Re: adjustment of hips

JPascu@aol.com
Sat, 5 Oct 1996 12:13:25 -0400

Hi Linda;

I'm thinking this is only goig to you. If not I apologize to others that get
because of a glitch in computer land.
I think there are adustments for the hips that can be applied
Chiropractically. Whether they will keep and their efficacy is questionable.
WIthout balancing the soft tissue pulls on a joint no boney adjustment will
keep.
My horse and I had a bad wreck three years ago at an Endurence Ride. I ended
up coming to in the Neuro ward, thank goodness for a helmet. The horse's back
was pretty blown out, no power up hill and on light palpation he would drop
to his knees. After a long rest and alot of money on accupuncture,
chiropractic he was getting better but not 100%, (about a $1000 later). WHen
he finally got fed up with the needles and the popping and kicked the Vet I
decided to stop. My Rolfer suggested I see have a Rolfer who works a Equines
see him. This 5'1" woman worked on the horse's hamstrings. He was sitting
down on her hands, swaying his butt back and forth over her hands (I thought
he was Elvis reincarnate!) after this release two things happened 1. He was
95% back to normal 2. I decided to quit high-tech and become a Rolfer. ( It
cost $100). Three weeks later the hamstrings were tight again. I didn't think
that $100 every three weeks was a good deal for me. What I realized was the
entire body works together if the shoulders are tight, as they are on my
horse, then the hamstrings will be pushing into too much resistance, they'll
build up fater than the synergistic muscles to them and will pull on their
boney attachments. When I Rolf a horse I go through the entire body in 5
sessions, for the performance horse, 3 for horses in training.
WHAT IS MUSCLE IMBALANCE. ( this is what you asked).
Basically muscles work in pairs, agonist/antagonist. A muscle can only
contract and relax but it cannot elongate itself. The action of the opposing
muscle is what elongates it. So, the hamstrings and the quadraceps are a
pair, as the hamstrings contract the quads elongate/relax. and vice versa. An
imbalance occurs when one of the pair either does not contract sufficiently
to elongate the other or one of the pair doesn't relax enough. Because
muscles only contract if one of the pair is over worked, as on the story
above, working against a greater resistance. It can lose its ability to
elongate, this is why passive stretching is so important. The stretching
returns the muscle to its relaxed length.
Muscles attach to bones through the tendons. Muscles are wrapped in Fascia at
the end of the muscle the fascia changes chemical makeup and is now called a
tendon at the end of the tendon the fascia changes makeup again and is called
periosteum which is the fascial wrapping of the bones. When the muscle is
chronically short the periosteum is pulled on, there is pain and loss of
motion, since the bone cannot travel as far as normal. You can see that if
the bone has shifted because of this pull that pushing the bone back in place
is treating the symptom not the cause. However every time you push on that
bone, you provide the antagonist action required to stretch and relax the
muscle so you get some benefit ... This is why people may need to go to the
Chiropractor n times a week before the adjustment holds.
Complicating all of this it the map of the body that is constantly being
produced in the nervous system. This is called Proprioception. The body knows
what it's range of motion is. Even if we increase this range we need to
communicate it to the body that this new range is available and you should
start using it, this is where in-direct techniques like TTEAM or Rolfing
Movement come into play, resetting the nervous system to use its new range.
Of course this is only a viable therapy if the there actually is a new range
of motion to use, if there is an injury an the body is still protecting
itself then the suggestion of a new ROM is a lie and only leads to more
confusion.
WHAT TO DO WITH YOUR HORSE FOR MUSCLE IMBALANCE
Start with slow stretching. All 4 legs. Warm the horse up and then stretch
forward and back all around. In the rear the horse will learn to stretch like
a cat if you give a verbal cue like "stretch" while you are stretching. WHile
stretching support the elbow and hock don't use the lower leg as a lever arm
since you'll put too much torque on the joints. You will find that the horse
will easily move into the strecth some distance and then stop. This is a
barrier. when you stretch go to this barrier, stop and then very slowly go
alittle beyond the barrrier, wait take a deep breath and take up more if it
is offered. Talk to the horse to promote your breathing. It's on the exhale
that you get relaxation in the body.
I teach a 1 day massage class for horse owners, here in Boulder CO. I can
send you some information if you send me your address, Isend a newsletter to
all of my clients human or equine, which has stretches in it for each
species.

Sorry this was so long. Hope it helps.

jim pascucci
Certified Rolfer