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Yo u r M & B i s w o r t h 2 C E s ! G o t o w w w. a b m p . c o m / c e t o l e a r n m o r e . 67 An advanced structural lens enables us to help the body balance the relationships of its individual parts within itself and to gravity, but it does not give us a complete picture of our clients. Notice that with this lens alone, we don't yet understand how our clients are expressing themselves in life or why a certain area of muscle and fascia is chronically restricted and spasmed. We may see the "what" but not the "why" or "how." The treatment is also limited primarily to "releasing." This does give the body the opportunity to reorganize itself, but, as the nervous system is ultimately in control of the muscular system, reeducation on the functional level is required for rapid, lasting change. Otherwise, the old neuromuscular patterns persist. Functional Level Concepts As mentioned previously, we are not walls, nor do we spend our lives lying on tables. We move constantly; we function in the world. Hence, the recent movement toward "functional" everything. Functional medicine, functional fitness, functional foods. As with any buzzword, it is often misused (kettlebell swings are not functional training for anything you actually do in life unless you swing large objects around), but it's an important concept to explore. Function simply refers to the action for which a person or thing is specially fitted or used, or for which a thing exists. In human function, the body is designed for incredibly efficient motion—walking, standing, sitting, jumping, running, breathing. It is always going through cycles of acceleration and deceleration, pronation and supination, loading and unloading, eccentric and concentric contraction. As body function is studied more in depth, there's an emerging understanding that the body does not move as individual parts, nor are there antagonistic muscle relationships. When properly balanced, every body part is loading and unloading synergistically, working together efficiently for movement and stability. To see function of the body more clearly, consider the three planes of motion a healthy body uses: sagittal plane motion (forward and back as in flexion and extension), frontal plane motion (side to side as in abduction and adduction), and transverse plane motion (rotation). Every body part and joint must be able to move through all three planes of motion at the same time to have efficient movement and expression. When we learn how the body actually moves through all three planes of motion and fully understand the eccentric and concentric loading patterns of each muscle and joint in the body, our potential for great change in our sessions is amplified significantly. We can more clearly see where restrictions and pain may be starting (often far from the point of pain). Most natural human movement is a combination of several or all planes of motion at once. The brain tracks movement and position via proprioception, which allows us to know where our body is in space and in relation to itself. As the body moves through all three planes of motion, it is in a constant dynamic of loading and unloading in every area to transfer, absorb, and generate force. If the nervous system senses that it will not be able to slow down and decelerate a motion, to prevent injury or strain, it will tighten up the fascia and muscle tissue to keep the body part it is protecting safe but also restricted and limited. This can keep us from getting injured in the short term but sets us up for catastrophic injuries in the future. As the body moves, the nervous system controls the amount of movement based on the body's coordination, flexibility, and strength, the goal being to simultaneously maximize motion and stability. My favorite word for this is mostability (coined by Gary Gray, PT, FAFS, of the Gray Institute), which combines the concepts of motion and stability. Through the functional lens, we see restricted fascia and muscle tissue as a means of keeping the body safe when it does not perceive having functional stability. This compensation is very noticeable, especially with our elderly population. The lack of controlled motion leads to muscle stiffness, limited physical ability, and eventually to injury, as the body will no doubt be placed in a situation it can't handle. This is underneath a torn ACL, hamstring, Achilles tendon, etc. Working with the body to help it restore function and dynamic movement is essential to health and expression on all levels. Incorporating movement with fascial release techniques is a cutting-edge way to reeducate the nervous system regarding safe range of motion. Now that we understand more about the proprioceptive nervous system and its role in function and structure, we are seeing our old standard method of stretching and corrective exercise change quickly. You may have noticed that active or passive stretching with your clients on the massage table mostly creates short-term flexibility, but rarely provides the education that the neuromuscular system can use to reorganize its structural and functional patterns. However, having our clients engage their muscles and fascia in normal functional patterns and multiple functional planes of motion has drastic effects immediately. The clients can then use these "stretches" as homework to create new functional habits that will last, keep them pain-free, and optimize performance. The goal then is not merely lengthened tissue or passive range of motion, but more coordinated, balanced, liberated function and expression through space. This is cutting edge, especially for athletic performance. When the fascia and muscle are stimulated through the three planes of motion, the central nervous system allows the muscles to relax since it has been reminded