Читать книгу Exercises for the Jaw to Shoulder - Release Your Kinetic Chain - Dr. Brian James Abelson DC. - Страница 25

Let me give you an example about the importance of looking at all the structures of your kinetic chain. One of my patients, an ardent golfer, presented with chronic TMJ problems. She had already tried every exercise program and medical treatment that she could find, but obtained only minimal or short-lived results.

This particular patient golfed a minimum of 4 to 5 times a week, as well as during every additional spare moment that she could find.

Upon completing my physical examination, not surprisingly, I found numerous areas that needed to be addressed from her TMJ, to her neck, and shoulders. Even more interesting was discovering just how weak and unbalanced her core was.

To my patient’s surprise, what started as a TMJ analysis transformed into a golf-swing analysis. On observation of her golf swing, it was easy to see that there were major restrictions in her hip which inhibited her ability to perform a full golf swing. To compensate for her restricted hip, her shoulders were forced to over-rotate, resulting in increased tension in her shoulder muscles. This tension then cascaded through her neck and into her jaw!

Previous treatments had only focused on her jaw. But, keeping in mind the kinetic chain restrictions we had identified, we chose to address all areas of restriction – from her hips, into her core, and up into the shoulders, neck, and jaw.

Although the jaw treatment techniques we used (Active Release Techniques) were very similar to those used by other practitioners, it was by combining the treatment of restricted structures throughout the jaw–neck–shoulder–core kinetic chain with appropriate exercises that gave her the result she was looking for! It wasn’t long before we saw some very substantial and positive changes.

Within a few weeks of treatment and exercises, we were able to completely resolve her long-standing jaw problem. By releasing the restrictions in her hips and core we were able to resolve a long-standing problem in her jaw! Not only did her pain disappear, but to her delight, she was also able to realize a substantial improvement in her golf game!

Sometimes it is just that simple! In this case the weak link in her kinetic chain was her hip! By correcting that problem, we were able to also resolve problems in her shoulders, neck, and jaw!