Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/1013756
The truth about the respiratory diaphragm and the heart is that they do not exist within our bodies in isolation, which is what you can assume by looking at anatomical pictures. In reality, they are intimately connected and embryologically stitched together through their fascia. The fascial covering of the heart, the pericardium, is continuous with the fascia of the diaphragm. Fascial relationships are often omitted in drawings and dissections, which are highlighting the muscles and the organs instead of the connective tissue relationships. This is the only visceral fascial dissection we attempted thus far in the Fascial Net Plastination Project. First, we separated the respiratory diaphragm from the vertebral column, rib cage, and abdominal fascia surrounding it; from ligaments of the liver, stomach, spleen, and strong vascular network on the bottom; and from the respiratory apparatus on the sides and top of the heart, preserving only the aortic arch and superior vena cava. Next, we removed the heart from its pericardial fascial sack, which was quite an interesting process of "ungloving the heart." We made several incisions in the central tendon of the respiratory diaphragm (where pericardium and diaphragm are one and the same structure) in order for the heart to be able to exit its sleeve. By leaving the primary fascial connections intact, we were able to uncover the glistening pericardium encasing the heart and expose its remarkable continuity to the fascia of the respiratory diaphragm muscle. In the image on the left, the heart is still present in the pericardium, allowing you to see the natural shape, while the image on the right is just the protective and supportive pericardium on its own, illuminated from beneath. This image immediately brought to our minds a beautiful quote from Gil Hedley, PhD: "Your heart is made to be light." Says FNPP's Tjasa Cerovsek Landes, "Open the heart and chest opening are common phrases in postural and movement classes. The prosection I worked on of the heart, pericardium, and respiratory diaphragm helped me understand that this language— along with its inherent conceptualizations— creates problems for effective, therapeutic Notes from the Lab: Respiratory Diaphragm and Pericardium 70 m a s s a g e & b o d y w o r k s e p t e m b e r / o c t o b e r 2 0 1 8