Spectacle Induced Trauma
As I dashed down the stairs I had the fleeting recognition that the stairs looked funny, followed by the thought, “Oops, I should have taken my reading glasses off.” Suddenly my right ankle turned mercilessly under me and I plunged to the floor. I waited for the excruciating jab of pain to subside so that I could breathe again. When I did catch my breath, I wondered what the damage would be.
Sound familiar? Sooner or later everyone has an injury, but I assumed that my role was to support those in need of healing. Now I was the one needing help!!!
I am so fortunate to have a Rolfer for a husband. Receiving his work within hours of the accident decreased my pain immediately and hastened my recovery. For that reason I urge you not to hesitate, if fate brings an unexpected incident during which you too experience that you are only human. Get some Rolfing as soon as you can.
Why? Because for one thing you are in pain. The pain that your are experiencing is partially due to spasm, in response your body being jolted or distorted by a traumatic event. Muscles tend to lock up to protect an injured area. Pain creates spasm, which in turn creates pain in a vicious cycle. Interrupting that pattern will start the healing process.
Rolfing will also help to restore your breath, calm your nervous system and remind you that all is not lost. But what about your injured ankle? Initially the Rolfer will not apply direct pressure to the injured area; it’s inflamed and will hurt more if touched. By working on surrounding areas, however, will combat the swelling, reduce the stiffness and improve the circulation. Rolfing facilitates the process of tissue repair.
As you manage to get through the next 6 weeks, the soft tissue and ligaments of you foot and leg will slowly heal. The swelling will gradually go down and you will feel more and more as you did prior to the injury. But my dear friend, you will not be the same. To prevent further injury, your body forms its own natural connective tissue cast to encase and support the injured area. Long after the original injury has healed you may still be wearing that cast! Subsequently, the injured leg will be a bit stiffer and not able to move as far in all directions as the unhurt leg. That is where Rolfing does an amazing thing. Rolfing reestablishes the normal elasticity of the connective tissues and restores healthy mobility and circulation to the area. Rolfing removes the cast!
This mobility is your birthright. We are not meant to live our lives post injury with parts of our bodies that have become mummified.
Does hobbling around on a sprained ankle affect the rest of your body? You bet. The whole structure tries to compensate for the imbalanced movement pattern of the foot and ankle. The Rolfer restores the alignment and biomechanics to each joint so that your entire body is singing again.
You deserve to breathe deeply and to move with ease. So, don’t hesitate to call us if you slip on a banana peel. For help with tapping your potential call us at 973.509.8464 or book on line to schedule an appointment.
Body Memory
The body stores memories of trauma in the soft tissue. We may re-experience the sensations of our injuries when we are touched. Certain parts of our bodies may be tightly held, affecting our breath, structure and movement. When trauma occurs, the nervous system carries a message to the muscles to tighten. The traumatic experience becomes part of the body memory – a relationship between the fascia and the nervous system.
Ideally, if we have a traumatic experience, we process the information and can get on with our lives. Sometimes this information overwhelms the system and gets stuck. We may feel fear all the time, or perhaps our breath is shallow. The trauma becomes part of the body memory.
Rolfers use deep pressure through their hands to release chronic tensions within the fascia. As the tensions in the myofascia become more balanced, not only does alignment, breath and movement improve, but the nervous system has a chance to heal. As the muscles are released from their shortened state, the physical remnants of trauma are cleared. Rolfing or Structural Integration can help the nervous system to integrate the traumatic event.
Acupuncturists also work through the fascial system. Specifically, needles are inserted into points along energetic pathways called meridians. These pathways correspond to fascial junctions (where muscle joins with muscle or bone) and forms lines of stress within the soft tissue. Through these energetic pathways, acupuncturists work to regulate the nervous system and organ function. Acupuncture can also be used to regulate the tensional forces within the fascia and organize the structure. As the balance within the fascia and the nervous system are restored, body memories can shift and we can heal from trauma. Structural acupuncture is a relatively new practice, and David Frome is among the pioneers of this field.
In the healing arts, no one can erase traumatic experience, but we can create the opportunity for healing. At Frome Physical Therapy, we are committed to supporting you in Caring For Your Health. Call us now (973.509.8464 212.529.1901) or schedule online for your next appointment.
By Rebekah Frome • Acupuncture, Physical Therapy, Rolfing • • Tags: body memory, fascia, Frome Physical Therapy, heal from trauma, release chronic tensions, structural integration, trauma