Come and feel the difference…

If we examine how our body stands up in gravity, and how the soft tissue “bands” (muscles, tendons, fascial web) allow our skeleton to stay up, it’s easy to understand how important it is to get our muscles worked on in order to bring them back to their natural resting length.

Another important key of the puzzle is the fact that in the inner ear we have that beautiful mechanism that allows our brain to determine our position in gravity: the Otolith Organs. Therefore, eyes and ears will always be level to the ground as default, to maintain our equilibrium… Consequently, compensations have to be identified and corrected as an effort to maintain that line level.

I always start my work with the client face up, and I always analyze the body from the feet up. A very simple down-to-earth evaluation: are the heels on the same line? Are the femurs rolling in and out freely? Are the two ASIS (anterior superio iliac spine) level on a three dimensional plane?

Working to achieve symmetry in the lower extremities and pelvic girdle  allows me to look at the torso and neck with a better chance to get the shoulder blades back where they belong. Consequently, the neck can rest naturally at the top of the “pyramid”.

Simple, isn’t it?

It’s not a joke, it IS that simple!

Not later than last week a female client came in with a significant spasm in her right QL (quadratus lomborum – in layman’s terms, she had a debilitating pain in the right side of her lower back).

The first readings of my little evaluation drill were kind of interesting: ASIS kind of level, femoral rotation pretty decent on both sides, right heel 2 cm higher than the left… Wow!

Than I looked at the ankle ROM (range of motion). The right was stiffer than the left and the whole foot bone structure felt compressed. Hum…..  Than I happened to touch her right fibular head, that bone protrusion that sticks out on the outside of the knee… the right was definitely not like the left one!!!

Long story short, I worked her right leg compartment for only 10 minutes… when all of a sudden, the whole structure relaxed! I checked the alignment of her heels and there it was back in symmetry… I looked at her and asked how the back was feeling: first of all she was smiling with a giggle, secondly her torso had lost the funny bend to the right and THE PAIN IN THE LOW BACK WAS GONE!

As far as the reason for coming in was concerned, we could have ended the session right there and then and enjoy a good cappuccino together for the rest of the time!!!!!

See, no magic involved… get the bands right and the structure will fall back in its natural alignment.

I have been doing what I now call Orthopedic Bodywork for a long time and it never ceases to amaze me..

People, soft tissue pathologies are fairly easy to correct.

In particular, the client mentioned above was super easy to help… Fortunately, she is doing a great job as far as her health is concerned. She has made the choice to stay in shape and eat right; therefore, my helping her has always been a quick and easy process.

Other subjects with different lifestyles, accident history and so on, might present more layers to “peel”, but in all these years I always found a way to offer improvements of some sort.

Orthopedic Bodywork is an effective way to achieve pain free lives, or the start the process that leads to it.

God bless