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28 m a s s a g e & b o d y wo r k m ay/ j u n e 2 0 24 Hip Decompression Part 1 (Image 1) The client is supine with their right knee f lexed and their left leg resting f lat on the table. Snake your right arm around and through the popliteal space and grasp your left arm above the elbow. First, pull the client's thigh to distract the hip, then push the thigh toward the pelvis to compact the hip. Repeat this movement 2–3 times. With the client's hip distracted, ask the client to pull their hip toward the therapy table against your resistance to a count of five and relax. Distract and compact the client's hip 2–3 times, ending with the hip distracted. Hip Decompression Part 2 (Image 2) With the client supine, ask them to pull their knees up and together with their feet f lat on the table. Wrap your arms tightly around the client's knees. Ask the client to abduct both knees as hard as possible against your resistance while you hold the knees together or rock the client's lower body. f lexibility in any of the 21 muscles that cross the hip joint can lead to abnormal force distribution and dysfunctional movement patterns. It's no surprise that osteoarthritis and greater trochanteric pain syndrome are common causes of pain, muscle guarding, inf lammation, and the adoption of compensatory adaptations. COUNTERING A SITTING CULTURE One principle of Myoskeletal Alignment Technique (MAT) is to get clients moving. People who experience physical pain often fear moving because they believe it will worsen their condition. As we expose clients to pain-free movement, the body can safely downregulate nervous system activity and drop protective muscle guarding, enhancing session outcomes. MAT typically takes a holistic approach to biomechanical issues. For example, correcting faulty foot mechanics might be essential for proper hip function. I've focused on five methods to help clients counter sitting culture and encourage bodyworkers to introduce more movement into their treatment toolbox. These techniques should not be painful. Discontinue any technique that is uncomfortable for the client. Over millennia, the evolution of our ancestors from quadrupedal to bipedal beings gave rise to hips designed for dynamic movement. The Homo erectus, emerging about 1.9 million years ago, bore a pelvis and hip joints devised for walking, running, squatting, bending, and stretching as they foraged for food and hunted.¹ However, as agriculture arose about 10,000 years ago, people stopped walking long distances and started planting seeds and tending to crops and animals.² Archeologists note that bones lost density and the prevalence of osteoarthritis spiked.³ Another significant change occurred when humans shifted from agricultural societies to factories and urban environments. Factory work is repetitive and sedentary, while urban living promotes less varied physical movement. 4 Today, the situation is worse. EVOLUTIONARY DESIGN MEETS CONTEMPORARY LIVING Whether watching television, answering texts, working at computers, or playing video games, most people living in modern societies spend 7–10 hours sitting in front of screens, according to researchers. 5 With hips optimized for a life of varied movements, prolonged sitting poses significant challenges to the intricate biomechanics of the lower kinetic chain. For example, bones lose density, circulation slows, and repetitive stressors lead to joint degeneration. Prolonged sitting causes the hip f lexors to tighten and hip extensors to grow weak, resulting in anterior pelvic tilts and exaggerated lumbar lordosis. Additionally, a lack of strength or MYOSKELETAL ALIGNMENT TECHNIQUES By Erik Dalton, PhD Countering the Sitting Epidemic KEY POINT • By integrating movement into our therapy toolbox, we can help clients embrace the full potential of their evolutionary design. TECHNIQUE 1 2