Understanding Trauma and Adaptation

[bernard]

Well,

I found this one while reading my paper issue of Manual Therapy.

Understanding Trauma and Adaptation (http://www.jbmtconference.elsevier.com/)

I'm quite sure that many members of the site can find some reasons to disapprove.

[nari]

Uhoh...

How many gurus make a satisfactory conference?

Nari

[Barrett Dorko]

I was amazed to see Nancy Byl's name next to Upledger and Oschman.

This PTs work with mirror therapy for focal dystonia is highly regarded and it should be. I'd love to know what she thinks about the screwball ideas these other speakers propose.

[phil]

From Oschman's course description:

"The living matrix is a high-speed whole-body communication system with enormous capacity to acquire, store and process information, including memories of the context in which physical and emotional injuries take place. Because it operates far faster than the nervous system, it recognizes and begins to respond to traumatic situations before a single nerve fires"

Wow! Who knew?

[Diane]

I don't know how Oschman gets past the editors. Or maybe he is one?

[Tim]

The title of this thread seems to fit a comment I have been wanting to make.
Several years ago I had an elderly friend who had severe rheumatoid arthritis.
Her thoracic and lumbar spine had been fully rounded and flexed in a "fixed" position for years. She spent much of her time just sitting propped-up with many pillows in bed, because she was unable to lie down. One day she was admitted to the hospital where I worked. The next day I entered her room almost immediately after she had passed away. I was totally amazed to see her lying flat in bed. No one had "stretched her out". When she died, what I thought was a permanently rigid spine, lined itself up like any spine and body would when fully relaxed. It was then that I began to realize that there is much more neural control in pain and disease processes than most realize.
I recalled this experience after taking Barrett's seminar.

Any one out there care to postulate how this phenomenon of what appeared clinically to be a fused spine works from a nuromodulation point of view? How about a myofascial point of view?

[nari]

Tim

When you say clinically, you imply there was no 'proof' (eg XR) that her joints were arthrodesed...? in that case, she was literally in chains due to her dysfunction and pain; the brain unable to deconstruct the cranky immune response, and so on.
I have seen this in the clinic - eg a person who was "locked" in the neck, shoulder and elbow due to pain of no identifiable pathology, with all indications of long term secondary loss of ROM. When pain was explained, and she started some neurodynamic techniques; ROM returned to normal. This was before my SC 'days'. What was regarded by the experts as contractures and secondary joint changes, slowly disappeared over a few days.
She had the condition for nearly three years, and refused surgery of any kind.

When your elderly friend died, consciousness ceased and the chains 'let go'.
A simplistic reply, but suggests that being conscious of pain and dysfunction has its problems!
It has more to do with consciousness and thoughts than anything.

Nari

[Jon Newman]

Hi Tim,

This sort of situation might make more sense in light of Nick's "Basics". No brain, no pain. Her posturing, as it turned out, may well have been defensive in nature. What did your friend die from (if you don't mind me asking)? I'm guessing it wasn't her posture.

[EricM]

Do you suppose that perhaps this ladies particular posture in life was painful for her, or was it just the most comfortable place for her to be? As Jon nicely put it, perhaps this posture was defensive. I'm guessing she didn't die from pain either.

eric

[rajulvasa]

Any one out there care to postulate how this phenomenon of what appeared clinically to be a fused spine works from a nuromodulation point of view? How about a myofascial point of view?
Tim I suppose, it is neuromodulation resulting into myofascial hold possibly from many collective reasons like:
self image, depression, frustration, repeated failures, fragile emotions, negative character, largely pessimists, preconceived ideas & rigid minds, not open to learn or change with time? ( limbic areas modulating basal circuits!)

[nari]

Tim

What was your elderly friend's temperament? Cranky? happy?

Nari

[Tim]

Thanks for all your comments. My friend had a very positive happy attitude.
She died of pneumonia/COPD.

I said she appeared "clinically" fused because I am not aware of any radiographs, but obviously her spine was not fused. I present this scenario because it seems to me it can only have a neuromodulating basis and nothing to do with myofascial restriction. I wonder how many other not so apparent
neuromodulatory cases we all deal with?

[nari]

Tim

Hundreds...is my guesstimate. Right down to the old fellow who is crunched up with "OA", kyphotic, shuffly, not much pain, stiff..and the unresolved pain of LBP, not quite debilitating but short on lifestyle choices...

With your friend, I doubt if the fascia was restricting her; it was likely the sensitivity of her CNS with altered immunological response.

Quite long ago, the Japanese, who are quick to develop new ideas, shuffled people with RA and OA, all debilitated, into a cold chamber and exposed their bared bodies to very low temperatures (I can't remember the figure).
Their stiffness and 'contractures' vanished. I don't know if they still do it.

The sooner it is recognised that all this is defence and not defect, the more our profession will progress and drop palliative care practices.


Nari

[Diane]

Tim, I'm guessing she must have adopted that posture unconsciously because it helped her breathe easier somehow. Breathing has got to be the most important physical action we do with our striated muscle, whether we are conscious or unconscious about it, from first breath to last. Defense of organism in response to defect in lungs?

[rajulvasa]

The sooner it is recognised that all this is defence and not defect, the more our profession will progress and drop palliative care practices.
Nari


"Defense of organism in response to defect" Diane's Quote.
Hi Nari & Diane
THis word defense is my favorite, I experience it in all strokes & other neurological patients

[nari]

Rajul

yes, looking back at my Rehab years (they ended nearly four years ago) I recognised that they were experiencing a defence mechanism in full swing but at that stage I did not manage them as I would do now. Pity....

Nari