Pain - Part 2

Welcome back for Part 2 of my series on pain...and how to alleviate, or even eliminate it from your life.

As I mentioned yesterday, we will be using the Trigger Point Therapy system of Myofascial Compression Techniques (MCT).  MCT is a proprietary myofascial release system, developed by Cassidy Phillips and his team at Trigger Point Therapy.  To get the utmost benefit from these exercises, you need to be using the TP Therapy products, as they are designed specifically for this purpose.  Use of other products such as foam rolls, will provide some degree of benefit however, due to their physical size and shape, the use of these products will not provide nearly the benefit.  So, once again, if you do not own a TP Therapy kit, you can order one today by clicking on the banner at the top right corner of this page.  Clicking on the banner will take you to my TP Therapy Affiliate Sales storefront, where you can order a variety of TP Therapy products.

Alright, let's get rolling!

Today we begin with the Soleus muscle, but before we get started let's learn a little about this muscle.  The Soleus is part of the calf complex, which is ultimately responsible for control of both the foot/ankle complex, as well as the knee joint.  The Soleus originates at the posterior surfaces of both the fibula and tibia.  The muscle's insertion point - meaning it's end point - is the Calcaneus (heel).  The muscle inserts into this area via the Achilles Tendon.  

Okay, so what is this muscle responsible for?

The Soleus muscle has both isolated functions and integrated functions.  Let's back up for a second.  When we think of a muscle's action, we often think of a single, isolated function of that muscle.  Let's take the Biceps muscle for instance.  When we look at the Biceps we tend to think elbow flexor, right?  We would be wrong however, to think that was all this muscle was responsible for.  Sure, when we contract our Biceps muscle, our elbow flexes, but did you know that the Biceps was also responsible (in an integrated manner) for, and plays a major role in elbow extension, supination and pronation of the hand, shoulder extension, and stabilization of the elbow and shoulder girdle?

That's what Integrated Function means...how it integrates, and works synergistically and antagonistically, to control human movement.

So...back to the Soleus!  The isolated function of the Soleus is to accelerate, or produce plantar flexion.  Plantar flexion is the act of pushing your foot downward, into the ground.  It's integrated functions include deceleration of ankle dorsoi-flexion (pulling your foot upward), and stabilization of the foot-ankle complex.  The Soleus muscle is innervated by the Tibial nerve, which is a branch of the sciatic nerve.

Wow!  In less than a minute you learned functional anatomy of the Soleus muscle...well done!

The Soleus muscle is identified by the thin lines pointing to it.

The picture above shows that the Soleus muscle lies 'deep' to, or underneath the Gastrocnemius (Gastroc), which is the bulkier part of the calf complex. The majority of the Soleus muscle is hidden from view (in the picture) by the Gastroc muscle and tendon.  

Why should we be concerned about this muscle?

The Soleus is a major contributor within the biomechanical chain, and is frequently over-worked.  As one of the muscles that insert into the bottom of the foot, it takes much of the brunt of everything we do while on our feet.  Over-activity of the Soleus muscle places a great deal of tension and torque on the Achilles tendon, which can result in decreased functionality of the foot-ankle complex, as well as pain due to plantar fasciitis.  

Releasing tension across the muscle via MCT can help to restore proper mobility to the foot-ankle by restoring the normal elasticity of the soleus muscle, as well as alleviating the forces being applied to the Achilles tendon...thereby alleviating or eliminating the pain of plantar fasciitis.

Now that you have become functionally knowledgeable on the Soleus muscle, let's take a look at the application of MCT, using the Trigger Point Therapy products.  The video below describes the process of using the components of the TP Therapy kit to perform the Soleus manipulation.  I apologize for the poor video and audio quality...it's the best I could do with my iPhone!

OK, we made it through the first video!  Lets discuss the process in a little more detail than what is included in the video.  First off, let's talk about the discomfort.  This process is not with a little uncomfortableness!  The mere fact that there is some discomfort within the Soleus muscle is proof that you are in need of this type of training.  

We need to be able to distinguish between discomfort and pain.  I always tell my clients that discomfort is normal - we should be able to tolerate discomfort.  Pain, on the other hand, is intolerable.  Sure we may be able to tolerate it, and we often accept it as 'normal', yet we should not tolerate it.  If you are experiencing pain, pain that prevents you from doing this exercise, then you should no perform it, and you should seek medical attention from a Doctor or Physical Therapist.  The discomfort you experience during the Soleus manipulation will actually begin to decrease throughout the process.  Pain however, will continue to worsen.

Breathing correctly during the manipulation is important, as it plays a role in the ability of MCT to 'flush' metabolic waste products from the muscle, and bringing fresh, oxygenated blood to tissues.  

The process begins with foot circles; two to the left, and two to the right.  The top foot is then repositioned and you then perform four knee-bends.  This 2-4-4 pattern is equal to one pass.  The Soleus manipulation is programmed for a total of three passes.  The first pass is performed with the toes of your foot, in a vertical position.  Pass #2 is performed with approximately 45-degrees of internal rotation - as described in the video.  The final pass is performed with approximately 10-15 degrees of external rotation.  Once you have completed three passes on one leg, you are ready to move to the opposite leg, repeating the process.

Prior to moving to the next leg however, I would like each of you to perform a Post Manipulation Reveal Test.  These simple tests serve to reveal the benefits of the manipulation, and are pretty amazing!

The first Reveal is the Single-Leg Bounce.  To perform, stand on the floor, on a single-leg, beginning with the side you just finished manipulating.  Stand up tall with good posture, and begin hopping on one foot.  Perform 5 or 6 hops, then reposition yourself on the non-manipulated leg, performing the same 5 or 6 single-leg hops.  You will notice that your manipulated leg feels much lighter, that you can bounce much easier, and you make far less noise as you land - as compared to the non-manipulated side.  It's like magic!

The next Reveal is the Baller Block Test.  This test will reveal where you are bearing your weight on your foot during your stance.  Due to tightness in the calf complex, many of us have decreased dorsi-flexion of the foot-ankle complex.  This results in our weight being shifted posteriorly along our foot, causing us to rest predominantly on our heels.  If you are a runner, this will prevent you from having a fore- or mid-foot striking pattern, thus causing you to strike with your heels.  Over time, 'heel-strikers' can develop hamstring, calf, IT Band, and low back pain.

Position the Baller Block length-wise in front of you, on the floor.  Stand, placing your manipulated leg on the Baller Block, flexing the opposite leg at the hips, balancing as you do so.  Next, change feet on the Baller Block, following the same procedure.  You should immediately notice that your non-manipulated leg settles back in to Baller Block through the heel.  Biomechanically speaking, the ability to load the fore-foot allows for more efficient and effective movement and locomotion.

Great job, you have completed the first of the Ultimate 6 areas for improving biomechanics!  In my next post we will move on to perform the Quadriceps manipulation...you're gonna love that one!

Yours in Health and Performance,

John