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Can you feel the connective tensions in your body? And do you apply that to your therapy?
Hi everyone! I'm Norio Tomita, a Japanese native who now lives in Montreal and I'm glad to communicate with you here.
Since I became therapist, I've been working hard to analyze and find the physical reasons of latest Japanese osteopathic techniques. For example, in case of lower back pain, some therapists take care of from only a few points on the legs.
Of course, I found some explanations in the book "Anatomy Train", but I personally feel more specific lines in my body, and it seems more similar to the Chinese meridian muscles (Jing-jin, which are different from acupuncture meridians).
I talked with some therapists about that, but most of them know the myofacsial connections just as approximate knowledge but don't actually sense them as real lines in their own body.
Then I learned that they call people like me as being "meridian sensitive".
If some of you are interested, we could share about this topic.
Also, I'll be in NY in October to give my professional courses and if you are around, why not meet up !
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Gordon J. Wallis on
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Anyone that stretches can feel those lines, regardless of whatever you want to call them.
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Permalink Reply by Norio Tomita on
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It's a pleasure talking with you.
The reason why I started this topic was because I found some differences between the points to care with the "trigger point method" and some Japanese techniques.
To my understanding, in the trigger point method, it seems that what is causing tension and problems is a point located in the middle of the muscle and that is where we should focus for treatment.
But in some Japanese techniques, you identify the point of symptom/pain and then should rather focus on different "connected areas". In the latest techniques, most work on the edge of the bones.
At first, I didn't understand the system, but after obseving my clients and tried to feel it in my body, like Pueppi wrote, I started to feel the line in my body, and found that Anatomy Train is similar but not precise enough.
I don't feel it as qi flow like Qi Gong practitioners, but realistic physical lines of tension.
I would like to show some examples, and am drawing the images for that.
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Sorry for my slow response.
I'm not familiar with Jing Shing Do nor Kobido, that's why I tried to search the information in Japan.
I'm not a specialist of Jing-Jin yet, but the some of the points of Jing-jin seem to be on the tendon or the bone edge which is the same that I deal with in my technique. It seems that the therapists who created this technique felt more tensions on the bone edge rather than trigger points in the middle of muscle. I’m on the way to match the points of my technique and the points of Jing-jin.
For the example, in case of releasing tension of Erector Spinae, I gently stimulate the medial proximal bone edge of Tibia. Once I release that "something" that I feel stuck to the bone, the tension on the lower back decreases without touching that area at all. I believe that that "something" is shrunk myofascia, but I'm not sure yet anatomically. The connection of myofascial tension could be explained as Superficial Back Line by Anatomy Train, and Tai Yang Meridian Muscle by Jing-Jin.To answer your questions, It would be a long answer, so please give me a bit of time.
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Although I have not actually experienced Jing Shin Do, I could say that it is a massage using meridians. As you probably know, the treatment method utilizes the meridian lines that associated abdominal organs and organized in 5 elements. They diagnose the Yin and Yang of each meridian, if it is Yin, it compensates, if it is Yang, it suppresses. Chinese Anma and Japanese Shiatsu follows the way.
On the other hand, Jing Jin is not associated with abdominal organs, but rather it is defined as a more physical tension link. It is originally said that it is particularly effective for treating skeletal muscle disorders. So I think that it is very helpful for elucidating the symptoms attracting attention as myofascial pain syndrome.
I feel a tight linear tension link like Jing Jin in my body, The sense that it contracts and shrinks, so that the whole line is pulled, and the sense of lowering the mobility of the joint. Moreover, I also feel that many of the points that attract are near the bones' protrusions.
In some of the Japanese bodywork methods I have learned, some points are similar to the one of Jing Jin, but rather they try to find the points where the myofascia contracts on the protrusion on the bone edge. In one school, they gently stimulate the bone edge by nails to release «shrunk something » from the bone, and in another school, they try to feel the connection between THE stiffness on the bone and tension on the surface skin, and release it with stroking the skin.
As an example, I would like to show the Achilles heel.
When relaxing the tension of the Achilles tendon, they don’t massage the Achilles tendon nor calves. but gently stimule the points like I drew as red line on the image. This technique seems feeling same tension link like Jing Jin, but the point to deal with is different from the Jing Jin.
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Meridians , Jingjin, Sinew Channels, Tendino-Muscular Meridians, Kinetic Chains, Anatomy Trains, or Muscles Chains, are all one and the same to me. If there is pain either symptomatically or on palpation anywhere on that chain , I want to clear out that entire Chain.
Taking the Achilles tendon example. It’s on the Bladder Meridian. Or as the Anatomy Trains people call it, the Superficial Back Line. It runs from the bottom of the foot, up the back of the leg, over the buttocks, up the paraspinals, up the back of the neck, over the top of the head to the eyebrows.
It’s like one single band. So for that Achilles injury, like I said, I’d want to clear out any tight tender areas anywhere on that entire Tendino-Muscular Meridian, because it could be causing strain on that Achilles. In the attachments are examples of the Kinetic Chain, that the Achilles tendon is part of.
There are probably many ways to do it? Rolfers deep tissually strip the chain. Im trigger point guy, so I’m hunting trigger points on the chain. Ive heard it called Meridian Massage. If I bend forward to touch my toes, I can feel that chain. - Attachments:
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Thank you Pueppi, thank you Gardon.
To answer the question by Pueppi, I think we could care the symptom with less power and less points by sensing Jing Jin lines, rather than Meridian lines. Yes, there are same number of meridian lines and Jing Jin, and they are similar each other, as Gordon wrote. But the original definition of Jing Jin is different from Meridian Line(it’s not connected to the abdominal organs), and it indicates the physical aspects rather than Meridian Line.
Shiatsu basically uses "push" technique, as the name means "finger pressure". They identify the meridian line that is related to the symptom, find and relax induration while caring for that meridian line. To care the pain of Achilles tendon, they deal with Bladder Meridian, as Gordon wrote, push along the line including Tsubo and the induration they feel by their fingers. But basically, the purpose of the treatment is to adjust the balance of Qi in the line, or among the lines, rather than conducing direct result to the symptom.
On the other hand, we can recognize Jing Jin lines more simply as physics. If the Achilles tendon becomes tense, there is more specific tensed line than Superficial Back Line of Anatomy Train. As the definition of Jing Jin said «all lines starts from distal », first point I would care is a base of toe. The care point that I presented last time was 2nd point to care
(but anyway I presented because it was easy to draw in the picture and explain). If the tension of Achilles tendon is rather outside, there’s induration at the bone edge of fourth toe sesamoids. And in case of inside, at the bone edge of 2nd toe sesamoids. With just taking care of these 2 points by gentle stimulation, more than half of tension decrease.
I don’t know what the induration I feel is anatomically. But in Japan, it’s popular for orthopedic surgeons to observe myofascia by ultrasound diagnostic system, and they found that there is a little fat between the bone and tendon near the joint, and the fat change the shape and helps the tendon to slide when we move our joint. Once the fat get hard and stick to the bone, the flexibility of the tendon obviously decrease. I believe what I feel is the fat on the bone.
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Base of the toe. That’s interesting. One of the ways that I would take pain out of the Achilles tendon would be to manipulate the tissues at C1, the occipital area at the base of the skull( BL10) on the same side. Besides being on the same Tendino-muscular meridian as the Achilles , C1 has a relationship with L5 which inervates a large area of the foot., especially at the base of the toes.
Anyway, I hope you are figuring out what you want to figure out. Bottom line is that it works. Ok, gotta get ready for work. - Attachments:
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In addition, and I'm talking about my own personal approach to pain relief and therapy, not anyone elses. I don't think in terms of Ki or chi. The distinction between meridians , backlines, Jing Jin ,and so on, are just details that are irrelevant to my work. And I want to emphasize "my work." Not telling anybody what to think or do.
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Yea you're right Pueppi, I'm working on the physical muscular level. To me, meridians are just lines that represent the muscle chains. So I can look at a Jing Jin chart or a meridian chat and it doesn't matter( for my work). In other words, for my Holographic Acupressure, meridian charts are just representations of muscle chains or Jing Jin chains. My work may look like energy work , but what I do is definitely not energy work.
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What I do is meridian based. The points are important. It's that using a Jing Jin chart or a meridian chart, makes no difference.. I look at meridian charts all day long. That's why I posted a Jing Jin chart and a meridian chart in the attachments.
I don't mean to be confusing. I developed this system, and it won't make sense until I explain how it works in totality . And I don't want to do that online here. I'm going to be making a DVD hopefully within a year that will clearly explain what I'm doing, and how to do it. Sorry for any confusion. I guess you could say I'm using the Jing Jin channels. But all I need is an acupuncture chart. This is a Jing Jin Chart in the attachment. I can use that or an acupuncture chart. I depend on those charts. At the same time what I'm doing is in no way shape or form what is being taught as Acupressure. So I called it Holographic Acupressure. - Attachments:
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Gordon, thank you to share your sense and theory. I’m really glad to know people like you who sense the connection and apply it logically to your treatment. Pueppi, thank you for your arrangement of terminology.
To me also, the name of lines doesn’t matter either. I want to find the points to treat effectively in the connection of the tension. I thought Jing Jin seems to represent it more precisely than Anatomy Train. But even though, I personally feel that there are more lines at both sides of all fingers and toes, so I think even Jing Jin doesn’t cover everything.
The merit to sense such lines are, as I wrote last time,
- we don’t need to touch the point of symptom/pain
- we don’t need to push nor massage the muscles
When I scan the tension of my client, what I am aware of
- the farther point from symptom/pain works more effectively
- such points of care are on the bone edges or the part of the bone that is convex-shaped. Some induration are there around those convex parts. Once I release the induration, the tension decreases along that whole line.
In the case of Achilles tendon, I treat the toes and the base of the toes at first. If the tension doesn’t decrease enough, then I try to find other points along the « TaiYang »-like line. The ischium bone edge, the groove of the sacroiliac joint, the rib bone edges, and the entire head. The physical relation between the neck flexibility and the ankle/wrist flexibility is well known in Japanese Seitai. So I agree with the C1 point that Gordon mentioned. I may scratch the whole back of the head to release the sticking myofascia on the back head bone to release C1, because I feel a strong connection between them.
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Any more, I rarely do what would be considered massage therapy. It's my version of Acupressure. Like you, I'm manipulating tissue far distal from the actual site of pain itself. It's cool, and highly effective. But I'm not un-sticking muscle or fascia at the distal point. I'm stimulating a neurological Reflex from that distal area that relaxes the tissues in the area of pain. I have maybe 20 different release points for any given pain area.
I plan on teaching my system at some point. In a year maybe?
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