Here we are again…Thanksgiving, which ushers in not only the
wonderful Christmas holidays, but, the perennial, favorite activity
of…dragging the Christmas tree out of the attic! There is a commercial
running nowadays with the wife saying that her husband seems to speak a
different language when he struggles with domestic responsibilities of
the like. Anyway, with the frustration of the huge, now duct taped, box
of tree pieces needing to be shoved through the disappearing staircase
hole that undoubtedly shrinks more with each passing year, there always
seems to be a bit of tweaking to one or more unfortunate body parts. The
usual verbal response by most is that a muscle just “pulled”.
But,
before you are too quick to blame the seemingly obvious culprit,
consider another possibility, the fascial tissue. This connective
tissue, which covers the muscles, has a high sensory feedback (lets you
know that you just messed up!). The thoracodorsal fascia (TLF)
that covers the posterior aspect of the torso is a major player in
virtually every trunk motion; an injury to this tissue can cause
unlimited potential movement disorders. In fact, pain found in other
areas can be resultant from problems in the TLF. Fibers
from this tissue attach to the lats (broad climbing muscle that connects
the back to the shoulder), the internal obliques (along the flanks
above the hips)and even the diaphragm, which can make for better
reasoning why a shoulder can hurt with a problem originating in the
lower back, or why it is difficult to breathe well with back pain.
So, what are the signs of TLF dysfunction?
1.
Tightness or spasticity in the back between the bottom of the shoulder
blades and the lower back even after localized therapy.
2. Chronic lower back pain (not diagnostically confirmed in itself)
3. Repetitive or chronic sacroiliac locking.
4. Nagging shoulder and hip pain that does not improve with localized treatments to painful area.
5. Inability to expand the ribcage with diaphragm breathing.
6. Decreased thoracic (mid spine) motion.
7. Altered gait pattern with poor arm and leg swing.
8.
Base of the skull type headaches or plantar fascial pain due to the
fascial attachments referenced in Thomas Meyers’ Anatomy Trains.
9. Spasms or weakness of the quadratus lumborum muscle(below the obliques, attaching the pelvis to the last rib).
Now, what can be done?
In
previous articles, I have addressed the successful protocols that we
utilize to treat adhesions and fascial dysfunction, but, I will briefly
address them here for clarity purposes.
1. Evaluate for muscle motor inhibition (locate what is not working).
2. Find any restrictions due to adhesion build-up.
3. Break down adhesions via therapies such as cold laser,Active Release or Graston protocols.
4. Activate (wake up) muscles that are inhibited via electrotherapy techniques.
5. Adjust the spine (or other involved joints) that are dysfunctional.
It
has been a pleasure and an honor to be able to care for you and your
family and friends over the past year that have entrusted me with the
challenges of pain management, as well as functional improvement. Daily,
I seek the wisdom and insight to meet those challenges in order to be
the best in my field. May you each be able to enjoy a healthy, warm and
enriched Christmas season that is blessed beyond your dreams! Also, be
careful shoving that Christmas tree back up in the attic!
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