Bad Bodies or Bad Bike?
It’s astonishing the money and time many elite and ‘weekend-warrior’ cyclists devote to retro-fitting racing bikes to conform to their bodies rather than first restoring function to the most critical piece of racing equipment… the rider’s body! When muscle imbalances, faulty movement patterns and joint fixations distort the body’s bony framework, the cyclist is led on a never-ending journey searching for that perfect bike fit (Fig 1).
My personal mantra~ fit the body to the bike stupid!
Bodyworkers and functional movement trainers whose practices cater to amateur and elite cyclists are keenly aware of the clinical and performance advantages gained by restoring optimal mobility, flexibility and stability to the biker’s muscle/joint complex. It makes sense to first ‘get the kinks out’ before sending the client off for an expensive and sometimes useless bike retrofit. Without hands-on maintenance and functional fine-tuning, cyclists often unknowingly reinforce dysfunctional movement patterns ingrained from long-forgotten micro or macro traumatic injuries.
Confusion and controversy over this chicken-or-egg (bike or body) thing is primarily due to lack of understanding of the Law of Cause and Effect. For instance, let’s say a bike shop performs a retrofit and Bob, the cyclist, smilingly pedals away on his newly reconstructed machine feeling secure and pain-free. Life is good… or is it?
[Read the rest of the article here]
Staying Fit: Yoga, Rolfing and the Elusive Cinderella Tissues
By: Eva Norlyk Smith, Ph.D.
Mg. Editor, YogaUOnline.com
What is the most plentiful tissue in the body — and the most ignored?
The answer is fascia — the gooey, gliding stuff that holds you together. Fascia is a broad term for the extracellular matrix of fibers, “glue” and water surrounding all your cells, and wrapping like plastic wrap around muscle fibers and muscles, organs, bones, blood vessels and nerves — and finally as a second skin around your entire body.
Fascia is everywhere in the human body.
“Fascia is like the Cinderella tissues of the body,” says Tom Myers, a leading thinker in integrative anatomy and author of Anatomy Trains. “It has been the most ignored of all the tissues in the body — at least up until recently. Yet, fascia is critical to understanding the body and what it takes to keep your body functional and healthy all life long.”
In recent years, the interest in fascia has surged. In 2007, fascial researchers and practitioners banded together to initiate the biennial Fascia Research Congress, where researchers and health practitioners can share new discoveries. (The Fascia Research Congress 2012 will be held in Vancouver in March.)
Understanding the elusive Cinderella tissues offers an important glimpse into important, yet not widely known, aspects of bodily health and function. Here are four fascinating facts about fascia:
1. All You Learned About “Muscles” Is Wrong
A primary lesson emerging from new research into fascia is that all we learned about muscles is wrong.
“That illustration in your doctor’s office of the red-muscled human body is a body with its fascia cut away,” says Myers. “It’s not what you look like inside, but it’s a lot neater and easier to study. And, it’s the way doctors have been taught to look at you.”
We commonly speak about the musculoskeletal system, and the muscles attached to the bones of the body. But according to Myers, muscles in fact don’t attach to bones. Fascia does.
“Muscle is like hamburger; it can’t attach to a bone,” says Myers. “There’s fascia going around and through the muscle. And when the muscle runs out, that fascia from the outside and the middle of the muscle spins into a tendon, just like yarn.”
[ The rest of the article can be found here ]
HUFFPOST: Healthy Living
published: 01/23/2012
Rolfing and Health Insurance – Why isn’t Structural Integration covered?
Peter Melchior talks about Ida Rolf and Structural Integration
So good to hear Peter Melchior’s voice. His gave so much to the community during his lifetime. Here he is talking about Ida Rolf, Ph.D. (the creator of Structural Integration) and what this type of bodywork can do for a person. Thank you Peter, you are missed.
Your Mother Was Right: Good Posture Makes You Tougher
There was a study done that determined posture has a direct effect on a persons pain tolerance. Here’s a bit of the article:
“Mothers have been telling their children to stop slouching for ages. It turns out that mom was onto something and that poor posture not only makes a bad impression, but can actually make you physically weaker. According to a study by Scott Wiltermuth, assistant professor of management organization at the USC Marshall School of Business, and Vanessa K. Bohns, postdoctoral fellow at the J.L. Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto, adopting dominant versus submissive postures actually decreases your sensitivity to pain.”
[Read the rest of the article here]
Rolfing App for Android!
Okay, so I think this is awesome because I am a total geek. I have yet to see it in action, but the idea is rad. I don’t have an android phone so I will try and check it out on a friends:
“Have you ever experienced chronic pain that neither Massage or a Chiropractic appointment can fix?
Do you have bad sitting or standing posture or want to actually get taller?
If so, you might want to try Rolfing.”
Screenshots:
Download the App and learn more about it here.
Rolfing Structural Integration Intro with Creator Ida P. Rolf, Ph.D.
An old video introducing the work, looks like it’s from the early 70′s:
Crosby, Still, Nash and Young Member Uses Rolfing to Help his Hands
Stephen Stills says he long ago “got sick of being a rock star.” These days, the Florida-born 66-year-old says he’s content with just “being a musician,” which means playing the hits, trying to stay healthy and, when his aging hands cooperate, being the one and only Stephen Stills on the guitar.
In a surprisingly candid and wonderfully chatty phone interview last week, Stills — who appears with his band at The Egg on Tuesday and at the Bearsville Theater in Woodstock for a sold-out show on Friday — said that some pre-tour rolfing has his wrists in good shape, and he’s ready to play.
And play he does. Stills has been a triple threat singer-songwriter-guitarist since his early days with seminal country rockers Buffalo Springfield. He’s also been the linchpin of exalted combos like Manassas (which paired him with Byrds bassist Chris Hillman) and the many phases of Crosby, Stills, Nash and (sometimes) (Neil) Young.
[The rest of the article is here]
Clinical Trials: Structural Integration for Chronic Low Back Pain
A clinical trial is starting up in Boston. If you are in the area and have the symptoms, you can receive treatment and get paid! What a deal. I’m excited to see what the results are of the study.
“RESEARCH STUDYDo you have Chronic Low Back Pain?
If so, we invite you to join a paid research study at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Boston.
This is preliminary research on the effects of Structural Integration as a treatment for chronic low back pain. Structural Integration uses hands-on manipulation and awareness exercises to increase flexibility, balance and ease of motion in the human body.Who is included?
• Both men and women
• Ages 18-65
• Who have had low back pain for at least 6 months…”
[ The rest of the article is here ]
Video Explaination of Rolfing Structural Integration with Robert Schleip, Ph.D.
Robert Schleip, Ph.D. presents the basics of Rolfing Structural Integration at the International Fascia Research Congress. He explains typical techniques used during a session.
