I've been digging into some neat stuff in a new training that I'm taking
at Boulder Massage Therapy institute with Dr. Elyssa Wright. Elyssa is a chiropractor and cranial sacral therapist who practices here in Boulder, CO. I feel so fortunate to be surrounded by so many talented and experienced therapists in this town, and want to take advantage of learning as much as I can from them when I get the opportunity. Dr. Wright is teaching an introduction to Cranial Sacral therapy via 'Dynamic Body Balancing' technique, which (if I'm understanding it correctly) works with 3 main 'T's. How we are affecting our Thoughts, Toxins, and Traumas/Torsions. So far, torsion has been a really exciting aspect of this training for me to dive into.
On the first day of class a few weeks ago, there was a slide that Elyssa put up of someone taking a swing, while playing tennis. This was after we talked a little about what 'torsion' means. Essentially, torsion speaks to 'twists' or 'torque' in the myofascial system of the body. Check out this image below and see if you can spot which areas of the body there are 'torsions' or 'twists' going on....
Literally everywhere!! There's torsion at the wrists, where she is manipulating the tennis racket..in the neck to keep her gaze straight and centered on the ball...in the chest and shoulders to gain momentum for her swing...the pelvis, while her step is staggered to line up for her shot...
This image brought me back to Tom Myer's Anatomy Trains 'Spiral Line' myofascial track in the body. It is a fascial system that is responsible for many chronic tension patterns in the musculoskeletal system. The major muscles that are in direct line with this fascial system are:
-Splenius capitis and cervicis
-Rhomboids major and minor
-Serratus anterior
-External Oblique
-Abdominal aponeurosis, linea alba
-Internal Oblique
-Tensor fasciae latae (TFL), illotibial tract (IT band)
-Tibialis Anterior
-Fibularis longus
-Biceps femoris
-Sacrotuberous ligament
-Sacrolumbar fascia, erector spinae
Some of you may be looking at this image and putting the pieces together from our last bodywork session together...when you walked in with low back pain/tension around the S/I joint, and then questioned why I was spending so much time with you lying on your side while I scraped my forearm up and down on your ribcage. Yep-fascial lines. Trigger points/tension between the shoulder blades? Hamstrings and TFL release to the rescue! Everything truly IS connected.
I'm looking forward to bringing this new awareness into my work in the coming year, and seeing what effect it can have for my clients...stay tuned!!