Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/68174
YOU CAN SEE THESE TECHNIQUES IN MASSAGE & BODYWORK'S DIGITAL EDITION, WHICH FEATURES A VIDEO CLIP FROM ADVANCED-TRAININGS.COM'S ADVANCED MYOFASCIAL TECHNIQUES DVD AND SEMINAR SERIES. THE LINK IS AVAILABLE AT BOTH WWW.MASSAGEANDBODYWORK.COM AND WWW.ABMP.COM. To release translation restrictions, gently sidebend the neck around the fulcrum of your fingers (arrow) and wait for the subtle softening of a ligamentous response. Pictured here is the direction of release for a vertebra that resists left translation. other words, you'll encourage the restricted vertebra to translate more in the direction it doesn't easily go, by sidebending the neck around your firm- yet-sensitive, broad-yet-specific touch. Since we're asking for deep, ligamentous change, you'll need to be patient and wait for the body to respond—for four to six breaths, at least—until you feel a gradual softening or easing of the hard restriction. Then, recheck. If you've been specific enough, gentle enough, and patient enough, you'll feel more movement in the previously restricted direction. Repeat this procedure for each translation restriction you find.3 WHOLE BODY While the techniques presented in these two articles will give you very effective tools for working with whiplash, it would be wrong to give the impression that this is all you'll need to be expert in this complex injury pattern. Locally, the techniques for working the neck's superficial fascia and the deep posterior compartment described in previous Myofascial Techniques articles4 will be helpful for addressing the local effects of cold whiplash. Most importantly, working with whiplash requires a big view of the body. Ida Rolf reportedly asked one of her classes: "Where in the body do you start working with whiplash?" Her students gave several well-reasoned answers—the sacrum, the jaw, the arms, the lower back. "Wrong," she said, "you start working whiplash at the big toe."5 The implications of this point of view have inspired several generations of Rolfers and other integrative practitioners to study the complex interconnections that make up a living body. As Larry Koliha and George Sullivan describe in the sidebar tips, all of us can learn from Rolf's insight that whiplash is an entire-body phenomenon. As a result, untangling the effects of whiplash often means focusing less on the local injuries involved and more on the whole body—from the big toe up. trainings.com) is a member of the Advanced-Trainings.com faculty, which offers continuing education seminars throughout the United States and abroad. He is also a Certified Advanced Rolfer and a Rolf Institute faculty member. Til Luchau (www.facebook.advanced- NOTES 1. In both hot and cold whiplash, there are also secondary symptom-specific goals, such as gentle headache relief in the case of hot whiplash, or decompressing neurovascular pathways in the case of cold whiplash with upper limb numbness, etc. The ligamentous capsules of the facet joints (green) and the intertransverse muscles (orange) are two structures that can limit translation when shortened or restricted. The arrow indicates placement and direction of pressure for a vertebra that resists left translation. Source image courtesy of Primal Pictures. Used with permission. 2. In addition to anterior neck tissue injury, violent cervical hyperextension also causes posterior damage, such as the "nutcracker injury," where the posterior arch of C1 is crushed between the extending occiput and the spinous process of C2. Deeper anterior structures, such as the pre-spinal complex of longus capitis and the anterior cervical fascias, can be injured as well. 3. Some variations of Lateral Cervical Translation Technique: 1. This procedure is described with the neck in a neutral position, that is, neither flexed nor extended. By passively flexing or extending the neck slightly during assessment and release, you' ll sometimes find even more restrictions; 2. Occasionally, an indirect release is helpful with a particularly stubborn area. This involves sidebending the neck in the opposite direction to that described above—in other words, taking the restricted vertebra further into its easier direction, instead of into the barrier. We've found that patient and sensitive direct work is effective for the majority of restrictions, however. 4. Til Luchau, "Preparing the Neck and Shoulders for Deep Work," Massage & Bodywork (January/February 2009): 120, and "Working With the Cervical Core," Massage & Bodywork (March/April 2009): 122. 5. This story was relayed to me by body therapist William "Dub" Leigh. connect with your colleagues on massageprofessionals.com 113