Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/867515
WHAT IS THE PATTERN? Vladimir Janda, a physiotherapist from Czechoslovakia and the man who first identified and defined upper- and lower- crossed syndromes, gave us a wealth of information on movement patterns and the quality of movement. He also discovered that muscle imbalances in the body are not localized; they're systemic phenomena that involve the whole body. They are also predictable. Does FHP have a predictable pattern? Thankfully, the answer is yes. We already know that as the head moves forward, it increases in functional weight. We also recognize that this increase in weight means that muscles involved in supporting the head are forced to work harder to meet the increased demand being placed on them. Over time, these muscles will adapt to the increase in demand by increasing the resting tension and hypertrophying (exactly the same way a weightlifter's muscles respond to increased demand). One of the most obvious clues for bodyworkers to key in on is hypertrophy of the upper trapezius muscles. It's a dead giveaway when a small-framed person, who's probably never lifted a weight in their life, comes into your office with 54 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 7 THE THERAPEUTIC SANDWICH A valuable tool is to dedicate a small portion of the client's session to the instruction and proper performance of therapeutic exercises. By involving the client in their own recovery, we can increase their awareness, empower them, and improve our results. This is something I like to call "therapeutic sandwiching," and it leads to the creation of a very potent environment from which to effect lasting change. With the therapeutic sandwich, the top layer is the identification and subsequent reduction or removal of the causal factors. The meat of the sandwich is made up of the various in-office techniques employed by the bodyworker. Just like a real sandwich, this is the part that determines, more than anything, whether the sandwich tastes good, or, in our case, the results we get. The bottom layer that completes the sandwich is made up of the specific therapeutic exercises and lifestyle modification strategies we share with our clients to get them to focus and work on between office visits. Using the therapeutic sandwich makes practice a lot more fun, because instead of being solely responsible for the client's health, both therapist and client form a team, and together work toward achieving a common goal. Furthermore, by giving the client an active role in their healing process, we empower and motivate them and because of that, the client's results come quicker and are long- lasting or permanent. The benefit for bodyworkers is not only better clinical outcomes, but the removal of a tremendous amount of stress generated by trying to undo in an hour what the client has been actively creating for weeks, months, or years. All these elements combine to make practice more fun. When you're educating clients, having fun, and getting great results, it's a daily reminder for why we got into this amazing profession in the first place—to help people and make a difference.