Why Are Long Legs Better?

March 28, 2010 – 1:47 pm
According to Herman Pontzer, Ph.D (Journal of Experimental Biology), fossil records show that 2 million yrs. ago, human leg length suddenly began to increase...presumably to conserve energy during long distance travel. Pontzer's model predicts the rate of energy use related to limb length, i.e., longer legs = less force production = lower energy cost. To test his equation, Pontzer put people, dogs and goats on a treadmill and measured how much oxygen each used during walking and running at various speeds. "All things being equal, leg length is one of the major determinants of energy cost," says Pontzer, "If two animals are identical except for leg length, the animal with longer legs is more efficient." Although his findings seem rational, my question is: "In humans, are the legs really designed to propel motion or do we possess a more complex "whole-body" antigravty "Spring System" which determines gait efficiency. See http://erikdalton.com/articleDontGetMarried_Part2.htm or some ...

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What’s with all the CT and PET scans?

February 15, 2010 – 6:24 pm
Does this bother anyone but me? My Mom, a breast cancer survivor,  received 4 CT-scans in the past 6 months due to a minor whiplash injury. Research just released from Berrington de Gonzalez of the National Cancer Institute found that of the 72 million CT scans performed in the United States in 2007, 29,000 cases will result in cancer. The authors project the most common radiation exposure-related cancers will be lung, colon and leukemia. Not surprising, whole-body PET scans deliver an even larger radiation dosage. Wouldn't mind so much if they'd just tell us beforehand....thoughts?

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Age old argument…shoes or no shoes?

January 24, 2010 – 11:30 am
How about today's custom-fitted shoes? Do they permit natural gait? While providing custom fit, they also incorporate the usual biomechanical faults, i.e., elevated heels, lack of flexibility, toe spring, & loss of ground reaction force. Ironically, the closest we've come to an 'ideal' shoe was the lightweight, soft-soled, heel-less moccasin. Dating back 14,000 years, it consisted of crudely tanned but soft leather wrapped around the foot and held on with rawhide thongs. Presto! custom fit, perfect in biomechanical function, and no encumbrances to the foot or gait. But what about feet/knees/hips and spines that less than 'ideal'. Do custom-fitted shoes or orthotics help? See www.scientificamerican.com/.../episode.cfm?...running-shoes-jog-joints

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Should spinal biomechanics be taught in massage school?

January 6, 2010 – 12:55 pm
I taught at an All-Canadian Conference in Winnipeg a few years ago and was surprised at the passion workshop participants had for spinal biomechanics. One school owner told me they used Philip Greenman's "Principles of Manual Medicine" osteopathic textbook in his 3rd year classes and it was one of their most popular courses. Do you think an understanding of joint mechanics is necessary for massage students?

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Pelvic obliquity and rib, shoulder…breathing dysfunction?

December 19, 2009 – 1:46 pm
Anybody have thoughts on rib pain? How about the relationship of pelvic obliquity to rib, shoulder and breathing dysfunction?

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Fixing Fibromyalgia

November 3, 2009 – 1:21 pm
Because the symptoms of fibromyalgia wax and wane, treatment (as with that of other chronic diseases) should be considered an ongoing process rather than management of a single episode. Flare-ups often exacerbate the client’s underlying stress. Furthermore, stress can also precipitate flare-ups of fibromyalgia. The first line of defense for relieving basic fibromyalgic symptoms should be body therapy and exercise. Although pain from this condition primarily manifests in specifically designated areas, the trained manual therapist refrains from “chasing the pain” and instead, seeks to restore whole body function by testing for ART: asymmetry; restriction of motion; and tissue texture abnormality. Postural evaluations using Vladimir Janda, M.D.’s Upper and Lower Crossed Syndromes have proven extremely beneficial in identifying asymmetrical muscle imbalance patterns that exasperate fibromyalgic symptoms. Specific hands-on techniques that lengthen tight, neurologically facilitated muscles and Tone, inhibited muscles helps restore balance and symmetry while fighting off the compressive forces of gravity. ...

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What soft tissues do you treat?

October 14, 2009 – 6:47 pm
Some therapists are gifted with what I call "innate kinesthetic palpatory awareness". These bodyworkers seem to possess a greater ability than some of us to tune in to their clients dysfunctions and offer pain relief. While attending massage college in San Diego in 1979, we were privy to little scientific data to support our work and, therefore, addressed the tissue we could best evaluate and relate to...muscles. So, for a couple of years, every client that came to see me had a muscle problem. In 1982 I entered the Rolf Institute and everything became a fascial problem. Took a couple of James Cyriax workshops and became convinced everything was a ligament problem. Suffered a cervical fracture in a clumsy judo fall in 1989 which led me through a couple semesters of PT school and then to post-graduate workshops at Michigan State College of Osteopathic Medicine…and everything became a joint problem. The fact ...

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What do we mean when we talk of facilitated & inhibited muscles?

October 4, 2009 – 5:57 pm
Often in workshops and just yesterday on Facebook, I encounter therapists inquiring about the meaning of muscle facilitation and inhibition. Why is this central nervous system process so important to bodyworkers. I'd like to hear what your take is and how you use it in a therapeutic setting.

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Why do so many therapists avoid belly-work?

September 12, 2009 – 12:54 pm
I've found many workshop participants are uncomfortable performing hands-on abdominal work, i.e., pelvic and respiratory diaphragm releases and sometimes even superficial belly techniques. This seems particularly true when working with pregnant clients/patients. Do you feel belly-work is under-emphasized in massage trainings? Does the area hold too much emotion or possibly too intimate for some? I've written a short e-newsletter & posted a video  showing some basic useful structural integration techniques @ http://erikdalton.com/NewslettersOnline/Sept_09_Newsletter.htm

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Motor dominance and Back Pain

August 29, 2009 – 9:15 am
Cerebral lateralization has been a hot topic in neuroscience for centuries. How does it apply to body patterns we see in clinic, i.e., does right motor dominance cause hypertonicity in highly innervated tissues such as iliopsoas, rotatores, multifidi, scalenes, suboccipitals? Recall that the 11th cranial nerve innervates the upper traps and SCM. Do you look for and/or expect to see certain repeated structural patterns possibly due to motor dominance? Check out this intriguing article in the new Scientific American: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=evolutionary-origi...

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