Dynamic Balance

March 2008

BTW - I will be doing chair massage and working on different pathologies at ST. CLOUD LIFE at the St. Cloud Civic Center March 7th and 8th. If you know someone who could benefit from massage and is hesitant  to try, bring them down to the event.

Get It Started - Editorial (green for spring time)

There is a grim joke that circulates among medical residents: Hospitals are terrible places for sick people.

"One in 200 patients who spends a night or more in a hospital will die from medical error. One in 16 will pick up an infection. Deaths from preventable hospital infections each year exceed 100,000, more than those from AIDS, breast cancer and auto accidents combined. " Forbes Magazine

"Worse, between 40,000 and 100,000 people die every year because of doctors' mistakes, including surgical mishaps and drug mix-ups." Forbes Magazine

Lets face it, living is dangerous but getting sick can be downright deadly.

The presidential candidates are grappling over the plight of the uninsured, yet you're five times more likely to die from visiting a hospital than from not having health insurance, according to the not-for-profit Committee to Reduce Infection Deaths." Forbes

The First and last line of defense for the protection of your body from invading microorganisms, disease, pathology and toxins is the immune system. Over the last 2 years there have been a host of different viral, and bacterial sicknesses coming up on our radar that modern medicine has no treatment for.  From Peruvian meteorite illnesses, to S.A.R.S.,  to M.R.S.A. and others. Yesterday I was reading an article that claimed that the Govt had finally admitted that childhood immunizations could be responsible for some cases of autism. In that same article it talked about the rise in cases of the very illness the vaccinations were to prevent.

AS of late I have had people coming to me with chronic sinus infections lasting for months, not days or weeks with constant treatment with one antibiotic after another.

In most cases, not all, but most. my work brought drastic changes in the drainage and symptoms within 2-3 sessions. I.E. breaking up of the "sinus clog", assisting in drainage, thus enabling the immune function to do its job to deal with the illness "naturally". English translation: they got better faster. Is Body Balancing am exclusive surrogate for traditional medical care? NO! But the use of Massage, & LDT in maintenance and specific treatment can help you relax & heal can mean the difference between a casual cold or flu or something worse.

So take that first step, get a massage and realize how good it feels to be alive and healthy!

BTW if you can't wait for the monthly newsletters for your fix of all things massage therapy you can go to http://www.scinthenews.com/index.php?news=854 for an article on the Swedish Massage - you can search and get all the articles by putting "Gary" in the search box

Did You know?

There are approximately 36K "Licensed" Massage Therapists in the state of Florida. More than almost any 2 other states. We have the 2nd highest requirements in the country and there are about 6 schools in the central Florida area, that pump out on the average of 40 students every 6 months. About 500 LMT's a year. Most never make it past the 2nd year of practice.

Body Balancing Massage Therapy - Business

What is the difference between relaxation massage & therapeutic bodywork? For that matter what is Therapeutic Body work/massage? The biggest difference between the two is Intent and Knowledge.

 Intent defines direction, purpose, objective, which in turn determines how you go about  doing what your doing. Intent also has a great deal with your mental place when doing a massage. A conflicting mental place with what you are trying to accomplish leaves you between worlds. No man can serve two masters So a clear intent of what you are trying to accomplish is critical.

Therapeutic Work is a lot of A&P (Anatomy and Physiology), practical application and experience and rightly it should be. Personally, I don't want a novice right out of school working on something sensitive unless they've had advanced training or experience under supervision. The human body is a wonderful contradiction. It is amazingly complex and yet simple at the same time. Its greatest strength is its ability to adapt, but also a source of pain and disease.

So, what is the difference? Relaxation massage is generally a massage intended to sooth and relax the body, mind and spirit. Anyone can do relaxation work with the right intent and touch.

While Therapeutic massage is about injuries, pathologies, symptoms and causative factors. Can anyone do therapeutic work? They can try, but they probably shouldn't! Without experience, in mind as well as touch, one can do more harm than good

The Quadratus Lumborum - (kwa-DRA Y -tus lum-BOR-um)

The QL as it is more commonly referred to is an amazing example of structure following function following structure following function... you get the point. The QL is an amazingly connected muscle. First of all it is one muscle that goes in 3 different directions to do the same job. You'll notice in the photo to the left the green, blue and red lines. The green are the Lumbocostal (lumbar vertebrae to ribs (costal)), the red are the iliocostal (hip to ribs), and blue are the iliolumbar (hip to vertebrae). These fibers interdigitate like strings in a cats cradle. In this way then lend support to each other and strengthen the area. Since structurally this is a potentially weakened area, and critical to the protection to the abdominal organs it demands protection, flexibility and movement.

This muscle is connected to some major players in the body. Since the attachments of this muscle are on the front of the transverse processes of the vertebrae (the bony segments that stick out to the side) that connect facially with the iliopsoas (the hip flexor that causes so many problems both front and back). A tightened QL can move the vertebrae which then pulls the psoas out and visa versa. The QL is also connected to the iliolumbar ligament (On the diagram about where the index finger of the left hand is) which is a critical ligament in the stabilization of the the lumbar/hip junction at the sacrum, and to the diaphragm at the top. Restriction of this area severely limits the mobility of the ribs to spread to compensate breath for the largest part of the lungs. Subsequently the breath becomes shallow and shoulder girdle problems can ensue (anxiety attacks, pseudo heart attacks, numbness and tingling from scalene TrP's etc). The function of the QL is to lift the hip when you take a step, stabilize the lumbar vertebrae in walking. Which also stabilizes for the action of the latissimus dorsi (swimmers muscle) assist with forced expiration (breathing out), the relaxation/contraction action contributes to lymphatic drainage and vascular pumping.

Finding this muscle is difficult, it is not the most superficial muscle. On top of this muscle is the erector spinae, the muscles that go from head to hip to help you stay erect. To get to these you actually have to push through the latissimus dorsi from the side towards the back bone and  go deep. So as you can tell it is a well connected muscle!

Upon waking that morning with the usual "need to go" I rolled out of bed and it hit me when I tried to stand up. The lightning shot of pain that put me on my knees and kept me there was so sharp and debilitating that I lost my breath and almost went black. When my senses returned I remembered that I REALLY had to go. I crawled to the shower and understood what it was like to be a dog. (customer remarks)

QL trigger points are the most shocking active TrP's to happen. When they hit without apparent notice, they can take our breath away, knock us to our knees and keep us there. When they cause the associated hip pain  they are acting alone. When they act in tandem with Iliopsoas Trigger points, they lock vertebrae, restrict breathing and our ability to stand erect. Latent TrP's can unbalance hips, be contributory or causative factors with lumbar scoliosis, or in conjunction with gluteus minimus (small butt muscle) TrP's mimic sciatic pain. Pain from QL TrP's combined with paraspinal TrP's can also extend into the groin, testis, and scrotum. Additional diagnoses to be considered include spinal tumors, myasthenia gravis, gallstones and liver disease, kidney stones and other urinary tract problems, intraabdominal infections, intestinal parasites and diverticulitis, aortic aneurysm, and multiple sclerosis.

The QL has some powerful connections and rarely acts alone. The QL is like that investment councilor: When it speaks you listen!

I covered the deep front line last month but the QL has no direct anatomy train associated with it. However the QL has a critical link with the psoas which is a major factor in this line.

The Deep Front Line (DFL) is really oriented around the breath from the top to the bottom. The connection of the QL to the psoas is a "station" that we dare not ignore. The QL's restricting capability on the diaphragm and the ribs ability to expand make it a critical check point for any reparatory inhibition or pathology.