Re: 's back spasm - -Jill

[Guest guest]

> Yea, Mike. You are right on.

> The spasms always go from her neck down to her bum. Always on the

left side.

>

OK - based on the above, it could be any or more probably all three

of the ESG's on the left side.

The first time I worked on her we weren't able to do a really decent

postural analysis because she had so much compensation taking place

because of her knee and leg.

Do this. Have her stand in her normal posture - don't have her try

to stand straight or adjust her posture in any way - just have her

stand naturally. Then take a look at her from the front and the

back. If you were using a plumb line, the line should run

vertically down the mid-line of her body. From the front, it should

go from the top of her forehead, down along the line of the nose and

chin, down the center of the sternum, through the naval and end up

at the pubic symphisis (the center of the pubic bone). From the

back, it should go from the crown of the head, down the center of

the neck and spine, and right through the line that I tend to refer

to as the " gluteal grin, " known as something else in other

professions, such as plumbing.

My guess is that it won't. My guess is that she is leaning to the

left of center. If this is the case, it is suggestive of chronically

contracted left ESG's. Remember from my earlier post that the ESG's

do two things. When they act bilaterally, they extend the spine

posteriorly. When they act unilaterally, they flex the spine to the

same side. And because of this, when she puts her back into an

extension, those chronically contracted left ESG's react by going

into spasm. It is just a guess, but it is a relatively educated

guess and one worth having your doctor or PT look into.

And if this is the case, she will continue to have those spasms and

cramps until something is done to get those left ESG's to relax.

More importantly, she would need to address why they are contracted

in the first place. In other words, something needs to be done to

tackle the underlying cause and not just the immediate symptoms.

Case in point. She goes into spasm, the ER gives her some muscle

relaxers. The muscles relax and the spasm stops. The spasm stops

but the problem is still there. It is just sitting there waiting

for the next episode - and there will be a next episode.

We already know that she has some fascial restrictions along the

medial borders of her scapulae. There is a distinct possibility that

she also has some fascial restrictions that are affecting her ESGs.

This would be the very first thing I would check.

Let me know what you determine about her posture.

[Guest guest]

Robin:

It must feel really good to how much help you can be to people and

especially your own family.

Mike:

I can't even begin to describe what it has meant to me the last

couple of years or the changes I have gone through as a person. I

literally in many, many ways am not the same person today as the one

who enrolled in that first class three years ago.

Robin:

Massage done by a physical therapist trained in Holland who also

does a little adjustment work by pressing with the sides of his

hands and leaning his body weight in a gentle but sudden movement

has been really helpful to me.

Mike:

This is very close in theory to what is called a chiropractic or

osteopathic " thrust adjustment. " It is definitely " outside the

scope of practice " for massage any place in the country. We very

frequently get " spontaneous " adjustments with just regular Swedish

massage - we just can't deliberately try to induce one. I don't

know what the scope of practice situation is for PT's in this

case.

Robin:

Massage has been the most helpful of all treatments I have had over

the years.

Mike:

Can we sign you up as some kind of spokes-person? I have been

finding over the last year that I have been getting much better

results with things like acupressure, polarity and myofascial

release than I ever got with standard massage work.

Robin:

I also know of a woman in my community who uses many of the Eastern

Modalities (lymphatic Drainage, zero balancing etc., Also drinks

some kind of special tea blended especially for her in China Town

(Chicago). ... She is alive ... and practicing IQ Gong

Mike:

I haven't had any training in medical Qi Gong myself, but am

familiar with it. From everything I have heard about it, it is one

very powerful modality.

Robin:

Just wish I could afford to do more. I believe it would be helpful

to me.

Mike:

Let me know if you ever want any help on locating a practitioner for

some of this stuff. That is one of the things I have been doing

quite a bit of lately.

[Guest guest]

Robin:

It must feel really good to how much help you can be to people and

especially your own family.

Mike:

I can't even begin to describe what it has meant to me the last

couple of years or the changes I have gone through as a person. I

literally in many, many ways am not the same person today as the one

who enrolled in that first class three years ago.

Robin:

Massage done by a physical therapist trained in Holland who also

does a little adjustment work by pressing with the sides of his

hands and leaning his body weight in a gentle but sudden movement

has been really helpful to me.

Mike:

This is very close in theory to what is called a chiropractic or

osteopathic " thrust adjustment. " It is definitely " outside the

scope of practice " for massage any place in the country. We very

frequently get " spontaneous " adjustments with just regular Swedish

massage - we just can't deliberately try to induce one. I don't

know what the scope of practice situation is for PT's in this

case.

Robin:

Massage has been the most helpful of all treatments I have had over

the years.

Mike:

Can we sign you up as some kind of spokes-person? I have been

finding over the last year that I have been getting much better

results with things like acupressure, polarity and myofascial

release than I ever got with standard massage work.

Robin:

I also know of a woman in my community who uses many of the Eastern

Modalities (lymphatic Drainage, zero balancing etc., Also drinks

some kind of special tea blended especially for her in China Town

(Chicago). ... She is alive ... and practicing IQ Gong

Mike:

I haven't had any training in medical Qi Gong myself, but am

familiar with it. From everything I have heard about it, it is one

very powerful modality.

Robin:

Just wish I could afford to do more. I believe it would be helpful

to me.

Mike:

Let me know if you ever want any help on locating a practitioner for

some of this stuff. That is one of the things I have been doing

quite a bit of lately.