Hamstring Adhesions

As noted by Erik Dalton, PhD., in his Volume IV Myoskeletal Alignment DVD set, a common dysfunction with the hamstring muscle group is ‘fascial bag adhesions’, rather than contracture, or chronic shortening in the hamstrings.

A few simple techniques can be administered by soft tissue therapists to help separate these fascial adhesions between bicep femoris, semimembranosus, and semitendinosus, additionally creating room for the sciatic nerve to slide around.  Your soft tissue therapist may ask for movement, by way of your muscular contraction, to enhance the central nervous system perception of the ‘new’ resting length in the tissue, as we now know, connective tissue is highly innervated.

Here are a few examples of Myoskeletal Alignment Techniques used at Stay Tuned Therapeutics to bring relief to tired, achy, bagged up hamstrings…

Shorten...Seperate. Internal & external rotation of fibula may be helpful.

By ’shortening’ the tissue, we take tension out of the distal attachment of bicep femoris, allowing the therapist to sink to the restrictive barrier.  Recall gastrocnemius runs deep to hamstring attachments.

Broad palmar pressure may reduce protective muscle guarding.

As your therapist ‘pins’ into the tissue, external rotation of the femur helps separate the medial fibers of  semimembranosus and semitendinosus from bicep femoris.  The short head of the bicep femoris is often exquisitely tender and caution must be taken here.

Shorten...Pin...

Shortening the hamstrings group once again, providing movement re-educates the tissue.  As the therapist drops the leg down toward the table, they may introduce gliding strokes up the thigh, or maintain a solid pin hand to really lengthen and separate the fascial adhesions.  In some schools of thought, this may increase contactability of the tissue.  Imagine that, if it is not bound to its neighbor,muscle may have increased function?  But I have no proof, that’s just what I hear from clients.

Lengthen. Just feel 'good'.

This video features some of the hamstring techniques.  Not just for ‘runners’.

Stay Tuned…..

Winter Skin

Winter weather affects your skin in several ways. Dry skin is the most common result of the winter season. Cold winter air lacks humidity and dries up natural oils in your skin, causing it to lose its moisture  Indoor heating systems dry the inside air, too. Because of these factors,  you’re likely to suffer a double dose of the drying effect.

Being at altitude in the winter is harsher on the skin too.  You’re  getting more sun exposure than you think from the sun reflecting off the snow and there is more chance of getting wind burn.

At Stay Tuned Therapeutics we recognize these factors and have treatments to help combat the effects of the winter on the skin.  Everything from hydrating facials to body treatments that include a full body steam.  Call today to find out more. 928.699.1801 or check out the skin & body tab on the website.

Cervical Facet Pain Patterns

Erik Dalton’s Myoskeletal Alignment Techniques are partly based on the reflexogenic relationship between muscles and joints.  By releasing ‘tight’ deep 4th layer muscles, Myoskeletal Therapists help open ’stuck’, or ‘out’ joint spaces, reducing irritation in the articular receptors, chemo receptors, and nociceptors.  Specific joint positions are reached and some type of activator, client movement, is used to release spasm, and the cycle of movement/pain reduction/movement begins.

Occipitoatlantal Alignment

The charts below demonstrate the pain patterns that are produced by cervical facet joint dysfunction.

For more in depth information of facet joint dysfunction, please visit

http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/93924-overview

Lumbar Biomechanics

L3 to Coccyx

Forward Head Posture

Forward head posture can have ill effect through out the body, from the upper cervicals, to the plantar fascia.

Here are a few simple movements you can use during the day to assist in pulling the head back.

Strengthen Deep Neck Flexors (Img. 1)

Drape a resistance band over the base of the skull, just above the ears.  Find a comfortable place to hold each end of the band.  The closer to the body you hold, the more resistance you will feel when preforming elbow extensions.

As seen in image 1 above, perform elbow extensions, slowly.  Come slowly back to a start point, ending with elbows flexed.  By completing this movement you must contract the deep head/neck flexors, longus capitus and longus coli, in order to keep the head from flopping forward.  You may experience an ‘opening up’ of tissue at the cranial base, the occipitoatlantal joint, and a release of tight tissue in the back of the neck.  Repeat a few times a day, start with sets of 5, then 8 and so on.  Be sure to maintain proper breathing during this movement.

Deep Neck Flexors (Img.2)

Image 2 is the same movement cue without the resistance band, and is easier to do while driving to work, sitting at the computer, or on the dance floor.  In the image I use my finger as a guide, not a force pushing on the chin.  Simply glide the cranium posterior, keep the eyes looking forward.  Many people will have a tendency to look up toward the sky a bit.  The point is to open the posterior cervicals and strengthen the anterior, deep head/neck flexors.

These simple techniques can ease neck, shoulder & upper back pain and may help reduce the formation of Dowager’s Hump at the base of the neck/upper back.

Save Your Body In The Snow. Winter Aches & Pains contd.

Break Time

Having just received more than 2 feet of heavy snow, with more to come, there are good times on the way for residents of Northern Arizona.  But before the good times roll, there is a lot of hard work to be done.

At Stay Tuned Therapeutics, when it snows, we see an influx of patients with sciatic nerve irritation, leg pain, rotator cuff impingement, arm pain & low back pain.  Mindful shoveling techniques will keep you safe, saving your low back, legs, hips and shoulders for the fun to come.

The most operated on disc in the back in L5-S1.  This is the very lowest disc in the back, between Lumbar spine and the sacrum.  Repetitive motions can wear this disc out, cracking the annular fibers…a simple one time movement of forward bending and rotation, with a heavy load, may be what finally lands you in the emergency room.  Forward head postures and rotation of the shoulders inward will lead to pinching and possible damage in the shoulders.

Here are some tips for preventing injury.

• Warm up, stretch some, and take breaks.  Dress accordingly, don’t get too hot!
• WATER IN THY BODY.
• If you must bend over to shovel, come to a standing position before twisting the trunk to unload the snow.
• Bend at the knees, at least every other effort.
• Take small scopes of snow, start with the top layer. (A 12 lb load can translate to 586 lb compression to L5-S1 disc w bad body mechanics)
• Push snow down hill when you can.
• Alternate sides.
• Bring your head back and shoulders blades down before pitching the snow to save shoulders.
• Keep the shovel close to your body.
• Take a break.
• Plan on taking a while.  Don’t rush!

Follow these steps, enjoy the day.  Save your body for the snowshoeing, CC skiing, and get to the mountain when you can!

Free The Foot

A variety of techniques that may be administered at Stay Tuned Therapeutics.  Checking joint ROM, manual manipulation, fascial “bagging” techniques.  Commonly used is a combination of Myoskeletal Alignment Techniques and AIS.

Call 928-699-1999 for more info and scheduling.

Fresh Feet for Flagstaff Homeless.

When you do well upon others, it makes you feel well, and it comes full circle.

From now until Dec. 30th, 2009 when you donate a pair of shoes, boots, or technical fabric socks at Stay Tuned Therapeutics, you will receive $15.00 credit and a homeless man, woman or child gets a pair of shoes, boots or socks for the holidays.

Drop off location is Stay Tuned Therapeutics, 403 West Birch Ave., Flagstaff, AZ. 86001  Between 10 am and 5 pm, Monday-Friday.

Shoes/boots (any kind-any size) must be in decent shape, as winter is upon us.  PLEASE bring some socks, this is what is most needed as of 12-18-09.

We are in discussion at this time with Flagstaff Shelter Service on how best to distribute the shoes and boots, along with a 15 minute foot massage, to those in need.  We are setting up a mid day time therapy session with other community therapists……update to follow!

This is our gift to the Flagstaff community this holiday season, please help us out, and it will come back to you full circle.  Please call 928-699-1999 for more information and to get involved.

Anterior Hip Capsule Release

Free the Hips (fig. 1)

Prolonged sitting, hip flexor tightness, overuse and misuse can all cause hip problems.  Often when the “soft tissue” i.e., muscle, becomes tight the deeper layers of the connective tissue surrounding a joint will become short, stuck and glued down.  The hip capsule is unique in that it has a sort of rotatory arrangement of its fibers.

One commonly seen pathology, is the head of the femur (ball) becoming fixated into the posterior portion of the acetabulum (socket).  A pain generator to be sure, as the bone grinds on the inside of the joint space.    This may occur as a result of a dropped arch, internally rotated leg, and rotation of the femur.

One way to address the issue at the hip, is to position yourself or client/patient as shown in (fig.1).  This external rotation of the femur causes the head of the femur to migrate into external rotation, stretching the iliofemoral lig., which attaches the hip to the thigh and visa versa.    (The one that gets all glued up during bouts of great hip flexion and approximation of muscular origin-insertion.)  If you are a therapist using this technique position hands just inferior to greater trochanter.  Gravity will help those who help themselves.  To add an enhancer to this position, you may try pelvic tilts…tuck the tail bone under and back out.  Some people may feel a bit strange about this enhancer so I recommend pushing the knee into the floor for a count of 6-8 seconds, release and repeat 3-5 times.   You may also feel a bit of increase in ROM in adductors, sometimes that feels great.  DO NOT use this technique if you have to great a range of motion already.  In my opinion loose joints are more dangerous than tight joints.  Enjoy!

For more info or to book a session with Geoffrey Bishop, LMT in Flagstaff, AZ…call 928-699-1999.  e mail at staytunedaz@gmail.com

Winter Aches & Pains Pt. 2

Hip ABduction Test

In part one of this discussion I introduced a common injury that may present in a clinical setting.  Injury, weakness (inhibition) or tightness (facilitation) of the adductor group of the thigh.  I’d like to now introduce you to a test that may be administered by the clinician or as a take home assessment of recruitment and compensation patterns in hip abduction.

In a side lying position I simply ask the client to raise a straight leg toward to ceiling.  In doing so glute med and min should “fire” at approximately the same time, lifting the leg straight laterally, toward the ceiling.  In the presence of inhibition of glute med., min., and potential facilitation of the adductor group, there may be a variety of substitution patterns.  Normal range of motion should be at least 45 degrees of abduction (toward the ceiling).   Try this on yourself and see what you find.

Lie on your side, raise top leg toward the ceiling.

Compensation patterns that may present are as follows:

Tight Adductors = ROM below 45 degrees abduction.

Piriformis Facilitation = External rotation of femur, evident by the toes pointing toward the ceiling.

Tensor Fasciae Lata Facilitation = The hip will come into flexion, draw the thigh anterior (toward the front).  Also may be seen that the trunk twist posterior (back) still creating hip flexion.

Quadratus Lumborum Facilitation = In an attempt to raise the leg, the hip will hike toward the shoulder, creating a slight side bend in the low back.

Any of these conditions may create or add to low back and hip pain, and may be a contributing factor in dysfunction of the rest of the kinetic chain.  Try this test, and let me know what you find.  In future installments we will look at what you find, and discuss treatment options from a clinical standpoint, and what you can do at home in self treatment.