Much of Massage/Manual Therapy tends to focus on the soft-tissues and under the soft-tissue ‘umbrella’ is FASCIA. Therefore is seems clear that fascia must be considered in all aspects of soft-tissue assessment, treatment and pre/rehabilitation. But, how can we develop a sound understanding of fascia when it has been largely research-ignored and therefore not comprehensively included in commonly used health science educational materials?
The International Fascia Research Congress, a continuing series of conferences dedicated to the emerging field of fascia studies, is making great strides to amend this oversight.
As a Silver Sponsor of the upcoming 3rd International Fascia Research Congress (FRC 2012), the Massage Therapy Foundation again steps up to honour its commitment to advancing the knowledge and practice of massage therapy by supporting scientific research and education.
Considering fascia in the mix calls us to reconsider much of what was and, for the most part, is still being taught within the realm of soft-tissue related health sciences.
In an article featured in Massage Today, Whitney Lowe LMT poses the question: Does Fascial Research Alter Assessment?
Lowe explores this question citing the following example: certain orthopaedic assessment procedures operate from the premise that contractile soft-tissues (e.g. muscle/tendon) can be isolated from non-contractile soft-tissues (e.g. ligament), thereby providing a clear indication of the involved/injured tissue which in turn dictates the selection and delivery of treatment and rehabilitation measures.
Now, consider the work of Jaap van der Wal (featured at the 2nd FRC – 2009), which challenges the classical understanding that most ligaments are only (passively) lengthened or shortened during movement of associated joints and substantiates the presence of direct fascial connections that link ligaments and muscles together in series. An in-series/fascial link demonstrates that ligaments will have tensile loads applied to them when muscles contract – with or without joint movement. Therefore, isolation of contractile/non-contractile tissue via currently taught assessment procedures no longer seems plausible.
Van der Wal’s work is only one (albeit fantastic) example of the need for an extreme make over: soft-tissue edition – one that includes the dynamic nature of fascia.
Current fascia research not only insists on the alteration of assessment procedures, which in turn impacts the selection of treatment measures, but also calls us to reconsider much of soft-tissue anatomy and physiology as we knew it!
It is essential for any one engaged in a soft-tissue modality to more fully understand fascia’s neurobiology, response to stimuli, trauma, demand, contractile capabilities, significant anatomy features (e.g. normal/abnormal presentations) and functions.
The Massage Therapists’ Association of British Columbia (the hosting sponsor) invites you to advance your fascial knowledge by attending the 3rd FRC.
Don’t let all this great fascially-significant information sit idle collecting dust.
“Knows” cultivates knows how, which shifts into does, which then results in more effective outcomes – benefitting all stakeholders!
For more information go to www.fasciacongress.org.
