A word on Hypermobility

Do you have Hypermobility? This condition used to be A fun parlor trick when you were a kid being able to do something you could show your friends that might even gross them a little bit but now you're in adult so what do you do with it now? Where there was an interesting article in an industry trade magazine I recently came across by Mary Biancalana called MYOFASCIAL PAIN & DYSFUNCTION in which she discusses how her technique has led her to a better understanding the role of hypermobility syndrome in some people's health concerns. I wanted to take a moment to briefly summarize her article and talk about it in the context of how it works within my bodywork.

Mary started her career working with a special form of myofascial release and it has blossomed over the years into a very well-known practice in Chicago. She also takes part in an industry trade group which promotes and educate people on myofascial release. In layman's terms she is basically studying the connective tissue do it is in each and everyone of our bodies and how it impacts out health. They have been several recent studies which indicate that people that feel tightness in the muscles may be getting that sensation because the connective tissue to has recently been found to respond to stimulus in other words this tissue is also a sensory organ within the body much like our skin is on the outside. Her theory coincides with the generally excepted thought that the urge to stretch and the feeling of tightness within the body that makes us want to stretch is actually a lack of stimulus message from connective tissue. So now you might ask what does this have to do with Hyermobility? Some individuals that have hypermobile areas may actually complain of chronic tightness in other parts of the body and though there are many different kinds of connective tissue disorders hypermobility can be one of the most noticeable and in this case could indicate why people who are hypermobile have tightness feelings greater than those who do not even know it's not in the area where they may have hypermobility issues. There's also been a lot of controversy recently as to the purpose of stretching and if all of this yoga and other stretching regiments are even useful and lengthening muscle or relieving pain. What this article does so well in technical terms is explained to therapist why hypermobility is painful for people and some things I can do to help relieve the pain.

So now let's talk for a moment about what I can do to help those of you with hypermobile joints: 

1. Providing compression to those areas surrounding the hypermobile joints.

2. Have an open dialogue with me about your pain level other parts of the body during a massage session.

3. Encourage active breathing relaxation techniques to allow the nervous system to relax and to relieve tight areas as they are being worked out.

4. During the session help actively and passively stretch muscles throughout the body. 

This is yet another article that indicates home my massage techniques are integrated into each other and that one particular technique is not always the best answer for everyone. Whether you come onto my table for athletic conditioning, rehabilitation, or relaxation my massage and bodywork is complete and to your goals in a way that works with your body. If you have questions about this block please feel free to leave comments or contact me directly by email as listed on my website. www.tonyschwartzbodywork.com 

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