The course I took covered over some really simple effective comfortable methods to reduce tightness of certain muscles that are pulling the pelvis out of alignment therefore reducing the need of back muscles  to tighten to pull the body back into alignment. Being able to identify the causes of pelvic misalignment allows me to give exercises that will hold the correction so that the client is able to keep up the changes over longer time for long term effects.

Identifying what postures or biomechanics can be contributing to the issue in the beginning are also reviewed to help hold the changes for longer term. It goes to back up that the pain you feel is often in a different area from where the cause is. Working in the area of discomfort is necessary to provide relief but would only be helpful for a short term and must be followed up with exercises at home and awareness of posture and biomechanics that, as describe above, can be contributing.

Here is a picture of the pelvis from the front and slightly above. The Sacral Promontory is where the L5 (lowest back vertebrae) sits and starts the spine upwards.

Trigger Points are described as focused hyper-irritable points that can exists in muscle tissue. It is my belief that this section of muscle tissue is in a state of hyper contraction with a heavy CO2 (metabolic waste) presence. The Trigger Point will feel like a nodule. The issue with Trigger points is that it can affect the ability for the whole muscle to relax so it can cause the whole muscle to tighten. The most interesting part of trigger points is how they refer a vague dull ache away from the actual site of the trigger point. Often trigger points can mimic other conditions like a joint conditions, migraines, carpal tunnel and nerve entrapment conditions like Sciatica. For instance, the side of the neck has a set of muscles called the Scalenes, which help stabilize the neck and raise the top two ribs during inhalation. They have a dramatic  referral pattern as you can see.

The lateral low back muscles and Hip Stabilizer muscles have the ability to refer down the leg similar to pain encountered in Sciatica (compression of Sciatic Nerve) except that the pain is duller and more vague more like a dull toothache.

There are many muscles in the body that have these referral patterns so postural, muscle weakness and description of pain helps to identify if it is a Trigger Point and where it might be. The biggest presenters tend to be the muscles around the neck causing headaches. Each muscle will cause pain at different parts of the head whether it be the temple, top of the head, base of the skull. To simply release the trigger point would only be helpful for a short time as the cause is probably still present whether it be poor posture, stretched muscles, joint immobility or irritation ect. It all comes down to putting the body back in a position of good balance, joint mobility, strength and stability so no muscles are put under the constant strain that can cause the Trigger Points. Here are some Headache Trigger Points: The X is where the Trigger Point is and the red area is where the pain is referred to:

I thought that Wikipedia had a good definition so I hope they don’t mind if I borrow from them.

Fascia (făsh’ē-ə), pl. fas·ci·ae (făsh’ē-ē), adj. fascial (făsh’ē-əl) (from latin: a band) is the soft tissue component of the connective tissue system that permeates the human body. It interpenetrates and surrounds muscles, bones,organs, nerves, blood vessels and other structures. Fascia is an uninterrupted, three-dimensional web of tissue that extends from head to toe, from front to back, from interior to exterior. It is responsible for maintaining structural integrity; for providing support and protection; and acts as a shock absorber. Fascia has an essential role inhemodynamic and biochemical processes, and provides the medium that allows for intercellular communication. Fascia functions as the body’s second line of defense against pathogenic agents and infections after theskin. After injury, it is the fascia that creates an environment for tissue repair. So a fascial adhesion which occurs post injury, can affect the repair of that same tissue.

Where I come in to all of this is that if there is a discontinuity or change to the function of the fascia, it can effect the body in many ways, including the functions stated above. I concentrate more on structural fascial and myofascial (fascia that surrounds the muscle) in the way that they affect movement and posture and balance, which is what I see come into the clinic quite often.

Another groups of conditions that has begun to trickle into the clinic are conditions arising from disfunction to the fascia surrounding the organs. The organs that I traditionally deal with are the liver, gall bladder, stomach, lungs, large and small intestines, bladder, prostate, uterus. This form of treatment is very non-invasive (for those of you who saw the bladder/prostate and cringed). The bladder/prostate work can be accessed in the lower abdomen area just below the belly button. With their respective attachments, each organ has a movement is must be allowed to do during both it’s functions and during general body movements. Clients have come in with complaints attached to digestion such as reflux, gas, constipation, diarrhea, dry stool which can all be attributed to adhesions somewhere along the course of the digestive system. Constipation, for example can be a spasm causing the valve between the small and large intestine.  It’s a newer approach to adhesions causing trouble with the functions of organs.

As example as what can happen with tight abdominal fascia, think what would happen if you had some of those full body pajamas on and you’re sitting in a chair. You spill some sticky glue on your front but you stay there for a while, until the glue hardens. When you go to sit up, the now inelastic fibers of the front of your pajamas  will make it difficult to stand up straight because they won’t stretch. It also affects the way that the rest of the pajamas pull to compensate. This is an extreme example, but shows how restricted fascia can affect a local area and also affects the chain of fascia around the rest of the body.

Again, I could go on for a long time about different effects of dysfunctional/adhered fascia, but in a nutshell, Fascial adhesions don’t let things happen that need to happen and puts the body into a state of imbalance and dysfunction. My job is to locate the adhesions and release them so that the normal function and movement occurs and allows the body’s natural balanced position occur easier. It is an interesting process as often the best approach is a much more gentle approach. I hold the pressure to release the adhesion and often it won’t move for at least a minute, then slowly, the adhesion begins to unwind, producing a significant release allowing movement of the structures surrounding it. Often I combine other modalities with fascial release including trigger point release, muscle energy techniques, joint play to name a few. With fascial release, toxins are always released so I always flush out the area to return the venous circulation to the heart to be expelled.

http://www.healingcancernaturally.com/breast-cancer-bras-lymph-nodes.html

Clients may come in with varying degrees of a type of injury so there is not one approach to helping them. My approach is I focus on mobility, support and balance. When the body is balanced, the joint range of motion is better and the muscles are in a neutral position and will be stronger (not stretched or shortened).  Many times the body is pulled out of it’s ideal balanced position for long enough that the unbalanced position is what seems to be normal and that is why it often ends up being a chronic condition that ends up surfacing seemingly out of nowhere.

The types of modalities I use include Deep Fascial (connective tissue) Release, PRT (passive release technique), Muscle Energy, Joint Mobilizations, Standard Stretching, demo of the exercises to be done at home, Postural and Range of Motion Assessment. Over the next little bit I will cover each of these modalities and explain how they can be helpful in achieving a well supported strong balanced body.

In the human body, the oxygen is absorbed by the blood stream in the lungs, being then transported to the cells where an elaborated change process takes place.

Oxygen plays a vital role in the breathing processes and in the metabolism of the living organisms.

Probably, the only living cells that do not need oxygen are some anaerobic bacteria that obtain energy from other metabolic processes.

Move the cleats around and you can find a position that is best for you.

The translation is: (this is heavy-duty mushy stuff with a PG13 Rating) Please be advised.

Yes, like a little flower,
You have got a sweet mouth
A little bit
withered.

Please give it to me
it's like a little rose
Give me a little kiss,
give, Cannetella!

Give one and take one,
a kiss as little
as your mouth

which looks like a little rose
a little bit
withered.

Click here and have a listen.

Click here for more infomation on ginger. It’s really good stuff.

So here it is with Kim Cousineau, piano player extraordinaire. Enjoy.