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Do you believe?

Some people don't want to see new ideas. But new ideas are happening. Connective tissue is being viewed by some as far more than a packing material. Those in the collegiate world will dismiss the ideas that connective tissue isn't relevant when discussing posture, longevity, or movement. I disagree. I am not the scientist... I am merely a messenger and practitioner of hands-on bodywork. For the naysayers... step outside your box and take a look below.

The Architecture of the Connective Tissue in the Musculoskeletal System–An Often Overlooked Functional Parameter as to Proprioception in the Locomotor Apparatus *
Jaap van der Wal, MD, PhD
University Maastricht, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Department of Anatomy and Embryology, Maastricht, Netherlands

The architecture of the connective tissue, including structures such as fasciae, sheaths, and membranes, is more important for understanding functional meaning than is more traditional anatomy, whose anatomical dissection method neglects and denies the continuity of the connective tissue as integrating matrix of the body. The connective tissue anatomy and architecture exhibits two functional tendencies that are present in all areas of the body in different ways and relationships. In body cavities, the "disconnecting" quality of shaping space enables mobility; between organs and body parts, the "connecting" dimension enables functional mechanical interactions. In the musculoskeletal system, those two features of the connective tissue are also present. They cannot be found by the usual analytic dissection procedures. An architectural description is necessary. This article uses such a methodologic approach and gives such a description.

Read the complete article:

http://www.fasciacongress.org/2009/articles/IJTMB_vanderWal_62-436-...

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Comment by Joseph E. Muscolino on December 30, 2009 at 3:17pm: I think that any change in outlook takes time for some to absorb.
Researches themselves are usually loathe to make the leap from the research itself to the extrapolations of how treatment should be changed to accomodate the "new" science. I do not think this is due to anything other than their training to prove things before making any assertions. But, those of us in the treatment fields cannot wait for all the science to come in (it never does anyway). We need to choose what we feel are the best treatment options given what we do know now. No doubt that fascia is gradually becoming more widely recognized as crucially important. The jbmt (journal of bodywork and movement therapies) publishes a lot of articles on fascia. :)

Comment by Sue Hitzmann on December 30, 2009 at 11:16am: Well all of my training programs are about simplifying this science and research into an applicable method so we can translate what the scientists are finding. I am not afraid of the struggle to get this work out to the world. I don't care that some professors desire to stay in their box of knowing, teaching the same curriculum year after year after year. Bottom line is, those of us using hands on principles know you can't treat a body without treating and taking into consideration the connective tissue. I mean really, how can you dismiss the most abundant material in the body when talking about longevity, form, function... it's like talking about a car but only about the paint job.

Thank you all for your support and comments. It is really a blessing to know I am certainly in good company with others who desire to know more than basic anatomy and such~

All the best in the New Year to us all!!

Comment by Stephen Jeffrey on December 30, 2009 at 10:40am: Hi again Sue,
I think you need to start asking yourself where best do I spend my time given your treatment at Penn State.
It may take years for the old guard to change ? Maybe now you have the internet and sites like this you can message the troops from the ground up?

I was beginning to wonder how many MTs there are with a strong background in science/research who can translate these heavy going articles into easy MT langauge ? or do we just skip to conclusions part ?

How unique are Kelly Grounds/ Robin Byler Thomas. can they enhance this message ?

Does Massage Therapy Foundation offer any help to you Sue ?

Comment by Kelly Grounds on December 30, 2009 at 6:44am: Sue, it's a catch-22 isn't it? We have to have peer reviewed articles to be taken seriously, but getting those articles published in peer reviewed journals is very difficult. Keep up the good work! I am still new in the field of massage, but came from a research background in my past academic career. I hope to improve the recognition of massage as a legitimate 'therapy' like so many other people like you are doing.

Comment by Christopher A. Moyer on December 29, 2009 at 4:57pm: Interesting. Thanks for posting this Sue. You've motivated me to look over this article once more, which is stimulating some new ideas for me.

Regarding the lukewarm reception this information got when you presented it at PSU - scientists can be a pretty conservative bunch! It sounds like that group wants to see more evidence before they are ready to accept some of these new ideas (new to them, at least).

If the ideas are good ones, the evidence to back them up will be uncovered.

Comment by Mike Hinkle on December 20, 2009 at 7:00pm: I'm with Stephen, thank you Sue! Keep the Faith!

Comment by Sue Hitzmann on December 20, 2009 at 11:16am: It's true. All we need is hard science to truly move ahead concepts that have been around for 70 years! All good things come to fruition in time, right?

Comment by Laura Allen on December 20, 2009 at 10:07am: Ida Rolf, Tom Myers, Judith Aston, Joseph Heller and all the rest of the Rolfing/SI set have known for many years that connective tissue is more than packing material. It is just too bad that some people feel that everything has to fit in some neat little box to be of any value. Keep up the good work and thank you for sharing.

Comment by Sue Hitzmann on December 20, 2009 at 9:55am: Thanks for the reply Stephen. Robert is actually one of the researchers that has helped my bring MELT to fruition. His research truly has put into question many things. His website www.fasciaresearch.com is loaded with recent articles and european research.

I presented at Penn State a couple of months back and they poo-pooed the idea that connective tissue has any relevance to posture or movement at all. It nearly made me sick but their reasoning is simply that the research has not been peer reviewed by the US... as if that's the end all. But there are multiple papers being submitted in January. More to come...

Comment by Stephen Jeffrey on December 20, 2009 at 6:01am: Thanks Sue
MTs need more messengers like you !

Its no overstatement to say currant scientific studies into fascia are the anatomical equivilent of discovering the world is round !.

Because anatomists scraped away the fascia in all preceeding cadaver disections ( bar a few ) they have inadvertantly blinkered the very science they sought to enhance.

In the near future, it seems very likely, scientists will be able to explain via the fascial system and Ruffini,Pacini,Gogli, and free nerve endings, exactly why it is, the techniques we use, and where we use them, give us the results we get when working with triggerpoints,tenderpoints,accupressure/accupuncture points and a multitude of techniques.

Robert Schleip: Fascia As A Sensory Organ and Julie Anne Day: Myofascial Units Form Myofascial Sequences on http://worldmassageconference.com are also messengers re above.

Your highlighted article will be heavy going for most MTs but the information therin is vital.

Regards steve