True holistic health is a multi-disciplinary, collaborative, patient-centred approach that begins from a place of deep respect for the body’s innate intelligence.
The human body is a wonderfully intelligent and complex machine. It has an incredible capacity to adapt to and interact with the environment around it, the loads and stresses we place on it, and to compensate for the injuries sustained by it. For this reason, visceral manipulation pioneer Jean-Pierre Barral insightfully declared, “It is better to trust the tissues, for they are a better guide than our own reasoning.” What is meant here, is that as soon as we ignore what the body is telling us and endeavour to impose our own understanding of, ‘what should be the case,’ we miss vital information and opportunities for informed, connected treatment.
At Chris Gauntlett Myotherapy, the goal of every treatment is to listen openly and honestly to the body, allowing it to guide our intuition and inform our clinical approach. Treatment should not involve the therapist imposing their will on the patient but should instead be a collaborative process that celebrates exploration, discovery, and understanding.
During any treatment appointment, depending on what the body presents, a variety of treatment options may be utilised. These include:
- Visceral manipulation – Gentle manipulation of the fascia (connective tissue) and ligaments of the internal organs.
- Neural manipulation – Gentle manipulation of the neural tissue of the brain, spine, and nervous system.
- Muscular massage – Remedial massage to lengthen, promote healing, and restore optimal muscle function.
- Neuro-muscular training – Movement-based training that invites a patient to explore and understand why they move in a particular way and what other options might be available to them to move more efficiently and with greater freedom and ease.
- Strength training – Exercises to build strength, increase resilience, and restore symmetry of strength across opposing muscle groups
- Stretching techniques – Techniques and exercise to increase muscle and fascial length and adaptability.
Most chronic musculoskeletal conditions will have both a soft tissue and functional component. The Initial assessment will almost always begin with a thorough analysis of soft tissue health, usually followed by manual soft tissue treatment, including techniques that target visceral, neural, vascular, fascial, or muscular tissue systems.
Once these soft tissue restrictions have been resolved, it is often necessary to address movement patterns and strength imbalances. Just because a soft tissue restriction has been resolved doesn’t necessarily mean that the associated compensatory movement pattern will change. If the body is conceptualised like a computer, once you have cleared the ‘bugs’ (soft tissue restrictions), you also often need a ‘software update’ (movement and strength exercises).
Jean-Pierre Barral has often stated that, “Anyone can create a change. The therapist’s goal is to create a lasting change.” By using a multi-disciplinary, patient-centred approach, the root cause, not just the symptom, is treated. This will often mean that the area of the body being treated is not where the symptoms are being experienced. Consequently, treatment is effective, long-lasting, and provides the patient with an opportunity to expand their knowledge and understanding of their own health and body.
