Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/70551
INNER JOURNEY I felt a crushing force as my pelvis hit the fl oor. Everything went quiet, and I lay there stunned, gasping for air. As awareness fl ickered back into my body, I felt numb. I couldn't move my legs. Eventually, the numbness wore off and the pain began— horrible pain in my back, pelvis, and legs. I was training for an upcoming weight lifting and karate competition and had gone to the gym to work out. There was no one else there to "spot" me, a safety precaution when lifting weights. I was doing high repetition squats while lifting more than 300 pounds. At last, my muscles were so exhausted I couldn't get up from a squat. I had been a gymnast when I was younger, so I decided to do a "back roll" to get out from under the weight—forgetting that when your hands are grasping a bar with more than 300 pounds on it, they can't let go. I crashed on the ground with tremendous force, herniating the disc at L5 and ripping my lumbar ligaments. But it wasn't just my body that had been broken. In the days and weeks to come, my previous beliefs about healing would also be shattered, and my mind would be expanded in ways I could not then envision. Life became a struggle. I tried every form of therapy available, only to be disappointed with temporary results. I desperately wanted to get better, but I felt trapped by the pain. An orthopedist recommended spinal surgery to fuse my L5 area. The surgery decreased the intensity of my pain, but didn't dissolve it. My fatigue and limited motion remained as well. Eventually, I realized that nobody was going to help me but me. I started to treat myself. I found that if I was to lie on the fl oor and put pressure on the areas that hurt or felt hard, I could relieve the pain. But my own considerable strength proved a hindrance. I was trying to force my way John F. Barnes, creator of the Myofascial Release Approach. through the restrictions. Over time, I learned to be gentle and patient. As I continued to treat myself, my recovery was dramatic. I realized I had stumbled onto something very important. I started to have strange sensations that went far beyond the origin and insertion of a particular muscle. My self-therapy was also impacting the connective tissue—the fascia. FASCIA—THE BODY'S SPIDER WEB Fascia is an incredibly tough connective tissue that spreads throughout the body in a three-dimensional web. Built much like a spider web, it extends from head to foot without interruption, surrounding and attaching to all bodily structures. The fascia serves a vital function: it permits the body to maintain its normal shape and allows the body to resist mechanical stresses—both internal and external. Fascia envelops, protects, supports, and becomes part of the muscles, bones, nerves, organs, and blood vessels—from the largest structures right down to the cellular level. When all is well, the body functions harmoniously, and the fascia is relaxed; it can stretch and move without restriction. When injuries occur, however, the fascia loses its pliability. Physical trauma from accident, injury, or surgery can cause the fascia to tighten in an 88 massage & bodywork july/august 2012