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Life can change in an instant. As the emergency crew rolled me into the narrow MRI tunnel, it felt as though my world would never be the same. It was 1989. The radiology scan confirmed my worst fear: a fractured neck at C4-5, frightening evidence of severe spinal damage resulting from a clumsy judo fall.

That was 19 years ago. Today my neck and arm pain is but a faint memory, due to a discovery that prompted my development of the Myoskeletal Alignment Technique (MAT) method of deep-tissue therapy. The foundation of the program lies in early identification and correction of chronic strain patterns before they become pain patterns. The method incorporates a broad overview of many of to day's bodywork modalities. The resulting conglomeration of techniques is primarily aimed at fixing the most frequently encountered neck/back/extremity complaints. My method combines modified therapeutic techniques from Rolfing®, manipulative osteopathy, and assisted stretching as well as joint-capsule and receptor routines.

The suffering I endured from the aforementioned cervical fracture inspired a series of self-healing experiments that guided me into the intriguing world of muscle/joint relationships. A brief explanation of the extraordinary chain of events following this unfortunate accident shows how bad situations sometimes lead to positive, life-changing experiences. This disabling episode transformed my bodywork practice and led to the development of the MAT method.

The day the neurosurgeon declared my cervical fracture healed and removed the halo, my emotions vacillated from cautious elation to nervous apprehension. My cynicism centered around two residual, highly bothersome problems: lingering radial nerve pain down my left arm and a funky cervical curve. Daily routines of self-treating my cervical myofascia offered only temporary relief from the unrelenting arm pain.

While digging through the transversospinalis muscles deep in the cervical lamina groove one memorable day, I palpated a couple of bony knots protruding above and below the healed fracture. Unsure of what might happen if I tried aligning these bony asymmetries, I decided to experiment. Using traditional deep-tissue finger techniques, I applied sustained pressure and occasional digital frictioning to the fibrous zygapophyseal (facet) joint capsule that enclosed the superior bony knot. Surprisingly, in only a few minutes, the capsule began to loosen-and suddenly the knot mysteriously disappeared into the contour of the lamina groove, with no noticeable side effects. As my fingers palpated the opposite side below the fracture, I encountered the other protrusion that appeared not only larger in size, but more rigid and unyielding. I soon realized that the same technique wasn't about to budge this stubborn C5-6 joint capsule. After a brief series of unsuccessful experiments, an old scalene "finger-gripping" maneuver came to mind that seemed to fit the situation. I thought that by applying bilateral finger compression to the joint capsule while taking the neck through flexion/extension movements, the resistant facet joints might relax and come into alignment. Although the technique felt therapeutic, nothing moved. As I was about to stop and adjust finger positions, the fibrous capsule began to melt into my fingers, and without warning, the bony knot slowly vanished into the groove.

Immediately I experienced a surprising sensation of enhanced cervical mobility. A giddy feeling of optimism rushed through me, and a smile spread across my face as my fingers anxiously scanned my neck, appreciating my new range of motion. Incredible!

Caught in the exciting whirlwind of palpating my new "smooth groove," it took me awhile to notice that my left arm had stopped hurting. Head sidebending and rotational movements caused only slight tingling sensations in my index finger and thumb-but no pain! Intuitively, I felt that somehow this discovery might help solve the pain puzzle in many of my unsuccessful client cases.

The impact of the experiment sparked an obsessive desire to understand the neuromusculoskeletal mechanics that relieved my pain that day. I fervently believed that a straightforward explanation existed somewhere within the contemporary and historic schools of bodywork. The search began by investigating manual therapy pioneers whose therapies consolidated both joint-mobilization and traditional myofascial techniques. Advice from an old friend and advanced Rolfing instructor, Jim Asher, steered me to contemporary teachings by osteopathic notables such as Phillip Greenman, and Fred Mitchell, Jr. Thus began my true appreciation of the intimate reflexogenic relationship between muscles and joints.

All my spare time was spent rummaging through old texts whose philosophies addressed the practical use of joint-mobilization techniques in massage therapy. Oddly enough, John Mennell's Physical Treatment by Movement, Manipulation, and Massage, first published in 1917, contained the most interesting and sensible explanations of any book I uncovered. For years, Mennell carefully collected and recorded assorted manual therapy techniques he had observed in various European countries during World War I. His accumulated research was compiled into a textbook that he considered to be the basis of effective therapeutic massage treatment.

A large part of Mennell's legacy is based on what he termed joint play, which is defined as a small, precise amount of movement (less than 1/8 inch) that is independent of voluntary muscle movements. Present only in the living synovial joint, the amount of available joint play is the primary factor in the voluntary range of motion in a joint capsule. Mennell's research initially investigated all the body's synovial joints. But for practical purposes he later isolated easy-to-study capsules, such as the glenohumeral, sternoclavicular, hip and knee.

Since correction of neck and low-back pain was my primary goal, I experimented with Mennell's joint-play theories on spine-related tissues only. My intention was simply to develop soft-tissue therapeutic techniques to restore joint play to vertebrae, ribs and sacroiliac joint capsules. But I soon discovered that the key to unlocking these compressed and torsioned joints was not located in the myofascial structures I had been accustomed to working with, but hidden deep in spinal ligaments, intervertebral discs, and fourth-layer transversospinalis muscles. Loss of joint play caused by protective muscle spasm was responsible for the months of pain I endured. I only hope these Myoskeletal Alignment techniques have benefitted others in need.

Freedom From Pain Institute