Momentum Rolfing

Momentum Rolfing At Momentum Rolfing, we strive to help you achieve optimum wellness through Rolfing Structural Integration and Rolf Movement techniques.

Matthew Lombard has received certifications in the US, Europe and Brazil.

01/13/2024

Body & Brain: “This awesome plastination by Gunther van Hagens can help you visualize how the brain and spinal cord innervate your body by sending spinal nerves to the left and right :)

The spinal cord is the main pathway for information connecting the brain and peripheral nervous system. It is protected by the bony spinal column.

The spinal cord is located in the vertebral foramen and is made up of 31 segments: 8 cervical, 12 thoracic, 5 lumbar, 5 sacral and 1 coccygeal. A pair of spinal nerves leaves each segment of the spinal cord.

The length of the spinal cord is about 45 cm in men and 43 cm in women. The spinal cord is shorter than the length of the bony spinal column; the spinal cord extends down only to the last of the thoracic vertebrae.

Nerves that extend from the spinal cord from the lumbar and sacral levels must run in the vertebral ca**l for a distance before they leave the vertebral column. This collection of nerves in the vertebral ca**l is called the cauda equina (which means "horse tail").

There doctors can do liquor punctions because they cant hurt the spinal cord with the needle, because there are only loose nerve fibres that can dodge the needle (like stinging a needle into a horse tail).”

- Text by University of Washington

- Photo Credit: Gunther van Hagens

Dr Gunther von Hagens’ BODY Worlds Exhibition
KÖRPERWELTEN
PLASTINARIUM

02/13/2023

One of the objectives of Rolfing®Structural Integration is to free the breath. Complete and deep inhalation should be as effortless as possible, exhalation should be relaxed and allow a person to let go. In order to breath freely, the Rolfing® Ten Series focuses on enhancing thoracic mobility and allowing each breath to spread throughout the entire body. Myofascial tissues on the front of the rib cage and shoulder girdle are often short.

As a result, the ribs cannot move freely with each inhalation – something that occurs 15,000 to 20,000 times every day. Over time, the shortness in these frontal structures often increases not only limiting breathing but creating restrictions in organ mobility as well. In many cases, even a single Rolfing session can often bring considerable relief.

To find out more about Rolfing® SI, visit: www.rolf.org
SOURCE: ERA Website www.rolfing.org

07/13/2022

Affecting up to four percent of the population and mostly women, fibromyalgia is a syndrome that causes pain, fatigue and cognitive issues. Poorly understood, the condition has no cure and is difficult to diagnose. Now, thanks to the work of a team of scientists from the Research Institute of the Mc...

07/06/2022

🔈 REFERRED PAIN - CLINICAL RELEVANCE

Pain from the viscera is poorly localised. As described earlier, it is referred to areas of skin (dermatomes) which are supplied by the same sensory ganglia and spinal cord segments as the nerve fibres innervating the viscera.

Pain is referred according to the embryological origin of the organ; thus pain from foregut structures are referred to the epigastric region, midgut structures are to the umbilical region and hindgut structures to the p***c region of the abdomen.

Foregut – oesophagus, stomach, pancreas, liver, gallbladder and the duodenum (proximal to the entrance of the common bile duct).
Midgut – duodenum (distal to the entrance of the common bile duct) to the junction of the proximal two thirds of the transverse colon with the distal third.
Hindgut – distal one third of the transverse colon to the upper part of the a**l ca**l.
Pain in retroperitoneal organs (e.g. kidney, pancreas) may present as back pain.

Irritation of the diaphragm (e.g. as a result of inflammation of the liver, gallbladder or duodenum) may result in shoulder tip pain.

Referred Pain in Appendicitis

Initially, pain from the appendix (midgut structure) and its visceral peritoneum is referred to the umbilical region. As the appendix becomes increasingly inflamed, it irritates the parietal peritoneum, causing the pain to localise to the right lower quadrant.

06/07/2022

🔈 HEADACHES AND MYODURAL BRIDGES

• Recent anatomical studies have found that the deep suboccipital (top of the neck) muscles are connected to the dura matter (the covering of the spinal cord) by ligaments.
• Pulling on a suboccipital muscle moves the dura matter, in cadavers.
• The suboccipital muscles often atrophy (waste away) in headache sufferers.

Can headaches be affected by using Active Release Techniques (ART) on the the suboccipital muscles: superior oblique, inferior oblique, re**us capitis posterior major and minor? The suboccipital muscles are important little muscles which control fine neuromuscular control of the head.

Recent studies have added to our knowledge of the possible connections between headaches and the myodural bridges:

Enix et al did microscopic evaluations to confirm that ligaments called the myodural bridges emanate from the suboccipital muscle bellies, and attach to the dura mater in 75% of specimens. These myodural bridges have a hypothetical role in human homeostasis, and they may contribute to certain neuropathological conditions as well. The presence of a neural component within the myodural bridges suggests that they may serve another function aside from simply anchoring the muscles to the dura mater. Such a connection may be involved in monitoring dural tension and may also play a role in certain cervicogenic pathologies (neck pain and headaches).

They noted that manual traction of the re**us major in cadavers resulted in gross dural movement from the spinal root level of the axis (C2) to the spinal root level of the first thoracic vertebra.
Fernández-de-Las-Peñas found that the greater the headache intensity, duration or frequency, the smaller the cross sectional area of the re**us minor and re**us major muscles. He also foundthat there was a correlation between hyper-tenderness and atrophy of the re**us minor. In these cases pressing on the re**us minor reproduced the patient’s headaches.

The re**us minor was also found to have atrophied by Hallgren, in chronic head pain sufferers. He proposed a theory that whiplash could lead to nerve damage which causes the re**us minor to atrophy. His photo in the picture shows the myodural bridge.

ART is a hands-on soft tissue treatment of ligaments, muscles, tendons, and nerves. It provides a quick way to make a tight muscle loose, as well as treating conditions such as: tennis elbow, frozen shoulder, shoulder tendinitis, and plantar fasciitis. The technique involves the therapist putting pressure on a tissue, while the patient stretches to move the tissue slowly out from under the contact. The treatment hurts a bit, but only in a way that makes the patient know it is working. The technique works by increasing the nervous system’s tolerance to stretch.

05/24/2022

🔈 SURFACE ANATOMY OF FOOT

The tendons in the ankle region can be identified satisfactorily only when their muscles are acting. If the foot is actively inverted, the tendon of the tibialis posterior may be palpated as it passes posterior and distal to the medial malleolus, then superior to the sustentaculum tali, to reach its attachment to the tuberosity of the navicular. Hence, the tibialis posterior tendon is the guide to the navicular. The tendon of the tibialis posterior also indicates the site for palpating the posterior tibial pulse (halfway between the medial malleolus and the calcaneal tendon.

The tendons of the fibularis longus and brevis may be followed distally, posterior and inferior to the lateral malleolus, and then anteriorly along the lateral aspect of the foot. The fibularis longus tendon can be palpated as far as the cuboid, and then, it disappears as it turns into the sole. The fibularis brevis tendon can easily be traced to its attachment to the dorsal surface of the tuberosity on the base of the 5th metatarsal. This tuberosity is located at the middle of the lateral border of the foot. With toes actively extended, the small fleshy belly of the extensor digitorum brevis may be seen and palpated anterior to the lateral malleolus. Its position should be observed and palpated so that it may not be mistaken subsequently for an abnormal edema (swelling).

The tendons on the anterior aspect of the ankle (from medial to lateral side) are easily palpated when the foot is dorsiflexed:

• The large tendon of the tibialis anterior leaves the cover of the superior extensor tendon, from which level the tendon is invested by a continuous synovial sheath; the tendon may be traced to its attachment to the 1st cuneiform and the base of the 1st metatarsal.
• The tendon of the extensor hallucis longus , obvious when the great toe is extended against resistance, may be followed to its attachment to the base of the distal phalanx of the great toe.
• The tendons of the extensor digitorum longus may be followed easily to their attachments to the lateral four toes.
• The tendon of the fibularis tertius may also be traced to its attachment to the base of the 5th metatarsal. This muscle is of minor importance and may be absent.

05/23/2022

Something seems off here 🤔

No wonder people have bunions

Wear pointed shoes = develop pointy feet

Spend time barefoot and wear foot shaped shoes (natural footwear) and your feet revert back to default settings

Yep….it’s that simple

Great image by

👣

04/26/2022

Ongoing clinical research plays a key role in identifying factors that may contribute to cancer; in turn, we can use this research to create a better patient-centered treatment approach. This comprehensive 12-study article aims to provide evidence to support the idea that vagus nerve activity may have a prognostic and protective role in cancer. http://bit.ly/2OsQpTm or Barralinstitute

04/22/2022

🔈 NECK PAIN, HEADACHES OR TEMPOROMANDIBULAR JOINT (TMJ) SYNDROME?

[NEUROMUSCULAR INTERACTION BETWEEN SUBOCCIPITAL MUSCLES AND TMJ MUSCLES]

The TMJ is a complex joint that allows us to open/close our mouth. TMJ disorders do not only create pain and limitations with the jaw. Oftentimes, there are associated issues with the neck, face, and ears.

The body is classically divided into systems such as muscular, skeletal, nervous system etc.

However, this is a mirage as these systems are all a part of one super-system that works in unison to create function.

An excellent example of this is the links between the muscles of the suboccipital region, the jaw muscles and the central nervous system.

As you know the suboccipitals are short and have only minor contributions to gross movements of the spine. However, they are loaded with sensory muscle spindles which indicate these muscles have a strong link to the cerebellum and the CNS. Postural distortions that affect the position of the skull and upper cervical vertebrae are immediately relayed to the CNS via these spindle receptors and the ganglion of C2 which is the largest in the body with 49,000 neurons. For comparison, the T4 ganglion has 24 neurons. More neurons = higher speed delivery of information to the brain.

The muscles of the jaw include the masseter as well as the deeper pterygoid muscles. They obviously allow for chewing but also have an interesting link to the CNS. The masseter has been shown to spontaneously activate during periods of stress. The masseter will also activate in unison with the subocciptal muscles during sudden postural changes in order to keep the eyes stable on the horizon.

The suboccipital and TMJ muscles may not be physically linked but they are absolutely “connected” in the cerebellum and in most clinical cases. This relationship tells us these muscles have a large role in stress/sympathetic nervous system syndromes as well as global postural regulation. A patient may present with complaints of neck pain, but now we see how we must look globally at posture, TMJ function, vestibular function and stress management!

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555 Soquel Avenue
Santa Cruz, CA
95060

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Monday 8am - 5pm
Wednesday 8am - 12pm
Friday 8am - 5pm

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