The most fascinating tissue in the body, called"fascia"forms a connected network that is thought to form a functional unit around the body of humans and horses alike.
I was introduced to this concept a few years ago during a seminar series with Dr. Kerry Ridgeway, then filed it away and now have come full circle with renewed interest and enthusiasm, because I see an ever increasing overlap between myofascial release thechniques (MFR) and some areas of acupuncture. So here are my “musings” which are a work in progress, with a few things still not fully developed in my own mind. Whilst fascinating, I find this also a rather complex topic, which could easily fill a dissertation, so here are just a few brief thoughts. Hopefully you enjoy the ride :-)
Simply put, fascia is made up of connective tissue (with a large component of elastic tissue), mainly consisting of collagen and watery ground substance, together forming a 3 dimensional support network throughout the body. Often referred to as "myofascia" because researchers have also discovered smooth muscle cells within this tissue. The latter are under the control of the vegetative nervous system (VNS) which makes the function and influence of fascia even more intriguing (more on that in another post).
Fascia envelops all muscles right to the level of individual muscle cells and also forms ligaments, tendons and joint capsules.
With increased knowledge about the functional components of connective tissue, our understanding of fascia, and especially myofascia has expanded. There has been a shift of perspective from the original idea of muscle groups functioning in relative isolation (such as extensors vs flexors, adductors vs abductors) to a more “whole body” functional interpretation of the locomotory system, largely brought about via the connections of myofascia.
In the human field, Tom Myers has popularised the idea of “Anatomy Trains” to explain the functional relationship of groups of muscles via their myofascial connections, which form specific lines and structures running the length and breadth of the human body, and forming a support system for locomotion and balance.
Appreciation of these functional connections and their role in the cause of locomotion problems leading to impaired performance is a major tool for a body worker.
Whilst these myofascial lines are now well described and understood in humans, only more recently, some sparse research on this topic in the equine field has emerged. In an effort to extrapolate the data from bipeds (humans) to quadrupeds (horses), dissection studies have been conducted on horses, trying to identify specific functional myofascial lines in the equine body.
More specifically, these lines as identified in the horse are:
Superficial Dorsal Line (SDL) Superficial Ventral Line (SVL) Lateral Line (LL) Spiral Line (SL) Functional Line (FL) Profound Ventral Line (DVL) Front Limb Protraction line (FLPL) Front Limb Retraction Line (FLRL)
There are two further lines in the arm of humans which are thought not to occur in horses due to the latter not having a clavicle and also evolving with a lesser ROM in their front limb joints.
Problems with tension and hence postural imbalance in these areas, will directly influence a horse’s performance and its predisposition to injury. Since the various muscles, fascia, tendons, ligament forming these lines have been found to create a functional unit, any issue in one part of a line may create problems in that same line but at the opposite end. Hence neglecting to take into account the interconnections of body areas as determined by these lines, might potentially hinder adequate diagnosis of postural and/or performance issues and any beneficial long term treatment effect.
Dr Kerry Ridgeway in one of his seminars expertly summaries some of the effects of unphysiological tension in these lines and the causes of postural imbalances, such as “camped under” or “camped out” posture behind, or in the front legs, inability to bring the front limb forward sufficiently, adduction of abduction issues or internal/external rotation issues when legs are in motion. In addition, tension in the deep lines, can have their origin in pathology occurring in the internal organs (viscera) but due to either anatomical pathway, manifest as biomechanics issues in the spine or limb posture, or affecting the diaphragm causing rib and back pain, to name but a few.
The other interesting aspect is that one needs to understand that the lines are also connected to each other. So whilst anatomically one could determine an “origin” and an “insertion”, the point of origin of most lines (such as SDL and SVL) are both found in the distal aspects of the hind limb and continue into each other in the musculature of the head (temporal area), making the TMJ a central structure of influence.
The other intriguing aspect from the point of view of a MFR therapist and acupuncturist working with piezoelectricity (or Qi) is to understand that collagen is a conductor and generator of electricity by virtue of its semi-crystalline structure and the organisation of its collagen collagen strands in the form of a triple helix. It is postulated that the direction of electric flow is enhanced along the length of the triple helix. Consequently any lengthwise orientation of collagen/fascia, such as occurs in the above described myofascia lines is enhanced. In simple terms this means, that the body has laid down specific postural “information highways” which help the physiological balancing of the body and in turn the diagnosis and treatment of asymmetries and imbalances.
Picture from Elbrond VS & Schultz RM (2015), Copenhagen. showing the SDL in green, the SVL in blue and the LL in orange.
Information sources: Dr Kerry Ridgeway 2014 NZ seminar flashcards
Elbrond & Schultz (2015) Myofascia. The unexplored Tissue. Myofascial Kinetic lines in horses, a model for describing locomotion using comparative dissection studies derived from human lines. Medical Research Archives. Issue 3. Due T. Myofascial Kinetic liens in the horse and dogs. Tom Myers. Anatomy Trains (book) Various TCM texts.