Rule #2 Anchor Muscles, Joint and Fascia
Fascia
Performance is improved significantly if there is space in the fabric of the fascial system, along with reduced adhesions in muscles and ligaments. What causes herniation in the discs is the lines of tension in the fascia, compressing the vertebrae together restricting the neural impulses to muscle and the brain.
How To Create Lasting Change and Space?
Fascia stretching or manipulation of fascia is a connective tissue traction technique. This approach takes an opposing view of traditional thought, based on traction for the spine and stretching on traction. Unfortunately, both do not create lasting change.
Two primary principles of Fascia Release:
- Fascia release work is not symmetrical
- Stretching on traction does not directly influence the fascia
For optimal results and effectiveness, the fascia, joint, and muscle must be anchored to prevent dislocation of the joint and tearing/shearing of myofascial fibers. In addition, the distance from the lever to the fascia stretch needs to be controlled and shortened.
Traditional Traction
Let's take a look at traditional traction or approaches that stretch on traction. This type of traction is built on the premise that the pulling force is applied with sufficient magnitude and duration in the proper direction while resisting the body's movement with an equal and opposite force.
This type of traction is mechanical; the body, especially the fascia, a four-dimensional structure with fibers going in all directions and interconnected, cannot be released in a mechanical, repetitive manner for optimal performance or lasting results.
The person who is a mechanic or a machine that repeats the same action repeatedly on each person cannot analyze the precise angle the fascia is restricted. Without knowing the lines of tension that are present in the tissue, the results at best are temporary.
If you want to train the best to improve performance training, you have to be the best. What makes a coach the best is being an artist adapting each program for the athlete's specific needs. For example, finding the particular line of tension in the fascia anchoring the fascia itself or the joint closest to the restriction.
The physiologic effects of traction have been extensively evaluated. Traction can stretch muscles and ligaments, tighten the posterior longitudinal ligament to exert a centripetal force on the annulus fibrosis, increase the intervertebral space, increase the intervertebral foramina, and separate apophyseal joints. All sounds lovely, but only fascial stretching creates sustainable space in all of the above.
Types of Traction
- Manual – Optimal for lasting fascial release when fascia is anchored, without the anchoring joints and ligaments are primarily being stretched.
- Mechanized –Continuous not well tolerated for 24 hours or more, sustained traction- 30 to 60 minutes. Intermittent traction uses greater forces over shorter periods of 5 to 15 seconds.
- Motorized – This type of traction engages the lymphatic system, thereby relaxing the muscle or fascia
- Hydraulic - This type of traction engages the lymphatic system, thereby relaxing the muscle or fascia
- Inversion – Optimal for under 2 minutes, reverse flow of blood break capillaries
An absolute contraindication to stretching on traction is hypermobility.
Stretching athletes with already hypermobility in the joint lead to injury, loss of power, and speed.
Anchoring the muscles by stabilizing the joint is the only approach to genuinely creating lasting space inside the body: the more space, the more room for contraction, which improves performance.
Next up is Rule #3 Nutrition Magnitude – Nutrition immediately affects the fascia.
