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guiding your client's slow, focused movement. Remember, the release happens during the straightening of the knee, as the hamstrings' tissues and muscles are lengthened in an eccentric pattern. Feel for and differentiate the three or four muscle bundles of the hamstrings themselves (Image 7), which originate on the ischium and then split to reach around the gastrocnemius insertions at the back of the knee. In most cases, the short head of the biceps femoris crosses only the knee joint, and so does not usually extend the hip. Continue working on the connective tissues between and around the bundles, rather than just on the muscles' bellies. Remember that strains are most common where tendon meets muscle, or where it meets bone. Use caution and sensitivity in the popliteal space, or in any areas where your client reports a nervy or shooting sensation (since the sciatic nerve is here also). As well as hamstring injuries, other conditions will respond to direct work here. The sciatic nerve passes under the biceps femoris (Image 8), where its tethering can be one cause of sciatic pain.6 Pes anserinus bursa inflammation (felt as burning and pain medial to the knee with exercise) can often be relieved by working the semitendinosus muscle, along with the gracilis and sartorius. Working the entire hamstrings in the way described here can sometimes help ameliorate hamstring syndrome (a painful irritation of the hamstrings' attachments on the ischial tuberosity, which is often worsened by sitting). As mentioned, hamstring injuries are frequently reaggravated or kept in a state of painful irritation by overuse before they are fully healed. Ultimately, there is probably no substitute for the passage of time, and patience is sometimes the client's greatest challenge, especially for athletes experience, viewpoint, and population served), chances are you'll find plenty of opportunity to use hamstring techniques in your practice. Notes 1. B. Heiderscheit et al., "Hamstring Strain Injuries: Recommendations for Diagnosis, Rehabilitation and Injury Prevention," Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy 40, no. 2 (2010): 67–81. 2.D. Müller and R. Schleip, "Fascial Fitness: Fascia Oriented Training for Bodywork and Movement Therapies," Terra Rosa eMagazine 7 (2011). 8 3.Serge Gracovetsky, The Spinal Engine, (London: Springer-Verlag, 1989). Hamstrings, medial view. Note the passage of the sciatic nerve (yellow). Courtesy Primal Pictures, used by permission. 4.R. Kram and T. J. Dawson, "Energetics and Biomechanics of Locomotion by Red Kangaroos (Macropus rufus)," Comparative Biochemistry & Physiology 120, no. 1 (1998): used to pushing past the barriers. However, many people find that the kind of specific work described here can reduce the pain of strained tissues and accelerate the recovery process. There is good research-based evidence showing that hands-on manipulation can reduce exercise-induced inflammation. One study found significant reductions in chemical markers of inflammation in leg tissues after massage.7 Another study found fewer adhesions between layers of connective tissue when manual manipulation was performed on mechanically irritated tissues.8 There are several theories about the actual mechanism by which hands-on work helps injured tissues. Examples of these are improved tissue hydration, stimulation of collagen renewal, better organization of newly forming collagen, trigger-point prevention, increased proprioceptive accuracy, and interruption of selfperpetuating pain cycles. Although not all of these models have been tested by formal research yet, they still can give practitioners a useful mental map for conceptualizing what they may be achieving with their work. No matter which model makes the most sense to you (and fits best with your style, 41–49; accessed December 2013, http:// stripe.colorado.edu/~kram/kangaroo.pdf. 5.American Society of Biomechanics, T. Fukunaga et al., "Muscle Fiber Behavior During Drop Jump in Humans," 2001; accessed December 2013, www.asbweb.org/conferences/2001/ pdf/168.pdf. Accessed November 2013. 6.K. Saikku et al., "Entrapment of the Proximal Sciatic Nerve by the Hamstring Tendons," Acta Orthopaedica Belgica 76 (2010): 321–24. 7.J. D. Crane et al., "Massage Therapy Attenuates Inflammatory Signaling After Exercise-Induced Muscle Damage," Science Translational Medicine 4, no. 119 (2012). 8.G. M. Bove and S. L. Chapelle, "Visceral Mobilization can Lyse and Prevent Peritoneal Adhesions in a Rat Model," Journal of Bodywork & Movement Therapies 16, no. 1 (2012): 76–82. Til Luchau is a member of the Advanced-Trainings.com faculty, which offers distance learning and in-person seminars throughout the United States and abroad. He is a Certified Advanced Rolfer and the originator of the Advanced Myofascial Techniques approach. Contact him via info@advanced-trainings.com and Advanced-Trainings.com's Facebook page. It pays to be ABMP Certified: www.abmp.com/go/certifiedcentral 117