The primary role of the iliolumbar ligaments is to prevent excessive lumbar sidebending, but these ligaments can contribute to sciatic nerve entrapment when injured. A traumatic event such as a bending and twisting maneuver while attempting to lift a heavy object, may strain the iliolumbar ligaments and their multifidi neighbors. As the ligaments weaken, they lose the ability to
Everything designed to move has a built-in factor of “play” to promote efficient functional movement. For example, an automobile piston and cylinder, a wheel on an axle, and even a simple hinge all have calculated play between their moving parts to allow efficiency of movement. Why not in a human joint?…
In the early 20th century, sacroiliac joint syndrome (SIJ) was the most common medical diagnosis for low back pain, which resulted in that period being labeled the “Era of the SI Joint.” Any pain emanating from the low back, buttock or adjacent leg usually was branded and treated as SIJ.
The femoral nerve is one of the largest neural structures in the leg. Its branches supply sensation to the upper thigh and control the quadriceps muscle, which is responsible for straightening the knee. Femoral nerve impingement can produce various symptoms. Numbness, tingling and shooting pain into the leg (and sometimes into the groin area) is common.
The three scalene groups derive their name from the Greek word skalenos meaning “uneven.” Although anatomists depict the scalenes as individual muscles, most touch therapists are aware of how they work together as a functional unit during neck sidebending and rotation
Ever since Hippocrates coined the term scoliosis to describe deformity of the spinal column, structural scoliosis (the fixed type) has occupied the attention of researchers, physicians and manual therapists
The second cervical vertebra, the axis, is considered the most important of all the neck’s bony structures partly due to its unique dural membrane attachment and also because of the powerful myofascial structures…
Any time an internal body part pushes into an area where it doesn’t belong, it’s called a hernia. When we eat, food travels down the…
Mired in Controversy I’m aware this may be an unpopular statement, but I don’t completely agree with the idea of pain-free bodywork. In an environment
Triggering the feel-good hormones through touch Everyone knows good bodywork feels good, but what causes those feel-good feelings, and how can we further elevate our
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