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50 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 4 FUNCTIONAL ANATOMY Palpating Longissimus Positioning: client prone. 1. Standing at the client's side, face the spine and locate the thoracic spinous processes with the fi ngertips. 2. Slide laterally past the lamina groove onto the erector spinae muscles. 3. Strum back and forth across the erector spinae muscles to differentiate the vertical fi bers of the longissimus in the center from the lateral, oblique fi bers of the iliocostalis. 4. Have the client gently lift the head and extend the trunk to ensure proper location. Client Homework: Finding Proper Alignment 1. Sit on a chair or ball with both feet fl at on the fl oor. 2. Place your palms on your back, feeling the muscles that run up and down along your spine. 3. Center your head over your shoulders, shoulders over your hips, and position your hips evenly on the chair or ball until your back muscles feel relaxed. 4. Close your eyes and take note of how this alignment feels in your body. 5. Open your eyes and shake it out. Repeat until you can easily fi nd proper alignment, then progress to standing. Editor's note: The Client Homework element in Functional Anatomy is intended as a take-home resource for clients experiencing issues with the profi led muscle. The stretches identifi ed in Functional Anatomy should not be performed within massage sessions or progressed by massage therapists, in order to comply with state laws and maintain scope of practice. muscles provide gross movement and support of the entire spinal column. The fi bers of the longissimus are vertically oriented, making it a strong extender and weak lateral fl exor of the spine. It also stabilizes and rotates the head and neck by pulling the mastoid process posteriorly and inferiorly toward the spine. Dysfunction and pain in the longissimus occurs with improper lifting mechanics, stooped posture, and hyperlordosis. Poor activation of the deeper transversospinalis muscles may also create compensation and overactivation of the erector spinae muscles. The erector spinae group should be fully relaxed when the spine is properly aligned during sitting or standing. Postural deviations such as forward head, thoracic kyphosis, or excessive lumbar lordosis will force these muscles to remain active and can lead to overuse, fascial adhesions, and trigger points which refer pain into the low back and buttock (the longissimus thoracis) or into the neck, below or behind the ear, and behind the eye (the longissimus cervicis and capitis). Christy Cael is a licensed massage therapist and certifi ed strength and conditioning specialist. Her private practice focuses on injury treatment, biomechanical analysis, craniosacral therapy, and massage for clients with neurological issues. She is the author of Functional Anatomy: Musculoskeletal Anatomy, Kinesiology, and Palpation for Manual Therapists (Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2009). Contact her at functionalbook@hotmail.com. 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 4 Finding Proper Alignment 2. Place your palms on your back, feeling the muscles that run up and 3. Center your head over your shoulders, shoulders over your hips, and position your hips evenly on the chair or ball until your back muscles 4. Close your eyes and take note of how this alignment feels in your body. 5. Open your eyes and shake it out. Repeat until you can easily Editor's note: The Client Homework element in Functional Anatomy is intended as a take-home resource for clients experiencing issues with the profi led muscle. The stretches identifi ed in Functional Anatomy should not be performed therapists, in order to comply with state laws and maintain longissimus cervicis and capitis). Christy Cael is a licensed massage therapist and certifi ed strength and conditioning specialist. Her private practice focuses on injury treatment, biomechanical analysis, craniosacral therapy, and massage for clients with neurological issues. She is the author of Musculoskeletal Anatomy, Kinesiology, and Palpation for Manual Therapists (Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2009). Contact her at functionalbook@hotmail.com.