Fascial Manipulation ® Stecco Method.

Manus Sapients Potens Est:

A knowledgeable hand is powerful: with your hands and knowledge you can cure people.

Here at Cannon Barn Podiatry Gait & Pain Clinic, our resident podiatrist Heath, is a fully qualified Level 1 Fascial Manipulation (Lower Body) Practitioner using the Stecco Method . Heath has trained with Professor Antonio Stecco MD, PhD of the Stecco Fascial Manipulation Institute of Italy and the New York University School of Medicine. This gives Heath the ability to treat all aspects of the lower body from lower back, pelvis down to the toes and all the bits in between through the fascial manipulation techniques he has gained.

What is fascia?

A fascia is a sheath, a sheet or any other dissectible aggregation of connective tissue that forms beneath the skin to attach, enclose and separate muscles, nerves, bones and all other organs of the body. Fascia is a continuous 3D continuum of loose and dense fibres permeating through and connecting our whole body. It allows for structures to adhere to others and permit separation and gliding of those areas that support and help us to move. It is the most densely innervated structure in the body and helps us to move and feel. Tension of the fascia in one part of your body can in turn cause pain and dysfunction in another area completely separate. Think of the fascial system as continuous tight sock covering our whole body from head to toe and from inside out. Any damage, trauma or disruption through densification or rigidity of the fascia in one spot can cause tension and tightness in another area causing pain, disfunction and movement issues. It is lubricated by the substance Hyaluronan which allows for gliding of tissues and pain perception. If the Hyaluronan becomes sticky or dense in certain areas, this can cause movement restriction and tension that builds up over time, causing disfunction in other areas of the body.

Why is fascia important?

Fascia is a vital organ within the body. It is extremely important in regulating movement of both the musculoskeletal system and for internal organ function. It is a highly pain sensitive structure that helps to control our proprioception (perception of movement). You may have come in for a specific injury, but there is always a causation to injury and pain and an unrelated trauma in your medical history, whether surgery, accident, sports or workplace injury many years ago may have been just the trigger that has slowly built up over time causing your pain today.

What happens during a treatment?

Initially you will have had a comprehensive assessment from Heath at Cannon Barn Podiatry & Pain Clinic, here he will assess your symptoms, movement in different planes along with gait and pressure analysis to ascertain the right course of treatment for you. This may be a number of treatments that work well on their own, but can work even better as part of a treatment package. If offered Fascial Manipulation, then initially a set of myofascial trigger points which we call CC’s (Centres of Coordination) will be chosen based on the issues you have and the injuries or surgery you have previously had.  During each treatment session, fascial tissue will be physically manipulated to create friction, heat and gliding of very specific areas of stuck or ‘densified’ fascia. This kick-starts an enzyme release in our body as well as an inflammatory response which is vital to restoring movement and therefore the alleviation of pain.

Why do fascia points become dense or stuck?

Because the different elements of the body and especially the fascia are interconnected and continuous, any form of acute trauma, chronic movement issue through pain, immobilisation or strain, can effect your posture and create tensional forces that spread away from the initial site of injury. These traumas can be some of the causes of our fascia becoming dense or stuck, because of the aggregation of hyaluronan which forms dense, sticky chains at these points. Internal inflammation, infection and surgery cutting through the fascia are also known to densify our fascia.

Who would benefit from fascial manipulation therapy?

Fascial Manipulation is very effective at treating both acute and chronic pain, restoring range of movement and improving muscle coordination to balance the lower body, which in turn effect the whole body.

What specific conditions are treated with Fascial manipulation?

Because our fascia covers our entire musculoskeletal system including our nerves, blood vessels and bones, treatment can be effective in both acute and chronic conditions. At Cannon Barn Podiatry & Pain Clinic we are able to treat effectively a number of issues relating to the lower part of the body from sacrum area and pelvis to toes.

These include areas such as:

Lower back pain.

Hip pain.

Groin pain.

Knee pain

Foot pain

Particular conditions that can be treated include amongst many:

Sciatica

Iliotibial (IT)) band issues.

Greater trochanteric pain syndrome.

Patella tendinopathy.

Shin splints.

Achilles pain.

Plantar fasciitis.

Mortons neuromas

To name a few as well as Gait and Movement issues.

It is very worthwhile speaking to Heath regarding any issue you have in the lower half of the body.

With Fascial Manipulation we don’t treat the site of pain, but rather treat areas further away from the site of pain to reduce tensional stresses on the painful area. As part of treatment we can then use other treatment modalities if needed at the site of pain such as Shockwave therapy or others such as foot mobilisation to increase foot function and orthotics to help with foot posture and a better gait afterwards, to put you as the patient in the best possible position you can be in to reduce the potential for future injury. The centres of coordination points that we treat, are based on the planes of movement these issues cause disfunction in, as well as the opposite or adjacent planes that may have some involvement in the issue.

Are there any risks?

Very few risks are associated with Fascial Manipulation and Heath will cover this by taking an initial medical history. If he finds it unsuitable to a patient another alternative treatment will be used if possible.

Will it hurt and what will it feel like afterwards?

Breaking down the dense areas can be uncomfortable. You will generally feel a sharp needle like sensation, initially in the treatment of a Centre of Co-ordination (CC) point and this may cause some radiating pain. We will work on each 2-3cm point using knuckle or elbow for a few minutes and when densification of the fascia is reduced then the initial discomfort will reduce. After treatment an inflammatory reaction (which is very important to healing) will occur which will peak at 12 hours. This will reduce over the next 48 hours and you will be seen a week later for review and next treatment.

Essential information:

Because we treat all the way up to the pelvis and groin areas even if pain is in the lower leg, the patient will find treatment much easier removing their outer clothing to their underwear as skin to skin contact is needed. You may bring a chaperone should you wish. We do not have the means to provide a chaperone at the clinic.

I have an upper body issue as well, can you treat this?

No, as a Podiatrist we specialise in the lower limb with a few of us able to treat all the way up to the pelvic area (such as Heath at Cannon Barn Podiatry & Pain Clinic). Unfortunately qualified full body practitioners in the UK are rare due to the amount of work needed to train. However should you have a lower body issue initially then due to the nature of the connected fascia, upper body issues can resolve when postural issues are treated in the lower half of the body. There will be other practitioners that offer Myofascial Release. This is not the same as the Stecco Method who have through extensive cadaver research over many years, come to have a full understanding of how the biomechanics of the body works and how it perceives pain. Luigi Stecco the founder is known as the Father of Fascia.

Cannon Barn Podiatry & Pain Clinic. 1 Cannon Barn Cottages, Lewdown, Nr Okehampton. Devon. EX20 4BTTel: 07946 473972. HCPC Registered: CH33234. www.cannonbarnpodiatry.co.uk   e-mail: heathweymouth@gmail.com