Six years, six months and two days ago, my life changed course and I was jarringly reminded of the immense power of water. Three years, eight months and twelve days ago, I met the massage therapist who would definitively heal me, bringing me back to pain-free movement. My healing experience, which felt nearly miraculous, inspired me to follow the career path of massage therapy and joyfully reminded me of the immense power of touch. Four months, and sixteen days ago, I sat in class on day one of massage therapy school. As I listened to my classmates introduce themselves and explain what drew them to this career, I realized my experience and draw to this field is very similar to many others who have chosen this path. So many of us have experienced a debilitating injury, the despair that tends to set in as we struggle with pain and limitations, followed by the life-altering euphoria of returning to life without the torment of constantly hurting. We are here because we want to help make that kind of difference in people’s lives. This is my story: why I’m here and what I’ve found most interesting in my learning so far.
August 13th, 2012, while playing in the waves in waist-deep water in the Atlantic ocean, I was suddenly faced with an unusually tall wave and instead of making the better decision to dive under it, I hesitated, attempted to dive under, but rather dove into the swell and ended up getting crashed into the ground, head first. I felt and heard cracks from my neck down to my sacrum. My first horrified panic of being paralyzed and drowning in waist-deep water was quickly allayed but within the next few hours, I recognized that something was significantly wrong. Over the course of the next three years I met with a multitude of practitioners, from physical therapists to chiropractors to massage therapists, and although each practitioner was able to help in their own way, it was Stephen Wadsworth and his use of Manual Ligament Therapy that brought my body back to balance, allowed me to experience the sheer joy of being able to put socks on without stabbing pain, and ultimately, inspired me to become a licensed massage therapist.
I’ve had a fascination with human anatomy and physiology since my first exposure to the subject as a senior in high school. During my undergraduate degree at Colorado State University, I had the tremendous privileges of learning anatomy on human cadavers, followed by dissecting the cadavers for the anatomy class the subsequent year. This strongly cemented the fascination that had begun to flourish in high school. Nearly two decades later, having explored multiple career opportunities, I am currently back in school, preparing to become a massage therapist. There have been many moments confirming this choice for me, though my favorite recurring confirmation is the level of giddy excitement I feel when I learn new information about the human body.
Most recent was an eye-opening read of Thomas Myers’ first chapter in Anatomy Trains. The interconnectedness of the fascial net and its communication network through integrin proteins is extraordinary in its far-reaching effects and incredibly exciting in and of itself, but also when we consider the information we have yet to discover. I am especially enthusiastic about these discoveries for the impacts they will have on my career and effectiveness as a massage therapist. As Myers himself puts it, “Unexpected new strategies for treatment arise from applying this ‘connected anatomy’ point of view to the practical daily challenges of manual and movement therapy” (p 2). He emphasizes, “This book is an attempt to move ahead – not to negate, but to complement the standard view – by assembling linked myofascial structures in this image of the ‘myofascial meridians’” (p 1), and further points out “myofascial meridian theory does not eliminate the value of the many individual muscle-based techniques and analyses, but simply sets them in the context of the system as a whole….the splenius capitis still rotates the head and extends the neck, and it operates, as we shall see, as part of spiral and lateral myofascial chains” (p 3).
Myers’ voice and sense of humor comes across impeccably well, and makes what could be a rather dense subject quite fun and very interesting to read. Learning about the answer to the question he asks “What holds our ever-changing soup of cells in such a consistent physical shape?” (p 13) has been an intriguing and astonishing process for me. From the makeup of our extracellular matrix (ECM) to the contractile abilities of myofibroblasts (MFBs), from the omnipresent double-bag pattern to the way tensegrity distributes strain and force throughout our bodies – every component that he discusses triggers a desire to know more. And he doesn’t disappoint, his book delivers a wealth of knowledge, garnered from his own and a myriad of others’ experience, research and expertise.
I love the way he describes “The actual mechanics of the connections between the extracellular matrix and the intracellular matrix is generally achieved by numerous weak bonds – a kind of VelcroⓇ effect – rather than a few strong points of attachment. The MFBs, with their very strong connections, would be an exception” (p 57). He cites research into these MFBs and integrin proteins and shares findings that simply modifying the shape of a cell can alter its genetic program. How intriguing! He fuels deeper intrigue by including a picture of an in vitro MFB contracting (p 54). Wow.
I was also thrilled to find pictures from Dr. J. C. Guimberteau’s ‘Strolling Under the Skin’ video. I had just recently been exposed to this video in one my classes, and this was another moment filled with giddy excitement. What an outstanding accomplishment, to allow us to see what is happening under our skin! According to his website, “Dr Guimberteau has dedicated 20 years of research into the organisation of living matter with the aid of his endoscope and filming of live human tissue environments.” Having the opportunity to see what this connective tissue network looks like in our bodies as we are living and breathing beings, rather than studying the tissue in a cadaver makes a phenomenal difference. I think I might have looked a bit like a small child staring in wonder through the window of a candy shop as I watched this film for the first time.
I am tremendously excited to continue learning as we continue to make advances in our understanding of the complexity of the human body. Just a week ago in class, we learned about the International Fascia Congress, and although I was disappointed to see that I’d just missed the most recent event in Berlin, I am eager to attend the 2021 Conference and learn what more researchers will have discovered over the course of the next three years. The more we know, the more efficiently and effectively we can help our clients. I look forward to staying abreast of new information, and honing my techniques to help others experience the euphoria of healing through massage therapy.
Bibliography:
Guimberteau, J. C. (Retrieved on February 12th, 2019) Biography – Basic Ideas. Retrieved from http://www.guimberteau-jc-md.com/en/biographie.php
Myers, T. W. (2014) Anatomy Trains. New York, NY: Churchill Livingstone, Elsevier.
