Myofascial Release Course

22/03/2026

Pelvic Force Couples: The Foundation of Efficient Movement

The pelvis is not just a structural bridge between the spine and lower limbs—it is a dynamic hub of force transmission where multiple muscles work together in coordinated patterns known as force couples. This image highlights how different muscle groups generate directional forces that stabilize and move the pelvis during functional activities.

At the center of this system is the lumbopelvic region, where forces from the spine, hips, and lower limbs converge. Muscles such as the gluteus maximus, iliopsoas, adductors, quadratus lumborum, and abdominal wall create vectors of pull in different directions, balancing each other to maintain alignment and control.

When these forces are well-coordinated, the pelvis remains stable while still allowing efficient movement. For example, during walking, one side of the pelvis is stabilized by the gluteus medius and minimus, while the opposite side experiences controlled drop and rotation. At the same time, the core musculature and spinal stabilizers regulate movement from above, ensuring smooth force transfer.

The arrows in the image represent how each muscle group contributes to multidirectional control. Vertical forces help maintain upright posture, diagonal forces assist in rotational control, and horizontal forces stabilize the pelvis during weight-bearing activities. This creates a three-dimensional stability system, rather than a simple up-and-down support mechanism.

A key biomechanical concept here is that movement efficiency depends on balance, not dominance. If one force becomes excessive or another becomes weak, the system loses symmetry. This can lead to compensations such as pelvic tilt, rotation, or asymmetrical loading, often contributing to low back pain, hip dysfunction, or gait abnormalities.

This interplay also explains why isolated strengthening is often insufficient. True functional stability comes from coordinated activation across multiple muscle groups, allowing the pelvis to act as a stable yet adaptable base for movement.

In essence, the pelvis operates like a tensioned ring, where opposing forces maintain integrity while enabling motion.

👉 Strong, coordinated force couples = stable spine + efficient movement + reduced injury risk

13/03/2026

What will the jab do to subsequent generations? We have yet to see!

Spike protein was detected in 37% of placentas from vaccinated mothers with no infection, with 77% of spike-positive placentas showing spike inside fetal immune cells.

27/02/2026

🟢 The Gall Bladder Sinew Channel (TCM Myofascial Concept)

This illustration demonstrates the pathway of the Gall Bladder sinew channel (Jing Jin) as described in Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Unlike the primary meridian, the sinew channel represents the superficial myofascial and tendon network, influencing posture, lateral stability, and rotational control.

📍 Pathway Overview

🔹 Begins at the lateral aspect of the foot
🔹 Travels along the outer leg (peroneal region)
🔹 Passes the lateral knee and thigh
🔹 Connects at the sacral region
🔹 Ascends along the lateral trunk
🔹 Links near the breast and ribcage
🔹 Continues to the neck and jaw
🔹 Terminates near the outer canthus and vertex of the head

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🔎 Functional Interpretation (Modern Perspective)

The pathway closely mirrors:

• Peroneal muscle chain
• IT band & lateral thigh fascia
• Gluteus medius & lateral hip stabilizers
• Oblique sling system
• Lateral cervical fascial line

This explains why dysfunction in this chain may present as:

⚠️ Lateral knee pain
⚠️ Hip instability
⚠️ Sacral tension
⚠️ TMJ or temporal headaches
⚠️ Ribcage restriction

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🧠 Clinical Insight

The Gall Bladder sinew channel represents a lateral stabilizing system of the body.

When this chain becomes tight or inhibited, compensations can occur across the pelvis, spine, and cervical region.

Treating the body as an integrated fascial network often produces better results than isolated joint treatment.

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📌 The body works in chains, not pieces.
Restore balance along the line — restore movement globally.

01/02/2026

Study anatomy and physiology with a guiding hand
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Anatomy and Physiology needs a guiding hand. This anatomy and physiology video course is one to which you can return repeatedly. It has ITEC recognition and taught by an Osteopath experienced in teaching

12/01/2026

WHIPLASH & THE TECTORIAL MEMBRANE: “Whiplash is an acceleration–deceleration injury that can disrupt:
• Deep craniocervical ligaments
• Brainstem-adjacent structures
• Central neural pathways involved in posture, balance, and autonomic regulation

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🦴 THE TECTORIAL MEMBRANE: A CRITICAL STABILIZER AT THE BRAIN–NECK JUNCTION

The tectorial membrane (TM) is not just another ligament.

🔹 It is the superior continuation of the posterior longitudinal ligament (PLL)
🔹 It runs from C2 (axis) to the clivus at the base of the skull
🔹 It lies directly in front of the spinal cord and brainstem, blending with intracranial dura

🧠 Why this matters:

The tectorial membrane acts as a protective barrier that:
• Limits excessive flexion/extension and translation at the craniocervical junction
• Helps prevent the dens (odontoid process) from migrating toward the brainstem
• Plays a role in brainstem stability, dural tension, and CSF dynamics

When this structure is stressed or injured, the consequences are neurological, not just mechanical.

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🚗 WHAT WHIPLASH DOES TO THE TECTORIAL MEMBRANE

During whiplash, the head moves violently relative to the torso. This places enormous shear and tensile forces on the upper cervical ligaments—especially the tectorial membrane.

📌 A Cureus study demonstrated that:
• Tectorial membrane injury is frequently present in adult trauma patients
• TM disruption is commonly found in cases requiring occipital–cervical fusion
• Injury may exist even without obvious fractures or gross instability on initial imaging

👉 This means ligamentous failure can occur silently, but still destabilize the brain–neck interface.

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🧠 WHIPLASH IS ALSO A NEUROLOGICAL INJURY

Whiplash can simultaneously injure:
• Peripheral sensory systems (neck proprioceptors)
• Central neural pathways
• Craniocervical stabilizing ligaments

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🔄 THE SENSORIMOTOR CASCADE AFTER WHIPLASH

When the tectorial membrane and upper cervical structures are compromised, the brain receives distorted information from multiple systems:

1️⃣ Cervical Proprioception

Damaged neck receptors send inaccurate head-position data, creating sensory mismatch.

2️⃣ Vestibular System

The inner ear depends on stable cervical input. Distortion here leads to:
• Dizziness
• Motion sensitivity
• Balance loss

3️⃣ Visual System

Eye movements rely on neck–vestibular coordination. Disruption causes:
• Visual motion intolerance
• Tracking difficulty
• Visual dizziness

4️⃣ Brainstem & Central Pathways

TM injury and abnormal motion at the craniocervical junction can:
• Alter brainstem signaling
• Increase autonomic dysregulation
• Stress pathways like the CRT”The Functional Neurology Center: Concussion Brain Injury Minnetonka, MN. MN.

Image: C.M. Brown

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http://www.secretlifeoffascia.com/

11/01/2026

Triangular Interval Syndrome – Posterior Shoulder Biomechanics Explained

This image illustrates the triangular interval (triceps hiatus), an important anatomical space in the posterior shoulder formed by the teres major (superior), long head of triceps (medial), and humeral shaft (lateral). The triangular interval transmits the radial nerve and profunda brachii artery, making it clinically significant. Any alteration in muscle tone, hypertrophy, fibrosis, or scapular positioning can reduce this space and lead to nerve compression.

From a biomechanical perspective, excessive shoulder extension, adduction, and internal rotation—especially in overhead athletes or strength training—can increase tension across the teres major and long head of triceps. This alters scapulohumeral rhythm and increases compression within the triangular interval, potentially causing posterior shoulder pain, radiating arm symptoms, or neural irritation.

Clinically, managing triangular interval syndrome requires more than local treatment. Focus should be on scapular control, posterior shoulder flexibility, balanced rotator cuff activation, and proper load management. Understanding these anatomical spaces helps clinicians identify hidden sources of shoulder pain and optimize rehabilitation strategies.

03/01/2026

The wonderful world of fascia
https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1Cs6U12grj/

30/11/2025

Shared with appreciation:
Dr. Catherine Clinton -

“Your fascia hears before your brain does.

Fascia is the richest sensory organ with more nerve endings than muscle.

Fascia contains mechanoreceptors for movement, nociceptors for pain and interceptors for an internal sense of self.

Fascia senses compression, temperature, tension, stretch, shear,vibration and internal state at all times.

Fascia mechanoreceptors fire faster than conscious thoughts.

Fascia with its enormous sensory load acts as a predictive and corrective system before the brain.

Fascia and the water that lines it act as an antenna for frequency information held in waves of energy.

Fascia is listening and responding before the conscious brain catches up.”

23/05/2025

14/05/2025

Do you suspect anyone having a Cauda Equina Syndrome?

03/05/2025

The cluneal nerves are sensory nerves that supply the skin over the buttocks. They’re divided into three groups: superior, middle, and inferior cluneal nerves.

The superior cluneal nerves come from the dorsal rami of L1–L3 and pass over the iliac crest. These are the most clinically relevant, especially in cluneal nerve entrapment, where they get compressed as they pass through the thoracolumbar fascia near the iliac crest. That can cause local buttock pain, sometimes mimicking lumbar radiculopathy.

The middle cluneal nerves arise from the dorsal rami of S1–S3 and innervate the skin over the sacrum.

The inferior cluneal nerves are branches of the posterior femoral cutaneous nerve and supply the lower part of the buttock, closer to the gluteal fold.

When someone presents with vague buttock pain, especially near the iliac crest, and imaging is unremarkable, superior cluneal nerve irritation is sometimes worth considering, though it’s easily overlooked.

Treatment for cluneal nerve irritation, particularly superior cluneal nerve entrapment, is usually conservative to start with. Manual therapy can help reduce irritation where the nerve passes through the fascia over the iliac crest—this might include gentle soft tissue work, mobilisation around the thoracolumbar junction, and movement-based strategies to desensitise the area.

Sometimes adjusting how the person moves or loads that side can reduce irritation. If it’s aggravated by prolonged sitting or direct pressure (like leaning on that side), modifying those behaviours helps.

In more persistent cases, local anaesthetic or corticosteroid injections at the point where the nerve pierces the fascia can be both diagnostic and therapeutic. Rarely, surgical decompression is considered, but that’s typically only when everything else fails.

It’s often misdiagnosed, so making sure the pain isn’t from referred lumbar or SIJ sources is part of the process. But when it is the cluneal nerve, direct mechanical irritation at the iliac crest is usually the driver.
Doctor of physical therapy

24/04/2025

My next Myofascial Release Workshop is on May 8th and 9th at Golden Egg Holistic, Portlaoise.

Myofascial Release Course Presented by Laurence Hattersley B.Sc. DO MOCI CST-P MIACST Upcoming Course Dates: May 8th & 9th 2025   Laurence is a registered osteopath with over 26 years experience. Laurence has extensive experience teaching anatomy and physiology, including western medical studies fo...