Michael Boblett interviews Kevin Frank on the art of reaching back into the human – and pre-human – family tree to reawaken lost patterns of movements. What sets this interview apart is a firm emphasis on the day-to-day needs of clients in a busy Rolfing® Structural Integration (SI) practice. In their dialogue, Kevin and Michael provide a very practical set of suggestions, things that work.

ABSTRACT This article focuses on the phylogeny of the human hand. Paralleling his earlier work on the evolution of bipedalism from Ardipithecus through Australopithecus to the genus Homo, Boblett examines the no-less-radical development of the hand. Though our hands look far more similar to those of our simian ancestors than is the case with our feet, the changes in structure and function are no less profound. Boblett concludes with some practical advice on self-care of hands for Rolfers.

The focus of this article is on freeing and strengthening the human hand. Specifically, Michael Boblett presents some practical ideas you may pass on    to clients. There is a list of stretches designed to make the hand more flexible by freeing the various proximal phalanges and their respective metacarpals from being stuck to one another and to their neighbors. There is also some advice about various kinds of equipment for hanging, which can be used to apply distal distraction to impingements, especially in the wrist. The article ends with the usual reminder that there are unanswered questions.