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muscle to soften. This technique not only softens the muscle, but also reprograms the stretch receptors for lasting release. Cross-fiber strokes are also effective, but don't just slide over the individual muscles. Picture sliding the muscles perpendicular to their fiber direction and rolling them rather than just rolling over them. This technique is excellent to stretch and lengthen the piriformis, especially for sciatic problems associated with piriformis syndrome. As with other rotators, I usually prefer facilitated lengthening strokes— medial to lateral—following the muscle belly down to the trochanter, as this direction educates the muscle to relax and lengthen. Of course, you must exercise caution to not impart force too vertically to ensure you don't irritate the sciatic nerve. A lot of therapists work too intensely in this area, because they push too hard to sink through the gluteus maximus. You only need as much force as is necessary to grab the muscle and then work obliquely to stretch or move in a cross-fiber direction to roll the muscles and free stickiness to deeper tissue. With your stroke, follow all of the muscles that attach to the trochanter over to the thick fibrous sheath of their tendons at the trochanter. At Work—Working the Rotators from the Side The side-lying position offers many functional advantages for work on the posterior pelvis, especially for stretching the lower fibers of the gluteus maximus and for putting the deeper rotators into a stretch. Hip flexion stretches the lower fibers of the gluteus maximus that extend the hip. Work distally in the direction of lengthening, or perform anchor-and-stretch strokes proximally, while moving the knee up either passively or by asking for active movement from the client to further flex the hip (Image 6, page 67). This position is excellent for the deep rotators because hip flexion stretches the lower rotators (both gemellus muscles, the obturator internus, and the quadratus femoris), while at the same time moving the leg into internal rotation to further the stretch. Precision of depth is paramount, so use fairly precise tools so you can sink through the gluteus maximus. You can work in either direction, but I feel you get more mileage by facilitating lengthening by applying force from the proximal origin in a direction toward the trochanter, thus teaching these important muscles to relax and lengthen. For specific pockets of tension, of course, you can perform anchor-and-stretch strokes by working in the opposite direction and asking for active movement by bringing the knee toward the head. At Work—Tensor Fasciae Latae Although not generally considered a posterior pelvic muscle, the tensor fasciae latae is important in this muscle group and is often overlooked because it is considered an abductor of the hip. But, like the gluteus medius and gluteus minimus, it has significant effects on hip rotation and the iliotibial band. In addition to distal lengthening strokes, freeing it from lateral and medial border restrictions will allow proper tracking of the iliotibial band. Use nonspecific relaxation strokes working distally, or just "hang out" at the crest waiting for softening. It is also important to free the iliotibial band's anterior and posterior borders with precise muscle compartment separation strokes. Posteriorly Speaking When all is said and done, I can't stress enough the importance of providing bodywork to the client's gluteal area. This one particular area has ramifications of deeper philosophical and practical import in areas of scope of practice, ethics, liability, and ultimately, the quality of work we perform and the respect we earn for our profession. Failure to teach techniques that address the posterior pelvis, and the resultant failure of individual therapists to perform the work, is a great disservice to the public. I will go so far as to say that it is not only depriving our clients from excellent work, it can actually be harmful and leave bodies more disorganized. The phenomenal rise of massage in the last 20 years has come from skilled teachers laying the groundwork for countless thousands of skilled individual therapists who, in turn, have educated the public on the value of massage. The remedy to gluteal "prohibition" lies in grassroots efforts to educate not only the public about this important work, but also the owners of schools so that they continue to provide training in gluteal techniques, draping, and communication skills to educate the public. I empathize with the problems of dealing with a litigious public, both for spas and for therapists in private practice, when it comes to the glutes. The solution to the misguided prohibition of gluteal work and increasing numbers of "no-fly zones" on a client's body will not be simple, but it is worth fighting for. The more we therapists educate the public by performing excellent bodywork, the more the public will demand the work they deserve. Art Riggs is a Certified Advanced Rolfer, bodywork teacher for 25 years, and the author of the manual Deep Tissue Massage: A Video Guide to Techniques, a 7-volume DVD set titled Deep Tissue Massage and Myfascial Release, and the newly released Deep Tissue Massage—An Integrated Full Body Approach. For more information about his work, visit www.deeptissuemassagemanual.com. F r e e S O A P n o t e s w i t h M a s s a g e B o o k f o r A B M P m e m b e r s : a b m p . u s / M a s s a g e b o o k 71 THE FORGOT TEN MUSCLES