The field of myofascial science is changing rapidly. In The Myofascial System in Form and Movement, Lauri Nemetz invites readers into the rich dialogue around movement, delving into anatomy, concepts of space, and the many other disciplines that are taking interest in the myofascial universe. Nemetz uses insights from our spatial relationship with the world to examine the human body, giving voice to the ideas and work of leaders in this area and prompting readers to develop their own ideas, as well as offering application suggestions to discover in your own body or with others. With an extensive background in art history, myofascial movement, anatomical dissection and more, Nemetz uses her wealth of experience to weave together the many facets of this evolving area in a visually rich and thought-provoking book.
Fascia, Function, and Medical Applications is essential reading for medical and allied health practitioners who want to bring scientific insights of the importance of fascia to human health into their clinical practices. Fascia – the biodynamic tissue that connects every muscle, bone, organ, and nerve in the body – is fast becoming the latest trend in healthcare and allied health modalities. This book is edited by David Lesondak, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, author of the international bestseller Fascia: What it is and why it matters, and Angeli Maun Akey, MD, international physician educator and board certified in both internal and integrative medicine. It contains contributions from a team of top researchers and expert practitioners including physicians, clinicians, therapists, dissectors, and surgeons. Fully illustrated in color, this book presents the latest scientific knowledge of fascia and explains insights into problems like chronic pain and myriad musculoskeletal symptoms that may not respond to conventional treatments. It gives practitioners the information they need to make better decisions to improve the health of patients often without pharmaceuticals or surgeries. FEATURES • Provides comprehensive overview of how fascia, as a tissue and a system, affects various body functions and systems, from musculoskeletal disorders to nervous system, circulatory, and auto-immune function. • A section devoted to medical applications highlights a comprehensive and critical overview of various fascial therapies. • Gives practitioners the knowledge they need to refer or add as an adjunct therapy to their department or rehabilitation team. This is a cutting-edge, practical guide that will appeal to researchers, physicians, and clinicians alike.
Fascia has become the new buzzword in the field of rehabilitation and movement re-education. Until recently its contribution to musculoskeletal dysfunction had been underestimated. We know now that fascia plays an important role in health, wellbeing and mobility. It transmits the power of the muscles, communicates with the nervous system and serves as a sense organ. Many different groups of professionals are now exploring the world of fascia, as evidenced by the explosion of research in this field. However, many physical therapists are still unfamiliar with fascia and continue to think of it as the 'dead packing material' that is pushed aside during dissections in order to visualize the 'important stuff' like muscles and nerves. Physical therapists with their varied skill-set in manual therapy techniques are well-placed to take on this important tissue. Mobilization of the Myofascial System aims to help them to do that. Mobilization of the Myofascial System (MMS), the technique described in this book, has its origins in manual physical therapy for the articular, muscular and neural systems. Tom Myers' book Anatomy Trains, which examines the myofascial meridians for manual and movement therapists, has been the framework and inspiration for the development of MMS. In this book the author outlines the theory and pathophysiology of fascial dysfunctions. A full description of the MMS assessment and treatment approach is given as well as guidance on ways in which it may be integrated into the other methods normally used by manual therapists. Subsequent chapters offer full descriptions and color photos of the MMS techniques. The chapters are organized into various anatomical regions simply to facilitate learning. These divisions are, of course, artificial, as fascia is a continuum, from the top of the head, down to the toes. Mobilization of the Myofascial System is primarily intended for physical therapists who have been trained in manual therapy, but it will also be valuable for osteopaths, chiropractors, massage therapists, structural integrators and other body workers who are seeking an alternative way to work with this important and fascinating tissue.
This book is the product of an important collaboration between clinicians of the manual therapies and scientists in several disciplines that grew out of the three recent International Fascia Research Congresses (Boston, Amsterdam, and Vancouver). The book editors, Thomas Findley MD PhD, Robert Schleip PhD, Peter Huijing PhD and Leon Chaitow DO, were major organizers of these congresses and used their extensive experience to select chapters and contributors for this book. This volume therefore brings together contributors from diverse backgrounds who share the desire to bridge the gap between theory and practice in our current knowledge of the fascia and goes beyond the 2007, 2009 and 2012 congresses to define the state-of-the-art, from both the clinical and scientific perspective. Prepared by over 100 specialists and researchers from throughout the world, Fascia: The Tensional Network of the Human Body will be ideal for all professionals who have an interest in fascia and human movement - physiotherapists, osteopathic physicians, osteopaths, chiropractors, structural integration practitioners, manual therapists, massage therapists, acupuncturists, yoga or Pilates instructors, exercise scientists and personal trainers - as well as physicians involved with musculoskeletal medicine, pain management and rehabilitation, and basic scientists working in the field. - Reflects the efforts of almost 100 scientists and clinicians from throughout the world - Offers comprehensive coverage ranging from anatomy and physiology, clinical conditions and associated therapies, to recently developed research techniques - Explores the role of fascia as a bodywide communication system - Presents the latest information available on myofascial force transmission which helps establish a scientific basis for given clinical experiences - Explores the importance of fascia as a sensory organ - for example, its important proprioceptive and nociceptive functions which have implications for the generation of low back pain - Describes new imaging methods which confirm the connectivity of organs and tissues - Designed to organize relevant information for professionals involved in the therapeutic manipulation of the body's connective tissue matrix (fascia) as well as for scientists involved in basic science research - Reflects the increasing need for information about the properties of fascia, particularly for osteopaths, massage therapists, physiotherapists and other complementary health care professionals - Offers new insights on the fascial related foundations of Traditional Chinese Medicine Meridians and the fascial effects of acupuncture
Instrument-Assisted Myofascial Therapy: Principles and Clinical Applications provides a complete overview of this effective therapy (IAMT) based on the authors' own clinical experience of using instruments to treat myofascial lesions. The text combines the latest scientific evidence and theory with practical guidelines. The authors describe the use of various IAMT techniques which the reader will be able to easily integrate into daily clinical practice. The text progresses from didactic to practical information of relevance for a variety of clinicians: - Anatomy of the myofascial system and its role in pain/dysfunction and treatments - Science and theory of IAMT including history, types, and research on mechanisms of action and outcomes - Practical application of IAMT Practice: an overview of techniques specific to tissue type (scars, tendons, muscles) - Integration of IATM in clinical practice including clinical decision making (in diagnosis and treatment), indications, contraindications, and adjunct treatments The text is intended to provide a guide for using myofascial instruments in daily practice. The reader will easily learn how to use IATM to enhance patient outcomes and to use it in a fashion which protects their own joints! Procedures are explained and demonstrated using a clear and practical approach. Full-color photographs illustrate the use of the therapy in these commonly-treated areas: Cervical spine and head, Shoulder, Elbow, wrist and hand, Thoracic spine and chest, Lumbar spine and sacroiliac joint, Hip and pelvis, Knee, Ankle and foot. Treatment protocols are provided which can be easily applied by the therapist for use with a variety of diagnoses relating to the same structures by using a standardised and precise approach. A treatment protocol is first presented on a specific structure that is commonly treated. The specific instrument is to be used is described first, then the entire treatment is explained in detail. from the starting position of the therapist and patient. Treatment progressions are then listed, as well as possible treatment options within the Myofascial Connective System (MCS). Beginning with the primarily treated structure, 'myofascial junctions' are discussed; first regionally in a distal and proximal direction, and then within a functional myofascial chain. This unique approach greatly simplifies the various IATM procedures for the reader to easily implement in practice. Readers will learn an integrated approach to IATM in a variety of clinical practice settings. Clinicians seeing post-operative patients will benefit from a chapter dedicated to the treatment of scars. Numerous case studies and the integration of other myofascial techniques (Cupping, Flossing/Mobility Bands, Kinesiology Taping and Fascial Fitness) complete the book. Instrument-Assisted Myofascial Therapy - principles and clinical applications is the result of years of professional practice with IATM while evaluating patient outcomes. The concept is based on scientific evidence and has been developed in close collaboration with leading scientists and practitioners in the field of myofascial therapy. The text provides a pragmatic, evidence-informed approach to IATM practice.
Principally based on dissections of hundreds of un-embalmed human cadavers over the past decade, Functional Atlas of the Human Fascial System presents a new vision of the human fascial system using anatomical and histological photographs along with microscopic analysis and biomechanical evaluation. Prof. Carla Stecco – orthopaedic surgeon and professor of anatomy and sport activities – brings together the research of a multi-specialist team of researchers and clinicians consisting of anatomists, biomechanical engineers, physiotherapists, osteopaths and plastic surgeons. In this Atlas Prof. Stecco presents for the first time a global view of fasciae and the actual connections that describe the myofascial kinetic chains. These descriptions help to explain how fascia plays a part in myofascial dysfunction and disease as well as how it may alter muscle function and disturb proprioceptive input. Prof. Stecco also highlights the continuity of the fascial planes, explaining the function of the fasciae and their connection between muscles, nerves and blood vessels. This understanding will help guide the practitioner in selecting the proper technique for a specific fascial problem with a view to enhancing manual therapy methods. Functional Atlas of the Human Fascial System opens with the first chapter classifying connective tissue and explaining its composition in terms of percentages of fibres, cells and extracellular matrix. The second chapter goes on to describe the general characteristics of the superficial fascia from a macroscopic and microscopic point of view; while the third analyzes the deep fascia in the same manner. The subsequent five chapters describe the fasciae from a topographical perspective. In this part of the Atlas, common anatomical terminology is used throughout to refer to the various fasciae but it also stresses the continuity of fasciae between the different bodily regions. - Over 300 unique photographs which show fascia on fresh (not embalmed) cadavers - Demonstrates the composition, form and function of the fascial system - Highlights the role of the deep fascia for proprioception and peripheral motor coordination - Companion website – www.atlasfascial.com – with videos showing how fascia connects with ligaments
Focusing on the wealth of information emerging in the area of energy medicine, this unique resource explores mechanisms by which mind and body processes influence the body's healing and performance potential. Content draws on an extraordinary range of sources to explore theories of human energy - from physiology and biophysics, to examples drawn from the realms of "spontaneous healing," cutting-edge athletic and artistic performance, the martial arts, and various contemplative and spiritual practices. Providing new insights and theoretical models, it offers ways to apply these concepts directly, practically, and clinically.
"This book explains how fitness enthusiasts and athletes can mobilize the fascia in order to improve function, flexibility, and performance, and to reduce pain and risk of injury"--
Demystify menopause and discover how Pilates and movement practices can empower your students who are at this stage of life with this expert guide. Drawing upon a wealth of experience, Dinah Siman aims to impassion Pilates and movement teachers to celebrate menopause and give confidence to support students during this transformative phase. Teaching clients going through perimenopause requires some additional learning to ensure safety and encouragement to make the most of this new phase of life. Through real-life case studies, evidence-based information, and examples of Pilates-inspired movement exercises, you'll gain a working knowledge of menopause symptoms and terminology, understand the role of hormones, and learn about the positive impact that Pilates-inspired movement can have on students.
