The efficiency of the body: Fascia and your health

Tensegrity and the body

Tensegrity is an elision of ‘tension + integrity’. Buckminster Fuller, building on the highly original sculptures of Kenneth Snelson, coined the term, to indicate that the integrity of the structure derived from the balance of tension members, not the compression struts. Can you see? (The easiest way to understand tensegrity is to have a model in your hand – then these properties are self-evident.) Cut the strings and it would collapse totally.

Most of our houses and other man-made structures are ‘compressionegrities’ – their integrity lies with the continuity of compression from the highest brick in the Empire State Building to the lowest block of granite – the compression runs in an unbroken line from element to element all the way to the ground.

Tom and Dr. Steven Levin, developer of biotensegrity

We have thought of our bodies in the same way: the skeleton is a stack of bones, like a stack of checkers – a continuous compression structure – with the individual muscles hanging off each bone to move it.

But every classroom skeleton you have ever seen is wired together. Similarly, in the actual skeleton the bones float in a sea of soft-tissue.

Fascial continuity suggests that the myofascia acts like an adjustable tensegrity around the skeleton – a continuous inward pulling tensional network like the elastics, with the bones acting like the struts in the tensegrity model, pushing out against the restricting ‘rubber bands’.

Tensegrity’s unique features

Playing with these models reveals several unique features: Put strain into a tensegrity structure and the deformation will get distributed all over the structure. Continuous compression structures like buildings do not show this property, but bodies do. Load one corner of a building with a huge amount of snow, and that corner might collapse, leaving the rest of building intact. Load a tensegrity, and it will distribute the strain around the whole structure. Ergo: Where will a strained compression structure break? where the strain is greatest. Where will a tensegrity structure break under strain? at its weakest point.  If we are a tensegrity structure, the ‘load’ that is causing pain or strain in the low back may be sourced in the foot or the shoulder – so we have to be able to see the pattern to know where to intervene.  Erik Dalton says “Don’t chase the Pain!”.  Ida Rolf said :Where you think it is, it ain’t.”  Both of these point to the tesnegrity nature of the body.

Expansion
Often our clients’ bodies are contracted and retracted and immobilized in some ways, in some parts. We want to engender an opening, expansion, a filling of space until the person is fully expressed, not constrained. Tensegrities expand in all axes at once: open the structure in one dimension and every dimension expands. Neither buildings nor balloons display this property, but tensegrity structures and bodies do.

Research into fascia has shown how it works on many levels as a distributive network. The body is at least responding like a tensegrity structure, and many of us believe that it is operating as a tensegrity structure. Perhaps it operates more like a tensegrity structure in Fred Astaire than it does in Jackie Gleason.

Efficiency
Tensegrities can be built in hierarchies – each element of a tensegrity can be built out of smaller tensegrities – making for the most efficient use of materials, an evolutionary imperative. This efficiency is also a very important property, as the rule of biological evolution is efficiency – getting the most performance from the least material.

Research into fascia has shown how it works on many levels as a distributive network. The body is at least responding like a tensegrity structure, and many of us believe that it is operating as a tensegrity structure. Perhaps it operates more like a tensegrity structure in Fred Astaire than it does in Jackie Gleason.

This article originally appeared on www.anatomytrains.com

Stress: getting a handle on it.

Stress is something everyone knows about, but not everyone understands its effects.

When the body experiences emotional or physical stress it responds by increasing muscle tone and changing hormone levels. When a stressful situation is resolved your body returns back to its previous relaxed state. This suited us really well back in our hunter-gatherer days when we picked berries and had to run from the occasional tiger, or the like. While tigers aren't really a problem these days, you can't out run work or use fire to fend off that report that's due on Monday. Stress tends to occur over long term and doesn't necessarily have a single cause.

Your body treats these so-called minor hassles as threats. As a result you may feel as if you're constantly under assault.

Over time stress can decrease the power of your immune system and almost all your body's processes, increasing the demand for more resources to maintain it. Stress stays with us as we continue to endure it, and becomes stored as muscular & fascial tension, plus heightened levels of hormones, including cortisol and adrenaline, until something happens to ease the perceived stress. Over time this chronic tension and increased hormone levels can cause:

• Anxiety
• Depression
• Digestive problems
• Headaches
• Heart disease
• Sleep problems
• Weight gain
• Memory and concentration impairment

It is important to have an outlet for your stress and allow it to be released from your body. There are two ways to release it: one is through physical means - like massage, martial arts,  yoga, or practicing a healthy eating lifestyle, as these activities release the stored muscle tension, strengthen your body and signal the nervous system to relax. Massage especially helps lower blood pressure, increases circulation, stimulates the release of oxytocin and promotes a sense of relaxation. The other is to ease the emotional or mental factors behind the stress through methods like meditation or making the time to relax. Some simple and effective strategies are:

• Learn to meditate 5 mins a day*
• Spend time in nature
• Go for a daily walk
• Exercise regularly
• Connect with trusted people
• Practice your hobbies weekly

*Meditation takes you to a deeper state than sleep. During this time, just like during the sleep cycle, your body has the opportunity to repair and regenerate. Your muscles start to relax and aches are relieved. The result is increased energy and improved health.

 Take time for yourself and find the outlet for you. You'll be glad you did.
 

Everyone endures stress - some form of it - so remember you are not alone. How you cope with it can vary, and every method works, but some more than others for each individual. To learn more and for appointments with our specialists contact us over email contact@resetwellness.ca or phone 780.756.5265We're here to help.

This article is written by our very own Brad Ballard, RMT at Reset Wellness.

Avoid This When Foam Rolling

These days, foam rollers are everywhere — the gym, your physical therapist’s office, your living room and even your suitcase. After all, foam rolling has emerged as the darling of the fitness world and the cure-all for many different aches.

Essentially, foam rolling is a form of self-myofascial release, or self-massage, that gets rid of adhesions in your muscles and connective tissue. These adhesions can “create points of weakness or susceptibility in the tissue,” according to Chris Howard, C.S.C.S. and LMT at Cressey Performance. “If the muscle isn’t contracting uniformly from end-to-end, it could lead to injury and pain.” Foam rolling also increases blood flow to your muscles and creates better mobility, helping with recovery and improving performance.

Sounds great, right? Yes, foam rolling offers tremendous potential to relieve pain and help you move better — if used the right way. If not, you risk irritating, and possibly injuring, your body further.

Here’s a breakdown of five common mistakes people often make when using the foam roller.

Mistake #1: You roll directly where you feel pain. When we feel pain, our first inclination is to massage that spot directly. However, this might be a big mistake. “Areas of pain are the victims that result from tension imbalances in other areas of the body,” says Sue Hitzmann, MS, CST, NMT, manual therapist, creator and author of The MELT Method.

Let’s take the IT band, for example. Foam rolling is a commonly prescribed remedy for iliotibial band syndrome (ITBS). While religiously rolling out your IT band might feel good, “the idea that you are going to relax or release the IT band is a misconception,” Hitzmann says. The phrase roll out your IT band itself makes it sound like you are rolling out a piece of dough, but your IT band is anything but pliable. It’s a remarkably strong piece of connective tissue, and research has shown that it cannot be released or manipulated by manual techniques such as foam rolling. “If you iron out areas of inflammation, you can increase inflammation. And if you are in pain, your body will be too stressed to repair itself,” says Hitzmann.

The fix: Go indirect before direct. “If you find a spot that’s sensitive, it’s a cue to ease away from that area by a few inches. Take time and work a more localized region around areas that feel sore before using larger, sweeping motions,” suggests Hitzmann. For the IT band, work on the primary muscles that attach to the IT band first — specifically the gluteus maximus (the largest muscle in the buttocks) and the tensor fasciae latae (a muscle that runs along the outer edge of the hip).

Mistake #2: You roll too fast. While it might feel great to roll back and forth on a foam roller quickly, you’re not actually eliminating any adhesions that way. “You need to give your brain enough time to tell your muscles to relax,” says Monica Vazquez, NASM certified personal trainer and USA Track and Field Running Coach.

The fix: Go slower so that the superficial layers and muscles have time to adapt and manage the compression. Feel where the tender spots are with the roller, and use short, slow rolls over that spot. “There’s no reason to beat up the whole muscle if there are only a few sensitive areas,” Howard says.

Mistake #3: You spend too much time on those knots. We’re often told that if you feel a knot, spend time working that spot with the foam roller. However, some people will spend five to 10 minutes or more on the same area and attempt to place their entire body weight onto the foam roller. If you place sustained pressure on one body part, you might actually hit a nerve or damage the tissue, which can cause bruising, according to Vazquez.

The fix: “Spend 20 seconds on each tender spot then move on,” Vazquez recommends. You can also manage how much body weight you use. For example, when working your IT band, plant the foot of your leg on the floor to take some of the weight off the roller.

Mistake #4: You have bad posture. Wait, what does your posture have to do with foam rolling? A lot. “You have to hold your body in certain positions over the roller,” says Howard, and that requires a lot of strength. “When rolling out the IT band, you are supporting your upper body weight with one arm.” When you roll out the quads, you are essentially holding a plank position. If you don’t pay attention to your form or posture, you may exacerbate pre-existing postural deviations and cause more harm.

The fix: Work with an experienced personal trainer, physical therapist or coach who can show you proper form and technique. Or, consider setting up your smartphone to videotape yourself while foam rolling, suggests Howard. That way, you can see what you are doing right and what you are doing wrong, like sagging in the hips or contorting the spine.

Mistake #5: You use the foam roller on your lower back. “The thing that makes me cringe is when people foam roll their lower back. You should never ever do that,” say Vazquez. Hitzmann agrees. “Your spine will freak out and all the spinal muscles will contract and protect the spine.”

The fix: According to Vazquez, you can use the foam roller on your upper back because the shoulder blades and muscles protect the spine. “Once you hit the end of the rib cage, stop.” If you want to release your lower back, try child’s pose or foam roll the muscles that connect to your lower back — the piriformis (a muscle located deep within the glutes), hip flexors and rectus femoris (one of the main muscles in your quads).

Most importantly, understand what the origin of your pain is before you start. Know what you are trying to achieve through foam rolling and how to do it properly. And don’t forget to stick with it. “To get the benefits of self-massage, it’s repeated exposure that’s most important,” says Howard. “You have to show up and put in the work.”

This article originally appeared on http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/18/foam-rolling-mistakes_n_4980975.html and was written by Christine Yu

Acupressure Regions to Ease Migraine and Headaches

Headaches and migraines are two of the most common pains that people suffer form and although a headache may be mild or throbbing and last a few hours a migraine is a more serious condition where the pain may even last for days. In most cases common headache is caused by excessive stress, tension and emotional changes. But migraine is a more complex situation where the blood vessels of the brain enlarge to release chemicals from the nerve fibers that cause inflammation and hence the severe pain.

Causes of Migraine:

Although the precise cause of migraine in not yet known but there are certain specific triggers of migraines and the first and most powerful one is:

• Hormonal Change– That’s the reason two-third of women experience extreme headaches during the time or just before the onset of periods. Migraines become more common after the onset of puberty and gradually decrease after menopause.
• Eating Habits– Yet another major trigger of migraine is the food we eat. Most common triggers of migraine are alcohol, tobacco, caffeine and fermented foods.
• Other Causes– Stress, tension, work pressure, sleeping disorders and changed atmospheric pressure may also lead to severe headache and nausea.

Acupressure to Heal Migraine:

The benefits and helpful aspects of Reflexology are numerous and it can be used effectively for treating pains and aliments. A majority of the pains and irritations above the neck are caused by excess muscle tension and vascular imbalance and therefore can be healed effectively through acupressure and reflexology because the acupressure points in this area are easily accessible and can be triggered with very little pressure. While over the counter medicines can provide instant relief but in most cases it is a temporary one, but reflexology not only treats the problems externally but heals the ailment from within so that you can get over it completely.

6 Most Important Regions to Relieve Migraine and Headaches:

Applying pressure in these 5 specific regions of the body helps in clearing the blocked meridians so that energy may flow freely throughout the body releasing endorphins, the natural pain killer that our body produces.

Forehead Region:

All the points on the face and forehead are yang pints that are full of energy that generate from the head and face and flow downwards.

Third Eye Point– This point is located just between the two eyebrows where the bridge of the nose meets the forehead. Applying pressure on this region helps in improving concentration, reliving eye strain, headaches,  and ulcer pains. Apply pressure for 1 minute and then move to the next point.

Bright Light– This point is situated in the inner corner of the eyes just below the eyebrows. Applying pressure at these points works excellent in relieving sinus headaches and allergy symptoms. In addition, it also helps in improving vision. Apply pressure for 1 minute on both sides.

Temple Region:

In the temple region there are a chain of points that curl around the ear starting from the top of the ear and are situated just one finger width from the ear. All these points have to be worked simultaneously for effective results. Here we have numbered the pints as 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 so that the points can be located in the image with ease. Point 1 is located near the tip of the ear and the rest of the points curl around the ear.

• Hairline Curve (1)
• Valley Lead (2)
• Celestial Hub (3)
• Floating White (4)
• Head Portal Yin (5)

Applying pressure on these points helps in relieving temporal headaches on the sides of the head and migraines.

Face Region:

Welcome Fragrance-This points are located both sides of the nostril. Applying pressure on these points helps in opening sinuses and reducing tension headaches.

Neck Region:

Wind Pool– This point is located at the back of the head, halfway between your ear and spine; between the two muscles that come together. Applying pressure at Wind Pool helps in unblocking nasal congestion, relieving  pain in eyes, ears, throat, headaches and migraines.

Shoulder Well– This point is located at the edge of the Shoulder halfway between the point of your shoulder and the base of your neck. Applying pressure on this point helps in reducing stiffness of neck and shoulders and relieving neck pain. It also helps in relieving other ailments like asthma and spasms.

Heaven’s Pillar– This point is located 2 fingers below the base of the skull on the rope like muscles present on both sides of the spine. Applying pressure on this point helps in relieving aches at the back of the head, neck pains, eyestrain, stress, insomnia and stiff neck. Stimulating the Heaven’s Pillar also helps in cough relief.

Hands:

Union Valley– This point is located in the web between you thumb and index finger. Applying pressure on this point helps in relieving back pain, frontal headaches, tooth ache and releasing tension from neck and head.

Foot:

Moving Between– This point is located in the valley between the big and the second toe. Applying pressure on this point helps in relieving headaches, tiredness of eye, arthritis and foot cramps.

Headaches may be a common problem but that does not mean it should be neglected. But instead of resorting to medicine and pills, know the reflexology zones and give reflexology and acupressure a chance to see the difference. Experiment with the pressure points you have chosen because specific pressure points work more effectively for specific type of headaches and some points might show strong results while others might take more time. Therefore try out each of the pressure points to know which points work best for you.

This article originally appeared on http://www.modernreflexology.com/6-effective-acupressure-regions-to-treat-migraine-headaches/ and was written by Bipasha Mukherjee