Fascial Manipulation for Musculoskeletal Pain - Theoretical part [Stecco - Piccin Editore]

As a clinician for much of the past 50 years, I have paid particular attention to the effects of man- ual load on soft tissue. I realized early in my ca- reer its relation to function and pain, spending years studying most soft tissue methods and contributing many articles on soft tissue, including three editions of a textbook on the subject. In 2009, Luigi Stecco sent me his first edition which explains the reason- ing and procedures behind Fascial Manipulation® (FM). To say the least, I was overwhelmed. No ear- lier soft tissue methods had described the fascial system in such detail. No other method explained a full body connective tissue approach to treatment that included the myofascial kinetic chains. Never again would I emphasize treatment only at the site of pain or treat randomly just to relieve pain. No other method gives us tools to relate patient symp- toms to earlier causes and, most important, treat- ment procedures that are based on the myofascial chain. We now evaluate the myofascial chain func- tionally and are able to track the healing progress effectively both during and post treatment. As a member of the Fascial Manipulation Association, I have been continuously updated on the scientific progress of FM. FM as different from most soft tis- sue methods is a work in progress. Scientists world- wide continually contribute to improve the quality of FM. Among many researchers, both Carla Stec- co, MD. PhD, and Antonio Stecco, MD, PhD, have continued to write peer reviewed literature proving the validity of FM. But of course, the originator, Luigi Stecco, PT, has not stood idly by. In this long awaited text he has up- dated his own research to explain the evolution, anat- omy and physiology that underlies the FM biome- chanical model. He advances his recent research so that current practitioners of FM and others interested in manual therapy may benefit from his continuous dedication to the healing of mankind.