Keys to the Kingdom:
How Everything in the Body is Connected to Everything Else
Course Instructor: Mary J. Rogel, Ph.D., L.Ac.
When: To be offered in Summer/Fall of 2010
Time: 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. (with an hour for lunch)
Where: Hyde Park Bank Building
1525 East 53rd Street, 4th Floor Conference Rm
Cost: To be determined
Credits: 5 Illinois Acupuncture CEUs 5 NCCAOM PDAs
This class challenges the conventional notion that it is the muscles that control the structural configuration of the body, and argues that it is the “stiff tissue” instead (ligaments and tendons) that is responsible. Ligaments hold the bones together tightly enough that the body does not fall apart, but loosely enough that the bones can shift slightly within the joint capsules. Tendons help the muscles accommodate to these shifts and allow the body to move in the most efficient manner possible. These accommodations create uneven wear and tear that, in turn, damages the “hard tissue” (i.e., bones) and “soft tissue” (i.e., muscles), as well as the “stiff tissue” itself.
In this class, we examine the key areas that lock, and the major patterns of locking, as the body accommodates to major or minor injury and to wear and tear. We begin at the sacroiliac joints, which are involved in all accommodations, either as the primary injury, or as the consequence of an injury elsewhere. The locking of one or both sacroiliac joints causes rotation in the pelvis that, in turn, causes corresponding accommodations and locking in the hips, knees, and feet. Twisting in the pelvis and legs creates a corresponding twist in the rib cage and shoulder girdle, with locks in various places in the shoulder girdle, spine, head, and jaw. Eventually, the arms are also affected, with locks occurring at the elbow, wrist, and thumb.
As we follow the locking sequence around the body, we will identify the keys for unlocking the joints. Specific treatment strategies are the subject of the Bedrock series. However, with the information in this class, participants will be able to see how problems that begin in one area of the body create structural and functional problems elsewhere. Once you look at the body in this way, you will understand common orthopedic problems, such as frozen shoulder and bunions, in an entirely different light, and your treatment strategies will change accordingly.
Course Objectives
This new orthopedics class is designed to stand alone or to serve as the introduction to the Bedrock series. It is intended for all health care practitioners who work on the musculoskeletal system, regardless of their orientation, whether it be Eastern or Western Medicine, acupuncture or massage, chiropractic or physical therapy.
This course is open to all body workers, including acupuncturists, massage therapists, chiropractors, naprapaths, physicians, physical therapists, and other practitioners with an interest in orthopedics and body mechanics. It is also suitable for patients who have a basic understanding of the musculoskeletal system. The objectives of this course are to:
· Examine the body as an ever-accommodating collection of bones held together by ligaments and moved by muscles and tendons.
· Explore the implications of the body’s ability to alter how bones meet within joint capsules.
· Understand how an injury in one part of the body can create a seemingly-unrelated problem elsewhere.
· Learn how to view the body as an integrated whole that must be diagnosed and treated as a system rather than as a collection of barely related parts.
· Learn to identify locking sequences and end points throughout the body.
· Appreciate how replacing a joint or having arthroscopic surgery or beginning physical therapy alters body mechanics and requires the entire body to adjust to the new condition.
· Recognize that failure to take into account the action of the ligaments elsewhere in the body can be a reason for poor outcomes after joint surgery or other therapies.
Course Instructor
Mary J. Rogel, Ph.D., L.Ac., opened her practice, East Point Associates, Ltd., in Hyde Park after graduating from the Midwest Center for the Study of Oriental Medicine in 1986. Her practice has a strong focus on orthopedics, body mechanics, and manual manipulation; and she has been teaching orthopedics for acupuncturists and body workers since 1999.
Registration Form