Trauma Paths

Wow, I didn't realize I had fallen down on the job here and not been posting for so long. Sorry about that.

So, the question was asked as to how the twists and turns that we get in our bodies affect our general energy levels. The answer is probably best seen as an analogy to a road blockage.

For Example, if there is an accident bad enough to cause a traffic jam then somehow the flow of traffic needs to be restored. This is usually done by someone slowing down the traffic, maybe shifting everyone into one lane and directing traffic around the blockage. I'm sure you've noticed that before you come up to the blockage traffic is flowing smoothly....and after you get past the blockage traffic can start returning to a normal smooth flow. But right in the vicinity of the blockage everything is truly jammed up.  So, when you have areas that are out of balance whether through injury, accident, birth, or just plain stress, it creates areas of blockage and the flow of your energy has to go around it. If you also recall being stuck in that traffic jam, your patience and joyfulness are not usually present. In fact you tend to be irritable and pained. So, guess how your body responds to the twists and turns and aches and pains of life. It too gets irritable, slow, moody and just wants out of the jam so it can get back in the free flow of life.

Birth

Hi Kay,
You asked about babies and birth trauma, so here is an article I wrote for an OB clinic:

What and why is cranial-sacral work important for both Baby and Mom?

If a baby could talk (in a language that we could understand) it would probably say, “Hey there world, I’m here! Are you ready to love me and take care of me? Do you know how long and tough my journey has been? It is so exciting to be here after all that I’ve been through. 9 months curled up in the womb with my house not always being relaxed or in alignment...and then down that tight chute. I’m so ready to just have you baby me as much as you can.” Well, in fact the baby does say that with it’s first cry as it re-inflates the head that was compressed/collapsed during childbirth.

It is a common belief that babies and children should have no stresses or strains in their bodies, because they are 'so young'. The reality is very different. Birth is one of the most stressful events of our lives. The baby is subjected to enormous forces, as the uterus pushes to expel the baby against the natural resistance of the birth canal. The baby has to turn and twist as it squeezes through the bony pelvis, on its short but highly stimulating and potentially stressful journey

Since the cranial bones are not fully developed they sort of float like little islands between the layers of tissue of the head. In order to reduce the size of the head, the tissue folds allowing the soft bones to overlap, bend and warp as the baby descends through the birth canal. After birth that first cry is to help inflate the head, like a balloon, thus allowing the ‘islands’ to float back into place. However, the stresses that the baby has undergone may not always be corrected with just that first crying demand.

Many babies are born with odd shaped heads as a result. In the first few days, the head can usually be seen to gradually lose the extreme molded shape, as the baby suckles, cries and yawns. However, this unmolding process is often incomplete, especially if the birth has been difficult or was assisted with forceps or suction. As a result, the baby may have to live with some very uncomfortable stresses within its head and body. Some babies cope extremely well with even quite severe retained molding and compression, and are contented and happy. For others it is a different story. Even Cesarean Section can create imbalances. Especially when you consider that the reason for the C-section is often as a last resort due to difficulties with labor, and/or difficulties throughout the pregnancy.

Since the head houses the brain, and the messages from the brain direct the body, than it is easy to understand the importance of good positioning and development of the cranial structures.

Cranial-sacral and myofascial release work help to reshape the cranium, thus allowing the complete and natural development of the rest of the body. These are also useful therapeutic techniques for the developing fetus. Since keeping the baby’s house in order (i.e. Mom) during the pregnancy allows for the most comfortable developmental environment and therefore you have the greatest potential for growth without restrictions. When developmental restrictions are minimized, birth is often an easier process as well.

Linda Becker, BS, LMT

Why isn't a pillow between knees enough?

Hi Sue,
When you are sleeping on your side, putting a pillow between your knees is touted by many to be good at helping you sleep more comfortably and awake more refreshed. Unfortunately that is only a part of the solution. Putting a pillow at the knee cushions the knees and keeps them from pressing against each other, but you still get the "drag" from the lower leg and foot which then puts strain on the topside knee and radiates up into the hip and lower back. A better pillow arrangement for alleviating knee and back pain is to make sure the pillow goes from just above the knee all the way down to include supporting the toes. This keeps the legs parallel to each other which greatly reduces any strain on the knees and hips. Try this pillow arrangement and see if it doesn't help make the night more comfortable and the morning start-up easier.
Thanks for asking,
Linda

How should I enter/exit car?

Thanks Andy that is a great question. Most people open the door to their car and "step" in. For the driver, they lead with their right foot and then kind of drop into the seat. Unfortunately this puts a variety of strains on the body. For one thing all the "stabilizing" is thrown into the left knee which ends up sort of twisted and then when we "drop" into the seat the force is sent at an angle through the pelvic girdle. So the better way to get into the car is to turn your back to the seat to sit down and then swing both legs in. I suggest that to help this process you make it a habit of moving your seat all the way back before you get out of the car and then adjust your seat to your driving position after you get in. Hope this helps keep that back happier :o))  Linda

Patient Question about Shoe Inserts and Balance

GW: Thank you so much.  I'm feeling better.

Question for you…Would it be beneficial for me to wear some kind of insert in my right shoe to help balance my body?  If so, what would you recommend?

Linda: Glad you are feeling better.

As for the insert....I would NOT recommend it. After we are quite sure you are balanced, if we find that you have a short leg, than we might reconsider. However, if you were to use one now you would just strengthen any imbalance you already have.  Getting the new pair of shoes so that you are not walking crooked as we re-balance the system is really the best thing you can do at the moment.

GW: What should I do to re-balance besides the getting up and sitting down exercises that you showed me?

Linda: Just to clarify, the getting in and out of your car process is not an exercise to re-balance you, it is an action that helps to keep you from getting out of balance. There are so many activities in our daily lives that the actions we take make it easier or harder to stay in balance depending on whether we are working within the parameters of the body mechanics or not.

I think I was explaining to you about how I liken our bodies to our cars. In order to drive our car we need to keep gas and oil in it to have it run. Sometimes we need to take it in for a 3000 or 5000 mile tune-up and sometimes we need to take it in for more emergency type maintenance because we hit a hole in the road and threw our alignment out and we want to catch it before it causes more damage to the whole car.  

So with our bodies, we need to put good food and water to keep it running on a daily basis. We need to go in for a tune-up periodically which may be a once a month or once every three month treatment to keep us in general good health and alignment. And sometimes we twist or otherwise hurt ourselves and need to come in for an emergency treatment. You called me the other day to get that emergency fix because you knew that you didn't want to have your hip pain get any worse. During that process I was able to see that your shoes were a source of your re-creation of your imbalance on an on-going basis and that the way in which you get in and out of your car can add to that re-creation as well. So the treatments are the way to re-balance and the daily changes are the way to maintain good balance.

Fascial Release?

What is Fascia and why does it need releasing?
Linda: "Fascia is a connective tissue that is found throughout the body. It is a very thin membrane that surrounds and separates the muscles into bundles and muscle groups."

"The relationship of muscle to fascia could be considered similar to something inside a container. Let's use an analogy of water inside a balloon or glass. Both the balloon and water have the ability to move and change shapes, but the balloon can contain the water thereby dictates the shape of the water. If the balloon becomes rigid like a glass then no matter how much you stir the water, once you stop stirring, the water returns to the shape of its rigid glass container. By releasing the tension in the fascia, and returning it to the texture of the balloon, it allows the muscle to have greater freedom of motion with less stress and tension and therefore less discomfort."

What is ITM?

Question:  What is Integrated Therapeutic Massage?
Linda:  "It is a combination of all the different healing modalities that I have come into contact with throughout my years of practice. I choose to call it Integrated Therapeutic Massage because it is an integration of so many styles, techniques and philosophies that one cannot distinguish where one ends and the other begins."