Myofascial Meridians, Tensegrity, & Structural Health, A Possible Missing Link

[SB4]

@CoolTweetPete I am very fascinated by this subject. I have been recently reading about the linkage between the cervical spine and dysautonomia (which I have). Has there been any mention of that in the book?

 

[LUH 3417]

I’ve read that a proponent of functional patterns, Naudi Aguilar, who also references the text you posted, is very much against yoga. Have you come across anything regarding this? @CoolTweetPete

 

[CoolTweetPete]

@CoolTweetPete I am very fascinated by this subject. I have been recently reading about the linkage between the cervical spine and dysautonomia (which I have). Has there been any mention of that in the book?

I don’t think he mentions it directly but he does draw links between dysfunction in the suboccipital muscles and headaches, which certainly makes sense given their role in maintaining spinal integrity and directing head motion.

Any dysfunction in these muscles could contribute to nervous system pathology. He brings up a good resource for improving this called The Alexander Technique. I read about that years ago and I was interested but it did not seem particularly compelling until he brought it up in this context.

If I recall correctly, practitioners of this technique review instruction on improving their posture by keeping their head and neck in a neutral position while moving about. They are taught to constantly “ramp” their head to prevent the soft tissue from slouching because of the impact of gait (especially altered gait where someone has a movement distortion) and gravity.

 

[CoolTweetPete]

I’ve read that a proponent of functional patterns, Naudi Aguilar, who also references the text you posted, is very much against yoga. Have you come across anything regarding this? @CoolTweetPete

Yoga will be very useful for many people working on these issues, but there is a limit. While it is useful to elongate muscles and fascia that have become chronically shortened, this can create additional problems.

When tissues are hypermobile, they become less able to contract. This is not a problem I think most people will have. Due to the frequency of immobility and the ubiquitous nature of the sitting position, flexibility tends to go down over time.

I think the best approach is to use perception. If you can bend your arms behind your back and grasp them, your shoulders are probably fine, If you can barely kick one leg up in the air, it’s possible the hamstrings are short, etc.

 

[JDreamer]

Related note regarding hair-loss:

I began investigating this topic in great depth after seeing a picture of the circulatory map of the head and scalp. As can be seen below, the structures delivering blood to the scalp run through the front of the neck and face. This made it very clear to me that impingements of this blood flow from postural distortion (neck against chest rather than looking up, the cell phone viewing posture) could contribute to the pathology of hair-loss.

Yikes. I sleep with my head/neck in that position almost every night instead of in a position where I'm looking up. It's gone on for at least 8-9 years now.

This is going to sound really stupid, but it became a habit I developed from trying not to mess up my hair style when I slept. Why? It originally started when I first began experiencing significant hair loss and was paranoid to shower my hair every day. Then it became a strategy for those mornings when I want to look presentable, but don't want to go through the rigors of trying to get this diffused/receding crap up there to behave.

Man hair loss can be such a complete mind f- sometimes.

Aside from all of that, I've predominantly worked in an office all day long 5 days a week in front of a computer. My shoulders and front of my face/forehead are so tense. My posture has also shifted to leaning towards my right.

 

[CoolTweetPete]

Yikes. I sleep with my head/neck in that position almost every night instead of in a position where I'm looking up. It's gone on for at least 8-9 years now.

This is going to sound really stupid, but it became a habit I developed from trying not to mess up my hair style when I slept. Why? It originally started when I first began experiencing significant hair loss and was paranoid to shower my hair every day. Then it became a strategy for those mornings when I want to look presentable, but don't want to go through the rigors of trying to get this diffused/receding crap up there to behave.

Man hair loss can be such a complete mind f- sometimes.

Aside from all of that, I've predominantly worked in an office all day long 5 days a week in front of a computer. My shoulders and front of my face/forehead are so tense. My posture has also shifted to leaning towards my right.

These are fairly common postural distortions. It’s never too late to start going in the opposite direction.

I once asked a masseuse if it was possible for side sleepers to become back sleepers. She told me it was not, but I am finding that elongation of the myofascial front lines and strengthening of the back line (particularly around my neck and skull) have made laying on my back for long periods much more comfortable.

The same person also told me that my genetics are the reason my Adam’s apple does not show through my neck. It appears she was incorrect and my superficial front line was for lack of a better term “buried” within the fascia of my upper chest. I think a fascial distortion in this area may contribute to thyroid problems as the tissues are poorly arranged.

With about 8 months of intense tissue work, I can now see it when I swallow. Everything can be reversed with time, patience, and the right context (working energy metabolism).

 

[denise]

This places them amongst the most dense muscles in the body. These suboccipital muscles respond to eye movement. Even with the eyes closed you can feel the linkage by putting your hands up on either side of your head with your thumbs just under the back of the skull. If you gently work your fingers under the cranial ridge and move your eyes, you will feel this deep connection between the spine and the skull.

Several months ago I read Stanley Rosenberg's book Accessing the Healing Power of the Vagus Nerve. It's a fascinating book all around, but in it he has a simple exercise that speaks to exactly what you said here:

THE BASIC EXERCISE. This is super easy and takes just a couple minutes. It's easiest to do this lying down on your back, but you can do it sitting or standing too. Interlace the fingers of your hands, and then place your hands under your head, with the weight of your head resting on your interwoven fingers. Keeping your head in place, look to the right, moving only your eyes, as far as is comfortable. Do not turn your head—just your eyes. After 30-60 seconds you'll sigh or yawn or experience some kind of relaxation. After you do, bring your eyes back to center, and then repeat on the left.

Before you do this, move your head around to get a feel for how tense your neck is, and then do it again after trying the exercise. Mine is always much looser.

He also includes maybe half a dozen other exercises geared at freeing up the nerves, muscles and fascia of the head, neck and shoulders.

 

[lollipop]

Several months ago I read Stanley Rosenberg's book Accessing the Healing Power of the Vagus Nerve. It's a fascinating book all around, but in it he has a simple exercise that speaks to exactly what you said here:

THE BASIC EXERCISE. This is super easy and takes just a couple minutes. It's easiest to do this lying down on your back, but you can do it sitting or standing too. Interlace the fingers of your hands, and then place your hands under your head, with the weight of your head resting on your interwoven fingers. Keeping your head in place, look to the right, moving only your eyes, as far as is comfortable. Do not turn your head—just your eyes. After 30-60 seconds you'll sigh or yawn or experience some kind of relaxation. After you do, bring your eyes back to center, and then repeat on the left.

Before you do this, move your head around to get a feel for how tense your neck is, and then do it again after trying the exercise. Mine is always much looser.

He also includes maybe half a dozen other exercises geared at freeing up the nerves, muscles and fascia of the head, neck and shoulders.

Interesting exercise. I tried it in the laying position. I also felt that relaxation. Thank you for sharing

 

[CoolTweetPete]

Several months ago I read Stanley Rosenberg's book Accessing the Healing Power of the Vagus Nerve. It's a fascinating book all around, but in it he has a simple exercise that speaks to exactly what you said here:

THE BASIC EXERCISE. This is super easy and takes just a couple minutes. It's easiest to do this lying down on your back, but you can do it sitting or standing too. Interlace the fingers of your hands, and then place your hands under your head, with the weight of your head resting on your interwoven fingers. Keeping your head in place, look to the right, moving only your eyes, as far as is comfortable. Do not turn your head—just your eyes. After 30-60 seconds you'll sigh or yawn or experience some kind of relaxation. After you do, bring your eyes back to center, and then repeat on the left.

Before you do this, move your head around to get a feel for how tense your neck is, and then do it again after trying the exercise. Mine is always much looser.

He also includes maybe half a dozen other exercises geared at freeing up the nerves, muscles and fascia of the head, neck and shoulders.

This makes good sense. I once took a course on activation of the vestibular (balance) system. They were very keen on the idea of stimulating the system with various activities like rolling & pressing into the ground (especially with the head). There was an emphasis on eye movement as it relates directly to coordination. The idea being that we can increase the ability of our eyes to track with the movements of our neck (which can feed back to our neck tracking better with our eyes) and this creates a general improvement in proprioception.

 

[denise]

This makes good sense. I once took a course on activation of the vestibular (balance) system. They were very keen on the idea of stimulating the system with various activities like rolling & pressing into the ground (especially with the head). There was an emphasis on eye movement as it relates directly to coordination. The idea being that we can increase the ability of our eyes to track with the movements of our neck (which can feed back to our neck tracking better with our eyes) and this creates a general improvement in proprioception.

Interesting. Have you ever done Feldenkrais? The course you did sounds similar, although the focus in Feldenkrais is having more choices for movement in general rather than in activating a particular system.

 

[Nighteyes]

The same person also told me that my genetics are the reason my Adam’s apple does not show through my neck. It appears she was incorrect and my superficial front line was for lack of a better term “buried” within the fascia of my upper chest. I think a fascial distortion in this area may contribute to thyroid problems as the tissues are poorly arranged.

Interesting. What do you think the opposite is caused by? Tightness in the upper back? I have a very protruding adam's apple and have gotten many a comment over the years about it. I find it nearly impossible to sleep on my back. I always get a weird tightness in my neck and hips.. Used to sleep on my stomach a lot - now mostly on the sides.

 

[Sinjin]

THE BASIC EXERCISE. This is super easy and takes just a couple minutes. It's easiest to do this lying down on your back, but you can do it sitting or standing too. Interlace the fingers of your hands, and then place your hands under your head, with the weight of your head resting on your interwoven fingers. Keeping your head in place, look to the right, moving only your eyes, as far as is comfortable. Do not turn your head—just your eyes. After 30-60 seconds you'll sigh or yawn or experience some kind of relaxation. After you do, bring your eyes back to center, and then repeat on the left.

Before you do this, move your head around to get a feel for how tense your neck is, and then do it again after trying the exercise. Mine is always much looser.

He also includes maybe half a dozen other exercises geared at freeing up the nerves, muscles and fascia of the head, neck and shoulders.

The guy on the personal power meditation blog says that the jaw is an outlet for bodily tension and that the act of yawning releases tension in the not only the jaw but other areas of the body through REM. He says he’s the only person to discover the true purpose of yawning.

I found his induced yawning technique worked really well when I developed tension in my jaw & upper neck and bruxism Posture: Yawn Tech (Beta)

 

[CoolTweetPete]

Interesting. Have you ever done Feldenkrais? The course you did sounds similar, although the focus in Feldenkrais is having more choices for movement in general rather than in activating a particular system.

I haven't. The course I took was called Pressing, Rocking, & Rolling Reset. It was an optional course for trainers at Crunch gyms. I was the only person in the class so I got to ask a lot of questions, lol.

I looked up Feldenkrais. Their "awareness through movement" program appears very similar.

 

[CoolTweetPete]

Interesting. What do you think the opposite is caused by? Tightness in the upper back? I have a very protruding adam's apple and have gotten many a comment over the years about it. I find it nearly impossible to sleep on my back. I always get a weird tightness in my neck and hips.. Used to sleep on my stomach a lot - now mostly on the sides.

If we're looking at the body as a complimentary system of tensegrity, a very pronounced and strong superficial deep front line might be indicative of a weakened, overly elongated back line. This would make it difficult to sleep on one's back because that position involves the deep front line and superficial back line pressing into the sleeping surface.

You might find sleeping on your back on a harder surface easier. Sometimes the softness of a bed can make it difficult for this pressing action to occur. A firm mattress could be something to try.

 

[CoolTweetPete]

The guy on the personal power meditation blog says that the jaw is an outlet for bodily tension and that the act of yawning releases tension in the not only the jaw but other areas of the body through REM. He says he’s the only person to discover the true purpose of yawning.

I found his induced yawning technique worked really well when I developed tension in my jaw & upper neck and bruxism Posture: Yawn Tech (Beta)

This is very interesting. I remember hearing when I was young that yawning was about gas exchange, but it seems more sensible that it relates to neck and jaw tension. I seem to yawn much less after correcting some postural distortions. I have friends, who slouch a lot and I noticed that they yawn incessantly when seated.

 

[tonto]

Here are some articles that may be of interest. I do trigger point and Chapman Reflex work with patients. The connective tissue issue you all bring up is very interesting. My work, I've recently learned, in which you apply digital pressure to specific areas, has been well described in Shiatsu work. Recent evidence has been linking myofascial work with acupuncture.

The articles:

• Dorsher, P.T., 2008. Can Classical Acupuncture Points and Trigger Points Be Compared in the Treatment of Pain Disorders? Birch’s Analysis Revisited. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine 14, 353–359. https://doi.org/10.1089/acm.2007.0810
• Langevin, H.M., 2006. Connective tissue: A body-wide signaling network? Medical Hypotheses 66, 1074–1077. Redirecting
• Langevin, H.M., Yandow, J.A., 2002. Relationship of acupuncture points and meridians to connective tissue planes. The Anatomical Record 269, 257–265. https://doi.org/10.1002/ar.10185

 

[denise]

The guy on the personal power meditation blog says that the jaw is an outlet for bodily tension and that the act of yawning releases tension in the not only the jaw but other areas of the body through REM. He says he’s the only person to discover the true purpose of yawning.

I found his induced yawning technique worked really well when I developed tension in my jaw & upper neck and bruxism Posture: Yawn Tech (Beta)

Very interesting. I followed the instructions and it induced yawning in me for the next 10 minutes or so.

 

[Runenight201]

Interesting that you mentioned Tom Meyers, someone else had mentioned him to me, but I don’t quite have the money right now to buy his book, but I am interested in myofascial work. Apparently the validity of myofascia driving musculoskeletal movement is quite controversial in mainstream science.

One thing I have noticed that is immensely helpful in correcting postural issues is by focusing on primal crawling patterns with a focus on keeping my head up looking towards the horizon.

As children we all had to master this in order to move, and I think many modern people need a “reset” in terms of spending dedicated time each and every day to rolling, crawling, and stretching. The crawling can be as simple as hands and knees baby crawling, and can be progressed up to much harder variations.

I noticed that after one particularly extended crawling session, that my eyes became blood shot, as if there was a huge amount of increased blood flow to my skull, my breathing became much easier, and my right eye deformity (squint) had completely disappeared.

Upon sleeping and waking up the next morning the effects had reversed, but I do believe with sufficient time and strengthening of the fascial lines that had become weakened, I can maintain proper eyelid functioning.

The note on a shortened front fascia line also makes me consider its impact on the organs that would be compromised via compression, aka the stomach and liver. I think having proper posture would allow those cells to function optimally and would help a lot of people who may have compromised digestion and detoxification abilities.

 

[pimpnamedraypeat]

@CoolTweetPete this is fascinating! Thank you for sharing. I had read in the past people alluding to this but never this clear of a write up. The speed of signals and messages across the body are too fast for the nervous system to relay. There had to be something else at play in this all body communication.

It might have something to do with the liquid crystal structure of the water in the body leading to almost instantaneous communication in the body as mentioned in the flying spiders thread

- “All… nerves go to and terminate in that great system, the fascia.”

- “The soul of man, with all the streams of pure living water, seems to dwell in the fascia of his body.”
Source: Fascia

Living water is an old term for structured water...according to gerald pollack structured water and its importance in the human body had been known about for 100 years so this refefence isn't surprising. If the soul of man dwells in the fascia then perhaps the liquid crystal plasmic fascia is where the etherial body lays?

Biiiiiiiiiig $$

Emission of Biophotons and Adjustable Sounds by the Fascial System: Review and Reflections for Manual Therapy
"The chromosome behaves like a laser emitter, like a modeled structure to emit quantum images expressed as photons, which will then be organized into morphogenetic information"


Soliton
"Solitons may occur in proteins[13] and DNA.[14]Solitons are related to the low-frequency collective motion in proteins and DNA.[15]"


Solitons may also occur in fascia

How interesting

"We again find the ability to communicate with electrical activity, as we know that the fascial system distributes electrical pulses in conjunction with or independently from the central and peripheral nervous system"​

 

[lollipop]

It might have something to do with the liquid crystal structure of the water in the body leading to almost instantaneous communication in the body as mentioned in the flying spiders thread

Totally makes sense @pimpnamedraypeat and as a conductive mechanism, I can imagine how the liquid crystal structure interfaces between electrical signals in the body AND the separate Prana/Chi aspect Haidut was speaking about in the same thread.