Re: String theory...Treatment Technique (also )

[Guest guest]

OK, yeah...I wasn't precise...actually, I don't know what else to

call it, because I've been trying to learn bone names recently --

and I wasn't so much searching for help as bitching: my musculo-

skeletal system is NOT supposed to be having parties without me. The

best description I can give is: when I tighten my thigh, the

muscle/tendon/ that seems to anchor right into the base of the

(unmentionable), then runs down the inside of the thigh disappearing

under the thigh muscles, to come into the knee on the inside.

------------------

Actually, you were more than precise enough for me to figure it

out. The " clue " was your calling it a " string " because there are

only two muscles in that general area that fit that description -

the Sartorius and the Gracilis. These two are more rounded and ropy

in texture. The rest of the muscles are much broader and flatter.

The other clues were the origin and insertion points. The only

reason I questioned which one at all was because of your comment

about going across the top of the thigh. The Sartorius does run

across the actual top where the Gracilis runs down the inside of the

thigh like I mentioned last night.

Your description up above nails it to the Gracilis.

The cramping you are getting is actually a fairly common problem,

especially for certain postures or activities. A perfect example is

someone who does not normally ride horses taking a vacation at a

Dude Ranch. Their adductors are going to be so mean to them!

At any rate, the treatment is pretty easy. You can lay down on the

floor or the bed or simply sit on the couch or in a chair and put

legs straight out in front of you. You can even do it standing as

long as you balance yourself with your off hand on the back of a

chair or against a wall.

The technique is to have someone gently abduct your painful leg

(move it away from the mid-line of the body to the side)until it

feels like there is a slight catch. At that point, with their hand

on the inside of your ankle or foot, you apply slight pressure

against the resistance of their hand to contract the adductor

muscles. You don't need to try to over power them, just enough

pressure to contract the muscles. Hold that contraction for ten

seconds. My " instructions " when doing it on someone are to simply

say " Contract, " count to ten in my head, and then say " Relax. " You

then abduct the leg further to the next catch point and repeat the

contract-relax drill. Abduct one more time to the third catch point

and repeat the process. After the third point, you return the leg to

a neutral position. The person then puts his/her hand on the

outside of your foot or ankle and you contract in the opposite

direction for ten seconds (push your leg into the hand away from mid-

line). The technique ends by having them abduct your leg into a

stretch. They move your leg out as far as they can into a good

stretch. I emphasize stretch and not trying to pull your leg out of

the hip socket. You need to get it to where you feel a stretch in

your adductor muscles (inside the thigh), but not to the point of

pain - NEVER to the point of pain. You hold that stretch for one

minute. Actually, the instructions say for 60 to 90 seconds. Do it

for at least one minute but more than a minute and a half is not

necessary. If both legs bother you, repeat the process with the

other leg.

There are only two " difficult " parts of doing this. The most

difficult part is knowing which muscles to work (do I do the

shortened side or the lengthened side?) That won't be a problem in

your case here because I have already told you which way to do it.

It only becomes difficult if you try to do the technique for a

different body part, say the head and neck. And yes, I use this

same technique for Torticollis or Wry Neck (Head dropped laterally

to the side because of tight neck muscles). It will actually work

on ANY shortened muscle that you can " move " this way. I saw one of

my instructors in lab one night do this on someone's thumb. (During

our hands-on competency exams in third term, my classmate working on

me had the technique down perfectly but in the wrong direction,

therefore was working the exact opposite of the way she should have

been. I knew she was wrong but couldn't say a thing or we BOTH

would have gotten an automatic zero for that part.)

The other hard part is feeling the " catch " or glitch when moving the

muscle. And that is not always easy to do. Can't feel the catch?

Do what I do. FAKE IT! I get this look of intense concentration on

my face, staring off into the distance as I slowly abduct the leg.

Then I say " there it is " and do the contract-relax routine. I can't

tell you how many times I have done this technique without ever

feeling the catch. What I am saying is that the technique is the

most effective if you do the contract-relax right at the points

where you feel the muscle catch. But if you don't feel it and

aren't precisely on it - no problem. The technique still works.

Give it a try - and don't wait for the next cramping episode. Your

leg muscles cramped on you because they had simply had enough at

that point. The cramp might not be there at the moment, but the

cramp was a cry for help. Do the technique to loosen them to try

avoid the cramp in the first place.

And on a final note, this is part of the " Standard Stuff " that I

still do when it is the most appropriate treatment technique. Could

I do this energetically? Probably, by some kind of two-pointing the

origin-insertion points of the muscle or specific acupressure points

that affect the inside of the leg. I say " probably " simply because

I have never bothered to try. The manual technique is so quick,

easy and effective that I just do it and don't worry about a

different way. Besides, doing it the manual way, my hand is on the

foot or ankle. Where would it be if I were working origin and

insertion?

[Guest guest]

OK, yeah...I wasn't precise...actually, I don't know what else to

call it, because I've been trying to learn bone names recently --

and I wasn't so much searching for help as bitching: my musculo-

skeletal system is NOT supposed to be having parties without me. The

best description I can give is: when I tighten my thigh, the

muscle/tendon/ that seems to anchor right into the base of the

(unmentionable), then runs down the inside of the thigh disappearing

under the thigh muscles, to come into the knee on the inside.

------------------

Actually, you were more than precise enough for me to figure it

out. The " clue " was your calling it a " string " because there are

only two muscles in that general area that fit that description -

the Sartorius and the Gracilis. These two are more rounded and ropy

in texture. The rest of the muscles are much broader and flatter.

The other clues were the origin and insertion points. The only

reason I questioned which one at all was because of your comment

about going across the top of the thigh. The Sartorius does run

across the actual top where the Gracilis runs down the inside of the

thigh like I mentioned last night.

Your description up above nails it to the Gracilis.

The cramping you are getting is actually a fairly common problem,

especially for certain postures or activities. A perfect example is

someone who does not normally ride horses taking a vacation at a

Dude Ranch. Their adductors are going to be so mean to them!

At any rate, the treatment is pretty easy. You can lay down on the

floor or the bed or simply sit on the couch or in a chair and put

legs straight out in front of you. You can even do it standing as

long as you balance yourself with your off hand on the back of a

chair or against a wall.

The technique is to have someone gently abduct your painful leg

(move it away from the mid-line of the body to the side)until it

feels like there is a slight catch. At that point, with their hand

on the inside of your ankle or foot, you apply slight pressure

against the resistance of their hand to contract the adductor

muscles. You don't need to try to over power them, just enough

pressure to contract the muscles. Hold that contraction for ten

seconds. My " instructions " when doing it on someone are to simply

say " Contract, " count to ten in my head, and then say " Relax. " You

then abduct the leg further to the next catch point and repeat the

contract-relax drill. Abduct one more time to the third catch point

and repeat the process. After the third point, you return the leg to

a neutral position. The person then puts his/her hand on the

outside of your foot or ankle and you contract in the opposite

direction for ten seconds (push your leg into the hand away from mid-

line). The technique ends by having them abduct your leg into a

stretch. They move your leg out as far as they can into a good

stretch. I emphasize stretch and not trying to pull your leg out of

the hip socket. You need to get it to where you feel a stretch in

your adductor muscles (inside the thigh), but not to the point of

pain - NEVER to the point of pain. You hold that stretch for one

minute. Actually, the instructions say for 60 to 90 seconds. Do it

for at least one minute but more than a minute and a half is not

necessary. If both legs bother you, repeat the process with the

other leg.

There are only two " difficult " parts of doing this. The most

difficult part is knowing which muscles to work (do I do the

shortened side or the lengthened side?) That won't be a problem in

your case here because I have already told you which way to do it.

It only becomes difficult if you try to do the technique for a

different body part, say the head and neck. And yes, I use this

same technique for Torticollis or Wry Neck (Head dropped laterally

to the side because of tight neck muscles). It will actually work

on ANY shortened muscle that you can " move " this way. I saw one of

my instructors in lab one night do this on someone's thumb. (During

our hands-on competency exams in third term, my classmate working on

me had the technique down perfectly but in the wrong direction,

therefore was working the exact opposite of the way she should have

been. I knew she was wrong but couldn't say a thing or we BOTH

would have gotten an automatic zero for that part.)

The other hard part is feeling the " catch " or glitch when moving the

muscle. And that is not always easy to do. Can't feel the catch?

Do what I do. FAKE IT! I get this look of intense concentration on

my face, staring off into the distance as I slowly abduct the leg.

Then I say " there it is " and do the contract-relax routine. I can't

tell you how many times I have done this technique without ever

feeling the catch. What I am saying is that the technique is the

most effective if you do the contract-relax right at the points

where you feel the muscle catch. But if you don't feel it and

aren't precisely on it - no problem. The technique still works.

Give it a try - and don't wait for the next cramping episode. Your

leg muscles cramped on you because they had simply had enough at

that point. The cramp might not be there at the moment, but the

cramp was a cry for help. Do the technique to loosen them to try

avoid the cramp in the first place.

And on a final note, this is part of the " Standard Stuff " that I

still do when it is the most appropriate treatment technique. Could

I do this energetically? Probably, by some kind of two-pointing the

origin-insertion points of the muscle or specific acupressure points

that affect the inside of the leg. I say " probably " simply because

I have never bothered to try. The manual technique is so quick,

easy and effective that I just do it and don't worry about a

different way. Besides, doing it the manual way, my hand is on the

foot or ankle. Where would it be if I were working origin and

insertion?