INERTIA: A Therapist's Thoughts

INERTIA - Archive

1/28/2009

What is Myofascial Release?

A reader had responded to a previous post asking me to address myofascial release therapy in a future blog. So here you have it:

First off, I am not an expert in this particular therapeutic modality or approach. I have taken some continuing education in this area so I do feel comfortable talking about it. I do use this type of therapy some in my practice but not as much as in the past because of the type of caseload I typically carry.

Myofascial release is a type of manual therapy that utilizes fairly light hands on contact with light pressures and fairly slow, gentle, sustained movement of the tissues. Myofasical release was founded and made popular by John Barnes. It is based on the premise that restrictions (tightness, scar tissue, decreased play) can be found in the fascial tissues or connective tissue between muscle layers and surrounding most structures in the body.

This fascial tissue is very similar to what you would find between and surrounding the different segments of a chicken breast before its cooked. Restrictions in that fascia tissue will affect the ability of the muscles, tendons, nerves, ligaments, blood vessels to glide on each other with dynamic movements. Those restrictions can impair function by causing limited mobility or pain.

Of interest, fascia tissue is continuous throughout the body and can be thought of like the woven threads of a sweater or the strands of a spider web. If you pull one fiber or strand, it can have effects on the entire structure, at least in theory.

I hope this helps explain it. Keep the questions coming.

The following is feedback received for this blog:

Would you be able to perform Myofacial release to help prevent incontinence?

- Mark D.

Posted 12:02 PM

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1/14/2009

Time for Golf?

On these dark, cold days of winter after the holidays have passed I find myself longing for activities of spring and summer. For me, one of those activities is golf. One way to deal with these cravings, is to start preparing for the upcoming season. Now is a good time! You don't have the lush green fairways calling your name so you have time to "work" on your game. In addition, the off-season work done now will pay dividends come June and July.

As Tiger as shown us, golfers are indeed athletes and training like one can certainly help. No, I'm not saying that you have to devote the amount of time and effort to golf conditioning and working out that he does. That's unrealistic for those of us who have to do real work. But even a small amount of conditioning for the average golfer can really pay off.

A basic golf conditioning program can consist of a combination of stretches, light resistive strengthening, balance activities and aerobic exercise. Most of which can be done in the comfort of one's home with very little equipment or the equipment you already have in as little as 30 minutes per day.

What are the benefits of such a program? First, you will reduce the chance for injury when you really don't want one ... during the season. Second, the improved strength and flexibility that can be obtained will allow your body to work better for you within the golf swing. You can achieve greater efficiency, range of motion, and power which can equate to better accuracy and distance in your shots.

I have been lucky in my current position as a physical therapist at the Froedtert & The Medical College of Wisconsin Sports Medicine Center to be able to combine my passion for golf with my physical therapy knowledge. As a result, we developed a Golf Swing Program to assist golfers improve their physical abilities. If you are interested in seeing what a golf conditioning program can do for you, I am co-presenting a seminar on the topic being hosted at the Sports Medicine Center on Wednesday, Jan. 28th from 7:00 to 8:30 pm. If you're interested, sign up through our online class calendar. Hope to see you there.

Hit 'em straight!

Posted 9:49 AM

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Time to get the upper extremities involved in the "Exercises I Love" series. We treat a lot of shoulder injuries in the Sports Medicine Center, so I want to make sure to include some of the exercises that I use a lot for these injuries also.

Prone Scapular Strengthening

Some call these “Y,” “I” and “T” exercises, and I understand that I am kind of cheating adding three exercises into one here, but they go together well and I usually give them out all at once. Most people do not address the posterior shoulder stabilizers with workouts, and combining that with poor posture, leads to weakness around the shoulder blade. I hate to say all, but I’m pretty sure that all of my patients with shoulder issues get these exercises (or some variation) as part of their home program.

Prone Extension

Lie on stomach with involved arm hanging off the table. Set shoulder blades back and hold position. In a thumb-up position, slowly raise your arm behind you to table height keeping your elbow straight.

Prone Shoulder Abduction

Lie on stomach with the involved arm hanging off the table. Keeping the elbow straight, pull the shoulder blades back and hold. In a thumb-out position, slowly lift arm sideways to table height and maintain the retracted position as you return to the starting position.

Prone Shoulder Flexion

Lie on stomach with the involved arm hanging off the table. Keeping the elbow straight, pull the shoulder blades backward and hold. Slowly lift arm forward to table height and maintain the retracted position as you return to the starting position.