ANDREA FUSCO - AN ALTERNATIVE MEANS OF MANAGING SHOULDER INJURY

Italian Physiotherapist Andrea Fusco presented an alternative means of managing upper limb injuries using techniques and understanding learned form aikido and dance.

http://bit.ly/jV2ed5

Here is a link to notes taken from the entire workshop, but in brief here are some of his guidelines for treatment post rigorous examination of movement.

FUNCTIONAL STEP 1 & 2 : Involves

Mobility

Stability

Symmetry

Muscular tone tuning

Body weight transfer

Toward SPORT SPECIFIC DEMANDS:

Kinetic energy management (bold change)

Agility drills

Contextual drills

Technical drills

This session had an interactive element at the end where three volunteers had themselves examined for fluidity and control of movement.

The understanding from Andrea's background in martial arts comes through strongly, and makes for an excellent and fresh examination of management of shoulder injuries.

JAMES EARLS – REVEALING THE MYOFASCIA

The first session of the day in Cardiff for ACPSM Conference was taken by James Earls.

James as keynote introduced several key ideas challenging traditional concepts of anatomy:

Fascia as a bodywide interconnected integrity system to allow ‘bones to float’.

The myofascia can allow for biomechanical force to be transmitted along certain lines (or ‘Anatomy Trains’). These Trains map the 'anatomy of connection' - the whole-body fascial and myofascial linkages of the individual muscles into functional complexes, each with a specific anatomy and 'meaning'.

GUIDELINES for ‘Anatomy Trains’

§  Follow the Force

§  Note the stations

§  Note any tracks that converge or diverge

TISSUE CONTINUITY

Tissue Continuity Example – Rhombo-serratus as a continuous tissue sheet rather than separate entities for rhomboids or serratus anterior

Dissection videos demonstrated to the audience of the possibility of transfer of force along certain lines.

EFFICIENCY

Recoiling of energy back into the system occurs via the elastic fascial system rather than the muscles which are held isometrically – approx 50% of energy of an efficient runner can be delivered via elastic recoil (by the long cooperative chains).

Muscular mechanoreceptors allow for fascia to be seen as a sensory organ.

Need to have septa & epimesium to glide for full effectiveness.

So the general consensus within the hall was of fascination and anticipation at the challenge of how this tissue can be manipulated.