One of my manual osteopathic treatments involves gentle but sustained compression into the joint. The effect of this simple technique is often so immediate that my clients have been asking what kind of sorcery I did. This technique is called Ligamentous Articular Strain Technique and has nothing to do with magic. The effect of this technique represents your body's ability to self-balance and self-recovery, not a boastful skill of a practitioner. Let us delve deeper into what this technique entails, why it is essential, and the benefits it brings to individuals seeking relief and improved mobility.
Unveiling the Role of Ligaments for Healthy Joint Movement and Impact of Injury
Before looking into Ligamentous Articular Strain Technique, let's briefly go over the requirements for healthy joint motion. Healthy joint movements require constant reciprocal tension of ligaments while allowing changes in articulating surface positions and tensional balance of surrounding muscles and fascia. Reciprocal tension of ligaments refers to the balanced, opposing forces that ligaments create around a joint to keep it stable and functioning properly. Ligaments are tough bands of tissue that connect bones together at a joint, helping control its movement.
Injury, mechanical stress, inflammation, or infection can make the joint deviate from its most stable and comfortable neutral position, irritating surrounding soft tissues. In this, non-neutral joint position, the reciprocal tension of ligament becomes unbalanced and maintains the dysfunctional joint position. The injured ligament is usually lax and allows excessive motion of the joint. Healthy ligaments have a multidirectional pattern acting like a spring. When it is overly strained, it becomes straight and loses the ability to spring back. Although purposefully tightened to maintain joint function, the tightened ligament makes it difficult for the lax ligament to recover its tension.
The ligaments have many sensory receptors that provide feedback of joint position, movement, pain, and autonomic responses. The ligaments and muscles work together via a reflex system, sending important signals to trigger muscle contraction to stabilize a joint or muscle relaxation to allow precise movement. If ligamentous imbalance is left untreated, the body gradually falls into compensatory patterns that inhibit smooth and full joint movement. These patterns eventually lead to postural maladaptation, weakness, altered joint movement, and/or pain. These can also lead to systematic problems as the ligament is part of the whole body connective tissue network important for neural function, and vascular and lymphatic flow.
Why Do We Need the Ligamentous Articular Strain (LAS) Technique?
In a world where musculoskeletal issues and chronic pain are increasingly prevalent, the LAS Technique emerges as a valuable tool for addressing these concerns. Unlike conventional manual therapies that may primarily focus on muscles and rely on external forces and pressure into the tissues, LAS focuses on the critical self-balancing principle of the body. Therefore, it feels less invasive and yields longer-lasting results.
Holistic Benefits of Embracing the Ligamentous Articular Strain (LAS) Technique
The LAS technique aims to hold a position of balanced tension between the ligaments. Holding the balanced position unloads the tensioned ligaments, decreasing in muscle tone and fascial tension by influencing the ligamentous muscular reflex. In other words, LAS corrects the strain in the articular ligament. This allows the weaker and stretched ligaments to regain integrity, allowing the joint surfaces to realign. The supporting soft tissues can properly heal as the joint mechanics are re-established.
Strain in the articular tissues like ligaments act like a dam that disupts the overall flow of blood, lymph, and neural signals. The cells that do not receive enough flow lose their vitality and degenerate. This can also result in the accumulation of excess fluid outside the cells (edema) and congestion. Stimulation of mechanoreceptors (special senses that detect pressure and tension) via LAS affects local blood supply and improves tissue viscosity. For this reason, the practitioner pays particular attention to the change in fluidity of the tissues during LAS.
Resetting dysfunctional ligamentous muscular reflex and improving the fluid dynamics in the tissues can also diminish proinflammatory triggers, decrease overall sympathetic response and pain perception. This can also slow down the tissue degeneration process, enhance healing and recovery.
In summary, the holistic benefit of LAS technique are as following.
Decrease pain and inflammatory mediators
Enhance tissue healing and recovery
Decrease tension of muscles and connective tissues
Reset dysfunctional neural reflexes
Increase joint mobility
Improve fluid dynamics and decrease edema and congestion:
Conclusion
In conclusion, the Ligamentous Articular Strain (LAS) Technique emerges as a valuable and effective approach to promoting recovery, enhancing mobility, and alleviating pain in individuals struggling with musculoskeletal issues. By recognizing the importance of ligaments and harnessing the body's innate healing potential, this technique offers a path to renewed vitality and improved quality of life.
Whether you are seeking relief from chronic pain, aiming to restore mobility, or simply prioritizing your musculoskeletal health, the Ligamentous Articular Strain Technique holds promise as a versatile and impactful therapeutic modality. Embrace the power of LAS and embark on a journey towards holistic well-being and enhanced vitality.
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