THE MUSCLES
TARGETS FOR THE THAI THERAPIST
Ageing is often more to do with how we feel than with the
passage of time. Decreasing flexibility, stiffness, tension, aches and pains all
contribute to the feeling of getting old. Most chronic pain – even headaches –
is associated with the musculo-skeletal system and originates from muscles
which remain contracted (stay shortened) even in their ‘relaxed’ state. Muscles
are the anatomical targets of the Thai masseur.
Skeletal muscle is contractile tissue. It provides the force
(effort) for all voluntary movement. Muscles are attached to bone (or sometimes
connective tissue or cartilage) by means of tendons. These are flexible and
enormously strong, inelastic structures that arise from the connective tissue that
covers the muscles. At their outer ends, tendons fuse with connective tissue
that covers the bone or cartilage. Whenever a muscle contracts, it shortens and
this creates a pull that is transmitted through the tendons to bring about
movement.
The
superficial muscles of the body
In the living body, the superficial muscles cover layers of
deep muscles which, in turn, may cover even deeper muscles. Seen here, the
relationship between the body’s natural curves and the superficial muscles
beneath the skin and subcutaneous fat is clear. Some deep muscles (shaded
orange) can be glimpsed beneath the superficial muscles.
How
Muscles Work
Muscles act on the bones, and these form a very complex
system of levers. A muscle is usually attached by its tendons to the bones
positioned on either side of a joint. Whenever the muscle contracts, the joint
acts like a pivot and movement is created between the bones.
Muscle cannot work by itself; it depends upon many other
tissues, such as myofascia. This not only provides the outer covering for the
muscle but also penetrates deeply within the muscle, binding together bundles
of muscle fibers and carrying nerves and blood capillaries deep into the muscle
tissue. Indeed, all the organs of the body depend upon connective tissue for
support and to bind their various components together. It is connective tissue
that forms the supporting framework for the dense network of blood capillaries,
nerves and lymph vessels that are essential components of the muscular system.
It also provides the ultra-smooth surfaces that enable each muscle to move
against its neighbors occur when this property of the connective tissue is
disturbed.
The
Central Nervous System
The brain and spinal cord make up the central nervous
system (CNS) which is the controlling computer for all body parts, both
involuntary (such as breathing) and voluntary, such as the skeletal muscles. Muscles
are linked to the central nervous system by two kinds of nerves:
·
Motor nerves:
these carry nerve impulses from the CNS to make the muscles contract.
·
Sensory nerves:
these carry nerve impulses from sense organs in the muscles to the CNS.
The
sense organs in muscles are called spindle organs because of their
shape. They provide constant information about the state of muscle contraction
and any change in it. The tendons also contain sense organs which tell the
brain how much pull they are being subjected to as the muscles contract.
What
is a muscle?
A muscle is a bundle of vast numbers of muscle fibers, all
arranged lengthwise and parallel with one another. Muscle fibers are the basic
contractile elements within muscles. All muscle fibers have the ability to
contract and thus shorten. They contract in an ‘all-or-nothing’ way and it is
not possible for a muscle fiber to contract just a little. Full contraction or
no contraction are the only two possibilities.
Different muscle fibers respond in different ways to the
impulses that arrive through motor nerves. Some have what is called low
threshold response. This means that they contract under very low frequency of
motor-nerve stimulation. Others are far less sensitive and need much higher
frequency stimulation. These are said to have a high threshold. Within the same
muscle there are muscle fibers with differing thresholds, to cover the complete
spectrum, from low to high. The different response thresholds of the individual
muscle fibers allow the muscle to contract smoothly and progressively
as more of them come into action as motor-nerve stimulation increases.
Functional
muscle groups
Smooth, variable, co-ordinated movement
results from muscles functioning in groups. A group that flexes a joint, for
example, interacts with and opposes the action of one that extends it. Two such
groups of muscles are said to be antagonistic. Biceps and triceps are the main muscles from the
antagonistic groups that flex and extend the elbow. Other major functional
groups are the quadriceps muscles, which extend the knee and flex the thigh,
and the hamstring muscles, which flex the knee and extend the thigh. Each of
the four quadriceps and three hamstring muscles works slightly differently from
the others to include a degree of rotation in either direction.
Muscles
at rest
Muscles can only contract, they cannot actively stretch. When
a muscle stops contracting it depends on its antagonists to stretch it back to
its normal relaxed length when they contract. Even an apparently relaxed muscle
has a small proportion of its fiber in a contracted state. These give a muscle
its tone. Muscle tone depends on a constant, low-frequency motor-nerve
stimulation that originates in the brain. It is just enough to keep the
lowest-threshold fibers contracted. Any disturbance of normal tone can
seriously affect muscle function. Deficient tone makes the muscle limp and
flaccid so that part of its potential contraction is used to ‘take up the
slack’ instead of producing movement. Too much tone deceives the brain into
thinking that the muscle is contracting, and so inhibits some of the
contractile ability of the antagonists, which gradually weaken as a result.
The
Therapeutic Effects of Thai Bodywork
Pressing
and stretching are where Thai bodywork excels. At this point it is appropriate
to look at what happens to our muscles and how pressing and stretching can help
them. One of the most common muscle problems is a gradual shortening of the
relaxed muscle length. This has many causes. Those who or weight training in
the gym can develop muscles with higher than normal tone. This is due to
increased numbers of muscle fibers remaining contracted, even when the muscle
is in its ‘relaxed’ state. Other factors such as injury, poor posture and
emotional stress can also cause this to happen.
The
most immediate effect of muscle shortening is reduced movement at the joint
where the muscle works. This is because the difference between the relaxed
length and the contracted length of the muscle is less than it should be. Unfortunately,
it is this difference that determines how much movement the muscle can produce,
so stiffness and reduced joint mobility is the result of muscle shortening.
Other
unpleasant conditions can also prevail. When a muscle becomes tense and
shortened, its spindle organs send impulses to the brain which tell it that the
muscle is in a state of contraction. The brain now responds by reducing motor
stimulation to its antagonistic muscle. This muscle now loses tone and, if the
condition persists, it will gradually weaken. Soon it will not even match the
strength of its antagonist, which will shorten still further since it will not
be pulled hard enough to stretch it. A state of imbalance quickly results
which, in some cases, can produce postural problems leading to chronic pain.
This
is not yet the end of the story! The myofascia has large areas between its
cells which contain fibers. Some of these are elastic; some are not. The
non-elastic ones serve to strengthen the tissue. As a muscle shortens, the
myofascia contracts and shortens with it. Gradually it loses some of its
elasticity, if it is not repeatedly stretched to what should be the correct
relaxed length of the muscle. Elastic fibers become replaced by the non-elastic
kind and the tissue becomes slightly wrinkled. Movement of the neighboring
tissues becomes less smooth and this can cause discomfort which can also lead
to abnormal use of the affected parts. As the myofascia shrinks due to lack of
stretching, it thickens and becomes fibrotic, impeding normal muscle stretching
movement and joint mobility. All these interrelated effects mean pain,
stiffness, lowered resistance to joint injury and reduced performance on the
sports field.
The
benefits of pressing and stretching
The
deep presses of Thai bodywork squash the muscles, stretching the myofascia
sideways. This helps to break down fibrotic tissue and stimulates the
production of elastic fibers. Blood flow through the myofascial capillaries is
enhanced and energy flow through the Sen is improved. These changes help to
alleviate pain and make all the tissues amenable to the effects of stretching
that are to follow.
The
large-scale, sustained stretches that characterize Thai manipulations are
applied in myriad different directions. The practitioner constantly changes the
angle of approach by altering the relative positions of different parts of the
body. Stretching muscle – even those that are abnormally shortened – takes them
just beyond what their normal relaxed length would be. Muscle spindle organs
respond to this by ‘telling’ the brain that the muscle is relaxed, inhibitory
nerve impulses to the antagonistic muscles stop and they soon regain normal
tone. Regular Thai bodywork stretches comprehensively restore balance within
and between functional groups of muscles to ease pain, increase flexibility and
improve posture.
Improving
and maintaining flexibility
The overall flexibility of the body’s movable joints starts
to diminish from the early twenties unless positive steps are taken to work
them through a wide range of movements at regular intervals. The practice of
yoga could achieve this but reaching an adequate level of expertise requires
much application and discipline. Thai massage, on the other hand, requires
nothing more than placing your body in the hands of an expert practitioner.
After a session lasting around two to two-and-a-half hours your muscles and
joints will have received an intensive workout, the thoroughness of which you
could never hope to equal by yourself. The improvement in your flexibility will
be noticeable immediately. This is because Thai bodywork always stretches
muscles and manipulates joints just a little further than you would be capable
of when unaided.
The
treatment of many conditions
Though unsuitable for people with serious health problems and
those who have had replacement surgery, for others Thai bodywork can seem like
a miracle in the way it treats those conditions that result from physical and
emotional stress. Repetitive strain injuries, wear and tear and sports injuries
are the commonest results of physical stress. The signals that warn you of its
effects vary from stiffness, weakness and pain to serious loss of performance.
The indicators of emotional stress are vastly more complex. They can be purely
emotional, such as worry, anxiety and anger, or behavioral, as with over-eating
and alcohol, tobacco and drug abuse. Inability to relax, disrupted sleep
patterns and general irritability are also observed. Eventually, emotional
stress manifests itself through a range of physical symptoms that include
headaches, indigestion, constipation, back pains and skin conditions.
Enhancing
sports performance
A flexible body is one of the keys to fitness and performance.
The other is a musculature with total balance between antagonistic groups, with
every individual muscle able to assume its normal relaxed length when not
contracting. This is probably a combination that even the most highly trained
athletes fail to achieve. Including Thai bodywork as part of their training
regime can help all sportsmen and women towards this ideal condition. It will
enable them to undertake more intensive training with a significantly reduced
risk of injury, and this will result in an ability to sustain even higher
levels of performance safely.
Treating
sports injuries
Most sports injuries involve damage to muscle fibers,
myofascia or tendons and they are commonly caused by overuse of muscles that
are not functionally balanced with other muscles in their group and with their
antagonists. A healthy, normal muscle has an amazing capacity to perform
repetitively without injury. Thai bodywork received regularly provides
maintenance that the muscles need. When injury does occur, its controlled
stretches and manipulations have an unrivaled ability to speed healing and
restore normal pain-free function.