit on a number of occasions, his point remains true; “He who treats the site of pain is often lost.”

The human body, movement, efficiency and injury are complex fields of study. I have found that a mix of trigger point therapy, myofascial release and kinesio tape have had a huge effect in helping people.

Give me a call if you feel I can help. We charge R 450 for a 1 hour session.

Regards,

Mike Roscoe.
Kinesiologist.