Anatomy Trains Myofascial Thomas W. Myers PDF

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Dedication To Edward, for the gift of language. To Julia, for the tenacity to see it through. 'Every act of the body is an act of the soul.' (William Alfred') 'I don't know anything, but I do know that everything is interesting if you go into it deeply enough.' (Richard Feyn...

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Dedication To Edward, for the gift of language. To Julia, for the tenacity to see it through.

'Every act of the body is an act of the soul.' (William Alfred') 'I don't know anything, but I do know that everything is interesting if you go into it deeply enough.' (Richard Feynman ) 2

For

Elsevier:

Publisher: Sarcna Wotfaard Development Editor: Slieila Black Project Manager: foannalt Duncan Designer: Steioart Larking 1. Alfred W. The Curse of an Aching Heart. Out of print. 2. Fei/nman R. Six Easy Pieces. Neil' York: Addison Wesley: 1995.

CHURCHILL LIVINGSTONE ELSEVIER

© 2001, 2009, Elsevier Limited. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Permissions may be sought directly from Elsevier's Rights Department: phone: (+1) 215 239 3804 (US) or (+44) 1865 843830 (UK); fax: (+44) 1865 853333; e-mail: healthpermissions® elsevier.com. You may also complete your request on-line via the Elsevier website at http://www.elsevier.com/permissions. First edition 2001 Second edition 2009 Reprinted 2009 ISBN: 978-0-443-10283-7 British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress Notice Neither the Publisher nor the Author assumes any responsibility for any loss or injury and/or damage to persons or property arising out of or related to any use of the material contained in this book. It is the responsibility of the treating practitioner, relying on independent expertise and knowledge of the patient, to determine the best treatment and method of application for the patient. The Publisher has made every effort to trace holders of copyright in original material and to seek permission for its use in Anatomy Trains: Myofascial Meridians for Manual and Movement Therapists. Should this have proved impossible, then copyright holders are asked to contact the Publisher so that suitable acknowledgment can be made at the first opportunity. The Publisher

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Elsevier DVD-ROM Licence Agreement Preface Preface to the 1st edition Acknowledgments How to use this book

Introduction: laying the railbed

vi vii viii ix xi

1

1

The world according to fascia

13

2

The rules of the game

65

3

The Superficial Back Line

73

U

The Superficial Front Line

97

5

The Lateral Line

115

6

The Spiral Line

131

7

The A r m Lines

U9

8

The Functional Lines

171

9

The Deep Front Line

179

10

Anatomy Trains in motion

203

11

Structural analysis

229

A note on the meridians of latitude:

255

Appendix 1

the w o r k of Dr Louis Schultz (1927-2007)

Appendix 2

Structural Integration

259

Appendix 3

Myofascial meridians and oriental medicine

273

Anatomy Trains terms

283

Bibliography

285

Index

289

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Since initial publication in 2001, the reach and application of the ideas in this book have far outstripped this author's expectations. We have been invited to present these ideas and their application on every continent save Antarctica to a wide variety of professionals, including rehabilitation doctors, physiotherapists, chiropractors, osteopaths, psychologists, athletic trainers, yoga teachers, martial artists, performance coaches, massage therapists, and somatic therapists of all stripes. A simple Google® search of Anatomy Trains now yields nearly 200000 hits, as therapists and educators find useful applications far beyond our original conception. This 2nd edition includes many small updates and corrections that arose out of our continuing teaching and practice, as well as preliminary findings from the dissections we have initiated since the 1st edition with Todd Garcia and the Laboratories of Anatomical Enlightenment. We have been able to include some recent discoveries made in the fascial and myofascial world since initial publication (much of it summarized in the Fascial Research Conference of October 2007 - www.Tascia.2007. com), as well as to fill in areas where our initial ignorance of the wider world has been rectified. This edition benefits from completely new artwork by Debbie Maizels and Philip Wilson, as well as color updating of the artwork provided by Graeme Cham-

bers. New client assessment photos have been produced by Michael Frenchman and Videograf. The new full color design allows color-coded access to the information, allowing for a quick gathering of the relevant concepts for a hurried reader, or a detailed analysis for the curious. Like most textbooks these days, this edition makes increasing use of electronic media. The text is studded with website addresses for further study, and our own website, www.anatomy trains.com, is being constantly updated. There are also consistent references to the set of a dozen or more DVDs we have produced to support professional application of the Anatomy Trains concepts. The DVD accompanying this book provides other goodies not otherwise available in a book format, including clips from this DVD series, computer graphic representations of the Anatomy Trains, further dissection photographs and video clips, and some extra client photos for visual assessment practice. Both the understanding of the role of fascia and the implications and applications of Anatomy Trains are developing rapidly. This new edition and its connections to the web ensure an up-to-date point-ofview on fascia, a largely missing element in movement study. Thomas W. Myers Maine 2008

I stand in absolute awe of the miracle of life. My wonder and curiosity have only increased during the more than three decades of immersion in the study of human movement. Whether our ever-evolving body was fashioned by an all-knowing if mischievous Creator, or by a purely selfish gene struggling blindly up Mount Improbable, " the ingenious variety and flexibility shown in somatic design and development leaves the observer shaking his head with a rueful grin of astonishment. One looks in vain inside the fertilized ovum for the trillion-cell fetus that it will become. Even the most cursory examination of the complexities of embryology leaves us amazed that it works as often as it does to produce a healthy infant. Hold a helpless, squalling baby, and it seems almost unbelievable that so many escape all the possible debilitating pitfalls on the road to a healthy and productive adulthood. Despite its biological success, the human experiment as a whole is showing some signs of strain. When I read the news, I confess to having feelings of ambivalence as to whether humankind can or even should continue on this planet, given our cumulative effect on its surface flora and fauna and our treatment of each other. When I hold that baby, however, my commitment to human potential is once again confirmed. This book (and the seminars and training courses from which it developed) is devoted to the slim chance that we as a species can move beyond our current dedication to collective greed - and the technocracy and alienation that proceed from it - into a more cooperative and humane relationship with ourselves, each other and our environs. One hopes the development of a 'holistic' view of anatomy such as the one outlined herein will be useful to the manual and movement therapists in relieving pain and resolving difficulties in the clients who seek their help. The deeper premise underlying the book, however, is that a more thorough and sensitive contact with our 'felt sense' - that is, our kinesthetic, proprioceptive, spatial sense of orientation and movement - is a vitally important front on which to fight the battle for a more human use of human beings, and a better integration with the world around us. The progressive deadening of this 'felt sense' in our children, whether through simple ignorance or by deliberate schooling, lends itself to a collective dissociation, which leads in turn to environmental and social decline. We have long been familiar with mental intelligence (IQ) and more recently have recognized emotional intelligence (EQ). Only by re-contacting the full reach and educational potential of our kinesthetic intelligence (KQ) will we have any hope of finding a balanced relationship with the larger systems of the world around us, to fulfill what Thomas Berry called 'the Dream of the Earth'. ' L 8

relational view ventured in this book will go some little way toward connecting Descartes' view of the body as a 'soft machine' with the living experience of being in a body which grows, learns, matures and ultimately dies. Although the Anatomy Trains ideas form only one small detail of a larger picture of human development through movement, an appreciation of the fascial web and balance in the myofascial meridians can definitely contribute to our inner sense of ourselves as integrated beings. This, coupled with other concepts to be presented in future works, leads toward a physical education more appropriate to the needs of the 21st century. " 6

As such, Anatomy Trains is a work of art in a scientific metaphor. This book leaps ahead of the science to propose a point of view, one that is still being literally fleshed out and refined. I have frequently been taken to task by my wife, my students, and my colleagues for stating my hypotheses baldly, with few of the qualifying adjectives which, though necessary to scientific accuracy, dampen the visceral force of an argument. As Evelyn Waugh wrote: 'Humility is not a virtue propitious to the artist. It is often pride, emulation, avarice, malice - all the odious qualities - which drive a man to complete, elaborate, refine, destroy, and renew his work until he has made something that gratifies his pride and envy and greed. And in so doing he enriches the world more than the generous and the good. That is t...