Water, water EVERYWHERE
by Dennis Gibbons, LMT
W ater, water, water everywhere! We are told to drink water: “8 glasses a day”, “half of
our body weight in ounces per day”, and the litany goes on and on. Books have been written about the Power of Water, The Hidden Messages of Water, and others sharing the attributes of water. Muscle Release Therapy, MRTh®, works with the fluids of the body as well. A certified practitioner of Muscle Release Therapy, MRTh® delves into the world of your body’s fluids. Approximately 70% of an adult’s body is water, and 80 to 85% of this is Salt Water. As the majority of us have experienced when swimming in the ocean we become more buoyant, the tendency to remain afloat in a liquid.
MRTh®is the process of taking traumatized soft and connective tissue and restoring it to a neutral posture. This gives the tissue the ability to respond more efficiently, with less discomfort, in our day-to-day movements. Listening to what the tissue is telling the MRTh® practitioner is a key component of their palpation skills. Unlike other modalities and techniques, MRTh® does not just address symptoms, rather it works to find the source of the problem and correct that.
What is the story that the tissue is attempting to tell?
The story the tissues tell enable the practitioner to use their intuitive ability to palpate, facilitate and allow the subconscious mind to generate the proper movement to self-correct the distressed tissue. Some of the distresses that the practitioner will encounter are the following:
* Muscle or Tendon that is in an isometric contracture. In the process of movement the tissue contracts in one of two formats. It will either shorten (concentrically contract), or elongate (eccentrically contract).
* With the muscle or tendon tissue contracted, in one of the two aforementioned formats, the fascia or the connective tissue that encapsulates the tissue will shorten or shrink. This is where the “trigger points” will house themselves. Fascia is a three dimensional tissue that surrounds all of the tissue and organs within the body. One of its major characteristics is that when it becomes inflamed it shrinks. When your muscle tissue inflames it swells and the compression, which is often talked about when one strains a muscle, is being performed internally by the fascia. It is normally where the fascia is traumatized that the “trigger point” forms. During palpation of the body the practitioner will encounter barriers or sticking points in the fascia. When these barriers are encountered the practitioner determines the best format of release. With the opening of the fascia the neurological pathways are better able to communicate for a more unrestricted movement pattern.
* The human body works on a Tensegrity model. This means that in any movement, and yes that includes breathing, there is a corresponding pull to every push. As we inhale the body relaxes, but on exhalation there are multiple movements taking place in the body. These are the motile or spontaneous movements that take place at a subconscious level. It is these motile movements that allow for our mobility. The Tensegrity model allows this spontaneous movement to take place throughout the human body. Taking this one step further, as the muscle pulls against the bone, the corresponding joint or articulation decompresses, allowing the bone to complete the appropriate movement. An example of this would be the simple movement of walking.
~ Walking is a format we take for granted. In actuality it is a complex movement that requires multiple systems to engage using the Tensegrity model, which requires the body to devise a precise push/pull formula for movement within balance.
~ To better understand how Tensegrity works, the following is what takes place during the movement of taking a single step. Understand that muscle tissue moves a very slight distance. The calf muscle needs to shorten to lift the heel; this creates the pull against the heel and the thigh bone, this will complete this aspect of the Tensegrity. Once the heel starts its lifting process the knee joint starts to flex. This process is caused by the calf muscle pulling against the thigh bone and the body’s reaction to it. The flexion of the knee balances the act of the ankle flexion and activates the Quadriceps muscle. The Quadriceps muscle pulls up on the Tibia or shin bone and calls upon the hip flexor (Psoas) to pull against the upper portion of the thigh bone.
~ Where does breathing come into play here, try moving while holding your breathe; now exhale and complete the same movement. In the Tensegrity model the activation of the correct muscles happen on exhalation. The following blueprint should be used:
> Exhalation
> Energy
> Engage
> Exertion
~ The inability of the proper Tensegrity model is one more major item that the practitioner of MRTh® must listen for while performing a postural balancing. Without this piece of the puzzle a truly balanced posture will not result.
How does water play a part in all of this?
Water is what makes all of this work. The practitioner of Muscle Release Therapy, MRTh® needs to facilitate the posture and enable the body to become buoyant from within. After a session of Muscle Release Therapy, MRTh® the recipient should experience the interior of their body in a state that feels light and floating. As the practitioner moves from one body part to another, not always in a patterned manner, the completion of the release should give the sensation of relaxation. By facilitating the tissue properly, the sense of floating or relaxation will be the water allowing the body to revisit its origin. The majority of chronic pain is a result of the body attempting to find a place of comfort for movement against the forces of gravity. By listening to the tissue the practitioner encourages the proper hydrating of the area of distress, therefore reducing improper tension on the region. When the body is in a state of dehydration, it invites discomfort and imbalance to the soft tissue system. It also robs the joints and articulations of the body of much needed fluids.
What sources of postural dysfunction does the practitioner of MRTh® address?
Stress is one of the primary buzz words of the 21st century. Hans Selye authored a book on Stress and how stress levels correlate to physical patterns and developed the General Adaptation Syndrome:
o Alarm reaction (trauma)
o Stage of resistance (compensation)
o Stage of exhaustion (adaptation)
During the alarm reaction stage, the human body will use its ability for “fight or flight” to protect itself from injury. Although this correlates with trauma there doesn’t necessarily have to be a physical incident. The body will constrict itself as a method of protection; this is no so much the result of the trauma, but a neurological activity that is generated by the brain. These help create the Myofascial Trigger Points that the practitioner listens for. With the tissue constricted it will craft a restriction in movement thereby resulting in limited mobility. It’s this limited mobility and restriction of full muscle use or adaptive muscle use which opens the body to less efficient movement and create the exhaustion that most individuals experience with pain. Muscle Release Therapy, MRTh® is much more than a technique or modality; it is the practitioner working with the inner systems of the body to bring about a homeostatic balance for movement to the body.
“Realized knowledge is nonintellectual, although this means we use the intellectual. We use our minds, we direct our mind toward the answer, but you will discover that the answer does not come from the mind. It comes from a place just behind the mind. It comes from the realm of knowingness, the realm of omniscience (all-knowing). By quieting the mind through stilling our thoughts, each and every one of us has access to this realm of knowingness. Then and there you make real. You know and you know that you know.”
“Happiness is Free …and it is easier than you think!” Hale Dwoskin and Lester Levenson; Sedona Training Associates; p147. ©2001 by Hale Dwoskin