Grounded in scientific and clinical evidence, this highly illustrated new guide gives an introduction to the diagnosis and treatment of musculoskeletal disorders using the Fascial Manipulation (FM) method developed by Luigi Stecco – the foremost scientifically valid method of evaluating and treating fascial dysfunction. It describes FM’s history, anatomy and physiology of fasciae, indications and contraindications, mechanisms of action, and details of the subjective and physical techniques used to manage disorders. A Practical Guide to Fascial Manipulation focuses on concepts around evaluating the fascia based on functional testing, movement and direction in specific spatial planes, and the location of specific areas to treat safely. With an emphasis throughout on accessible practical information, the book is also supported by a website – www.guidefascial.com – containing procedural video clips and an image bank.

This book is the product of an important collaboration between clinicians of the manual therapies and scientists in several disciplines that grew out of the three recent International Fascia Research Congresses (Boston, Amsterdam, and Vancouver). The book editors, Thomas Findley MD PhD, Robert Schleip PhD, Peter Huijing PhD and Leon Chaitow DO, were major organizers of these congresses and used their extensive experience to select chapters and contributors for this book. This volume therefore brings together contributors from diverse backgrounds who share the desire to bridge the gap between theory and practice in our current knowledge of the fascia and goes beyond the 2007, 2009 and 2012 congresses to define the state-of-the-art, from both the clinical and scientific perspective. Prepared by over 100 specialists and researchers from throughout the world, Fascia: The Tensional Network of the Human Body will be ideal for all professionals who have an interest in fascia and human movement - physiotherapists, osteopathic physicians, osteopaths, chiropractors, structural integration practitioners, manual therapists, massage therapists, acupuncturists, yoga or Pilates instructors, exercise scientists and personal trainers - as well as physicians involved with musculoskeletal medicine, pain management and rehabilitation, and basic scientists working in the field. - Reflects the efforts of almost 100 scientists and clinicians from throughout the world - Offers comprehensive coverage ranging from anatomy and physiology, clinical conditions and associated therapies, to recently developed research techniques - Explores the role of fascia as a bodywide communication system - Presents the latest information available on myofascial force transmission which helps establish a scientific basis for given clinical experiences - Explores the importance of fascia as a sensory organ - for example, its important proprioceptive and nociceptive functions which have implications for the generation of low back pain - Describes new imaging methods which confirm the connectivity of organs and tissues - Designed to organize relevant information for professionals involved in the therapeutic manipulation of the body's connective tissue matrix (fascia) as well as for scientists involved in basic science research - Reflects the increasing need for information about the properties of fascia, particularly for osteopaths, massage therapists, physiotherapists and other complementary health care professionals - Offers new insights on the fascial related foundations of Traditional Chinese Medicine Meridians and the fascial effects of acupuncture

This second edition of this very successful book includes chapters written by experts in the methods of manual treatment and provides step-by-step instructions on how to examine your patient using a logical sequence of passive, contractile, and special tests, and how to relate findings to biomechanical problems and lesions. Included are hundreds of diagrams, photographs, illustrations, and summary charts. In this second edition, chapters from the first edition have been thoroughly revised and updated and new material has been added on Myofascial Release, Somatics, Post-Facilitation Stretch, Friction Massage, Hypo- and Hyperpronation of the Foot, Strain and Counter Strain, Gait, the Extremities, and the Spine.

Fascia, Function, and Medical Applications is essential reading for medical and allied health practitioners who want to bring scientific insights of the importance of fascia to human health into their clinical practices. Fascia – the biodynamic tissue that connects every muscle, bone, organ, and nerve in the body – is fast becoming the latest trend in healthcare and allied health modalities. This book is edited by David Lesondak, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, author of the international bestseller Fascia: What it is and why it matters, and Angeli Maun Akey, MD, international physician educator and board certified in both internal and integrative medicine. It contains contributions from a team of top researchers and expert practitioners including physicians, clinicians, therapists, dissectors, and surgeons. Fully illustrated in color, this book presents the latest scientific knowledge of fascia and explains insights into problems like chronic pain and myriad musculoskeletal symptoms that may not respond to conventional treatments. It gives practitioners the information they need to make better decisions to improve the health of patients often without pharmaceuticals or surgeries. FEATURES • Provides comprehensive overview of how fascia, as a tissue and a system, affects various body functions and systems, from musculoskeletal disorders to nervous system, circulatory, and auto-immune function. • A section devoted to medical applications highlights a comprehensive and critical overview of various fascial therapies. • Gives practitioners the knowledge they need to refer or add as an adjunct therapy to their department or rehabilitation team. This is a cutting-edge, practical guide that will appeal to researchers, physicians, and clinicians alike.

"Osteopathy and other systems of manual medicine have developed a variety of models for understanding the mechanics of proper and improper motion of the musculoskeletal system. In this important and pioneering work, that same structural vision is applied to the visceral system. The central premise of 'Visceral Manipulation' is that the interrelationship of structure and function among the internal organs is at least as strong as that among the constituents of the musculoskeletal system; and that, like the musculoskeletal system, manipulation of the viscera can be beneficially used in the treatment of a wide variety of problems affecting any of the body's systems."--Publisher description.

Principally based on dissections of hundreds of un-embalmed human cadavers over the past decade, Functional Atlas of the Human Fascial System presents a new vision of the human fascial system using anatomical and histological photographs along with microscopic analysis and biomechanical evaluation. Prof. Carla Stecco – orthopaedic surgeon and professor of anatomy and sport activities – brings together the research of a multi-specialist team of researchers and clinicians consisting of anatomists, biomechanical engineers, physiotherapists, osteopaths and plastic surgeons. In this Atlas Prof. Stecco presents for the first time a global view of fasciae and the actual connections that describe the myofascial kinetic chains. These descriptions help to explain how fascia plays a part in myofascial dysfunction and disease as well as how it may alter muscle function and disturb proprioceptive input. Prof. Stecco also highlights the continuity of the fascial planes, explaining the function of the fasciae and their connection between muscles, nerves and blood vessels. This understanding will help guide the practitioner in selecting the proper technique for a specific fascial problem with a view to enhancing manual therapy methods. Functional Atlas of the Human Fascial System opens with the first chapter classifying connective tissue and explaining its composition in terms of percentages of fibres, cells and extracellular matrix. The second chapter goes on to describe the general characteristics of the superficial fascia from a macroscopic and microscopic point of view; while the third analyzes the deep fascia in the same manner. The subsequent five chapters describe the fasciae from a topographical perspective. In this part of the Atlas, common anatomical terminology is used throughout to refer to the various fasciae but it also stresses the continuity of fasciae between the different bodily regions. - Over 300 unique photographs which show fascia on fresh (not embalmed) cadavers - Demonstrates the composition, form and function of the fascial system - Highlights the role of the deep fascia for proprioception and peripheral motor coordination - Companion website – www.atlasfascial.com – with videos showing how fascia connects with ligaments

This work demonstrates a novel approach to visceral osteopathy. Basing their ideas on anatomy and physiology, Jean-Pierre Barral and Alain Croibier propose manipulation of the arteries to treat the intestines and other internal organs by increasing their blood flow. The arteries, elastic and muscular in structure, and the innumerable nerve filaments which surround them, react ideally to manual treatment. To be effective, however, these manipulations must be specific and precise. Thanks to the authors' long experience as therapists, their mastery of osteopathic techniques and the aid of ultrasound technology, they have devised innovative techniques to improve the visceral vascular circulation. In this book the authors show the various sites of the principle pulses of the body and summarise the physiology of the circulation of the blood. The main organs and their physiology are addressed and include the heart, pancreas, small intestine, colon and other abdominal structures as well as the regions of the neck, skull and pelvic cavity. Rich in detailed, high quality illustrations, this book serves as both an anatomical reference and a guide to carrying out visceral vascular manipulations in the most effective way possible. The work is aimed at experienced osteopaths as well as those in training, and at other manual therapists who wish to widen their scope. - Offers practical and clinically relevant information to all practitioners and therapists working in the field - Abundant use of pull-out boxes, line artwork, photographs and tables facilitates ease of understanding - Prepared by experts of international renown - Covers treatment of the main organs including the heart, pancreas, small intestine, colon and other abdominal structures as well as the regions of the neck, skull and pelvic cavity - Serves as both an anatomical reference and a guide to carrying out visceral vascular manipulations in the most effective way possible - Suitable for osteopathic physicians and osteopaths, chiropractors, physical therapists, manual therapists, physiotherapists, and massage therapists