Mechanical Forces That Act on the Body
Mechanical forces occur from actions that involve pushing,
pulling, friction, or sudden loading, such as a direct blow. Five different
kinds of force act on the body tissues. (DESCRIBED IN A BIT SO KEEP READING)
Tissue types respond differently to different forces. Bending forces seldom
harm the soft tissues but will break bone. Tensile forces seldom injure bone
but often damage soft tissues. Massage therapists can use these same mechanical
forces therapeutically during massage application.
During massage we should be able to modify the massage
application from surface to deep, fast to slow, and long to short, as
appropriate, based on the client's individual needs. The intention and outcome
of the massage application should appropriately influence fluid movement,
nervous system function, musculoskeletal function, and connective tissue
pliability in both acute and chronic conditions. Our attention to the client is
based on an intent to serve our clients in a focused and compassionate manner.
Massage manipulations, which are modes of application, are
used to apply mechanical force during massage in an appropriate way to achieve
the determined outcome for the massage. In
the massage and bodywork community we use many different names to describe the
mode of application. We glide /effleurage/ stroke and knead/petrissage/
twist and the list goes on in a very confusing way. Regardless of what we call what we do, the
application can be effectively determined by describing what is able to be
observed during the application, the modifications to the application such as
how deep, speed, direction, location, duration repetitions, pull and drag on
the tissue and so forth. Then by determining
the mechanical forces acting on the body tissues the likely outcome of the
application can be described. An
example is provided at the end. The
following paragraphs describe the types of mechanical forces and the potential
injury and therapeutic application pertinent to therapeutic massage.
Compression
Compression forces occur when two structures are pressed
together . Compression is a common way that tissues become injured. Ligaments
and tendons resist compressive injury. Muscle tissue, because of its extensive
vascular structure, is not as resistant to compressive forces. Excessive
compression force ruptures or tears the integrity of the muscle tissue, causing
bruising and connective tissue damage.
Compression is a major mechanical force used in the
application of massage to support circulation, stimulate nerve function, and
restore connective tissue pliability. The massage therapist applies compression
in such a way as to achieve benefits without damaging tissue, usually with the
broad-based application of compressive force
(From Fritz S: Mosby's fundamentals of therapeutic
massage, ed 5, St Louis, 2013, Mosby.)
Tension
Tension forces, also called tensile forces, occur
when two ends of a structure are pulled away from each other .Bone resists
tensile forces. However, tensile stress injuries are the most common way soft
tissues are damaged. Examples of tensile stress injuries include avulsion
(complete tearing of attachment), muscle strains, ligament sprains, tendinitis,
fascial pulling or tearing, and nerve traction injuries (sudden nerve
stretching such as that which occurs in stingers). Tensile stress injuries are
described as first degree (mild), second degree (moderate), and third degree
(severe).
Tensile force is applied during massage, particularly during
gliding and traction. Therapeutically, tensile force supports proper alignment
of fiber structures and can increase pliability in connective tissue.
(From Fritz S: Mosby's fundamentals of therapeutic
massage, ed 5, St Louis, 2013, Mosby.)
Bending
Bending forces are a combination of compression and tension .
One side of a structure is exposed to compressive forces, whereas the other
side is exposed to tensile forces. Bending forces are a common cause of bone
fractures and ligament injuries but seldom harm other soft tissues.
Bending is used during massage when kneading methods are
applied. The proprioceptors in muscles and tendons respond to these forces.
Bending forces also affect connective tissues, especially the viscosity of the
ground substance.
Shear
Shear is a sliding mechanical force with friction created
between structures that are sliding against each other. Excessive shearing
force at a ligament or tendon creates an inflammatory irritation that leads to
adhesion and fibrosis.
Shear and friction, called cross-fiber friction, is a
massage method that uses specific force to create therapeutic inflammation to
reverse fibrotic connective tissue changes.
Torsion
Application of torsion force to a single soft tissue
structure is not very common and is rarely the cause of significant tissue
injury. Torsion force applied to a group of structures (e.g., a joint) is much
more likely to be the cause of significant injury. For example, when the foot
is on the floor and the individual turns the body, the knee as a whole is
exposed to significant torsion force
Torsion forces are best understood as twisting forces.
Massage methods that use kneading introduce torsion forces and target
connective tissue changes and fluid movement.
HERE IS AN EXAMPLE OF
HOW “MYOFASCIAL RELEASE” CAN BE EXPLAINED.
Ease occurs
when tissue is slack. Bind occurs when
tissue is taut.
Connective Tissue Protocol
1 Place
crossed hands over tissue and meld hands to the skin.
2 Separate
hands moving tissue to and just into bind/taut.. Do not slip.
3 Forearms
can be used. Place on the tissue and meld to it.
4 Separate
arms moving tissue to and just into bind/taut.
5 Small
areas of tissue can be stretched by placing the short tissue between the
fingers of both hands, and then without slipping separate tissues into the bind/taut
and just into the tautness to stretch. .
6 Stabilize
tissue at one end of the target area and hold fast. Then slowly glide, with
drag maintaining tension on the tissues at all times.
7 Use
shear forces to move tissue in and out of bind.(slack/taut)
8 Use
bending force to move tissue into bind (skin rolling).
9 Grasp,
lift, and pull to create combined loading to move tissue into and out of bind.
10 Use
torsion force to twist tissue into and out of bind.
11 Stretching
methods take tissue into bind. Hold at the ends of the area to be stretched and
move away to create tension force.
12 Traction
applies tension force to the tissues surrounding a joint. Grasp firmly above
and below the joint and move hands apart to create tension force into bind.
13 Pin and
stretch variation. Move target tissue from ease position toward bind and hold
in place.
14 As the
target tissue is held fixed, move the joint area to create the tension force
into the bind.
15 Active
release variation. Compress target tissue while in ease and then move from ease
to bind position.
16 Client
moves the jointed area away while the tissue is fixed to create the tension
force to move tissues into bind.
Fritz. Mosby's Fundamentals of Therapeutic Massage, 5th
Edition. Mosby, 2013. <vbk:978-0-323-07740-8#outline(12.10.5.4.5)>.
Describing what we do in this way provides the beginnings of
a common language that we so desperately need to move forward in our
professional development. Explaining
massage and other forms of bodywork in this manner preserves the integrity of
the individual forms and style while identifying the commonalities. Swedish massage as a style can still use the
classical terms of effleurage and petrissage and neuromuscular methods can
still use terms such as friction, trigger point release and myofascial
manipulation . Regardless of the method ,when
describe by observation of what is done, the mechanical force created that acts
on the tissue and the modulators of the application such as pounds of
compressive force and degree of pull (tension force ) on the tissue, also
location, duration and so forth as well
as intended outcome or what happened to the tissue, a common understanding can be achieved.
I want to applaud the ELAP work group for advancing the profession
by using this method to describe massage and bodywork.
The following links provide interesting information about
how important mechanical forces are to the human body.
Mechanical Forces Play Major Role in Regulating Cells http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/03/130319201941.htm
Small Mechanical Forces Have Big Impact On Embryonic Stem
Cells
Instructor: Edward G. Mohr