in The Beginning: Growth In The Womb-World
The moment of conception is creation of life. Within two weeks, the germ cell has become an embryo with three basic germ layers: the ectoderm, the mesoderm, and the endoderm. This is not unlike a star birth in outer space in which the gaseous nebula later condenses into layers.
These primitive, embryonic germ layers are the precursors to functional tissue organization in the body. The ectoderm develops primarily into the epidermis (skin covering) and neural tissue. The endoderm becomes the lining of the digestive system, the glands associated with digestion, and the respiratory system. In the middle is the mesoderm-which differentiates into a complex array of tissues. It becomes the filler between skin and digestive tube and also gives rise to muscle, connective tissue (blood, cartilage, ligaments, tendons and fascia), and to the reproductive and urinary systems.
By the third week of pregnancy, this mesoderm layer contains primitive mesenchyme cells which separate from the mesoderm and connect the three germ layers. These are the first cells to serve a primitive connective tissue function in the evolving body.
By the end of the first month of pregnancy, the mesoderm houses primitive fibers made by connections of the mesenchyme cells in the semi fluid intercellular matrix. This matrix is a type of primitive blood plasma; a protein solution that baths the cells in essential nutrients. Eventually the embryo develops major arteries and veins which are the autobahns for rapid blood transport in the body. Blood then passes on to smaller veins and arteries which are like local roads. Eventually, as in a car, it is possible to drive off the road entirely and onto a country meadow. The matrix of the mesoderm would be like the country meadow. It is liquid, so the process is actually like rivers feeding into a matrix ocean. By the time blood emerges into the matrix, it has been destructured down to the basic components for cellular nutrition.
By the end of the second month of pregnancy, true collagen fibers have developed in the matrix. This is the beginning of the mature connective tissue bed, which consists of fibroblast cells, collagen fibers, and an intercellular matrix with small arterials, venials, and capillaries. With these building blocks present, specific areas in the connective tissue bed begin to specialize-and differentiate further.
Possibly through a genetic stimulus, cells in certain areas of the mesoderm start to secrete a thick, rubbery matrix (chondromucoid). As this dense matrix flows through the fibrous network, cells are pushed away from each other; capillaries are compressed, impeding blood flow into the area. This is the early stage of cartilage formation. The process might be likened to the separation of the seas and formation of dry land in the Biblical story of creation. As cells continue to secrete this rubbery matrix, compressed cells at the center die because they are cut off from oxygen and nutrients they would normally obtain in the free flowing matrix. In this way the primitive cartilage skeletal framework begins to form.
As the immature skeleton condenses in the connective tissue bed, the cartilage is penetrated by a vascular bud (connective tissue with blood) in response to the stress of lack of oxygen and nutrients. The vascular bud bores its way into the center of the condensed area of inner cells. Within the vascular bud are cartilage digesting cells (chondroclasts) which engulf and digest cartilage in the area of the bud. This process is called vascularization and marks the beginning of cartilage destruction in the pre bone. Digesting cells create open space at the center of the cartilage. This space is then filled with bone forming cells (osteoblasts) which secrete calcified bone protein. The process is both destructive and constructive, a sequence of cartilage growth and bone replacement. Cartilage continues to grow at the bone’s surface, while its center is replaced with calcified bone. In this way bone chases cartilage, and both increases in size as the developing body grows.
Bone thus develops as an area of connective tissue specialization with its own characteristic cells, fibers, and matrix. The hallmark of bone is its hardened, calcified matrix. This view modifies our attitude that bone is an isolated, presumably unchangeable structure. Eventually a similar process happens to bone as happened to cartilage. As bony areas increase in length and thickness, bone digesting cells (osteoclasts) eat away the central core, creating bone marrow cavities which ultimately fill in fat and blood forming tissues (which are both further modifications of connective tissue).
The process of bone growth catches up with the cartilage skeletal model about 20 to 25 years after we leave the womb. Perhaps it is this which has given rise to the idea that we finish our physical identity by our early twenties. Yet there is still potential for bone contour modification throughout the life of the individual. If it were not so, teeth braces would not work. The principle behind braces is pressure; the basic principle to all growth in the body. If persistent pressure is applied to a bone, stress activates cells in that portion of the bone to become bone producing cells (osteoblasts) while cells in another area compensate by converting to bone digesting cells (osteoclasts) which resourb bone tissue. In this way the shape of bone can change long after its first formation. This embryonic response to stress is retained throughout a lifetime. If this response exists in bone, the hardest form of connective tissue, we can begin to see how it is possible in all forms of connective tissue.
Bones are at the core, the deepest level of the mesoderm’s matrix ocean. Yet it is inaccurate to think that bones act like a scaffolding, like a rigid frame on which soft tissue hangs. Nor do bones fit into a tight lock-and-key pattern as a skeleton might suggest. Bones actually float in the body. This floating action is mediated through the joints, which are primarily connections between the bones. A joint is the connective tissue extension at the end of a bone which forms a membrane capsule, connecting the surface of one bone with the next. In a living body, there is a fluid film between the bones; a secretion of connective tissue fluid into the joint capsule. If this fluid were not there, bone would be grinding on bone. The loss of this fluid becomes a factor for example in dancer’s knee problems. When bone gets too close, the cells are pressured to secrete more fluid. As this fluid increases it may balloon out the joint capsule. Fluid on the knee can be reduced through Rolfing. As connective tissue around bones is opened and lengthened, fluid decreases because there is proper space between the bones and the stress is removed. Ligaments provide a further connection between bones. Their formation in the embryo follows the pattern that is characteristic of connective tissue under directional pressure and stress. As the embryonic cartilage skeleton grows, it exerts directional pressure in the connective tissue bed; creating tension between and along adjacent bones. This tension activates the fibroblast cells to increase their collagen fiber secretion and, characteristically, these fibers will line up along the line of tension. The ligamentous fibers thus originated will attach to the fibrous part of the bone surface (the periosteum), providing a continuity from the periosteum of one bone to the ligament to the periosteum of the next bone to the ligament, etc., and creating the support network for the body.
Tendons similarly provide a connection between muscles and bones, forming in much the same way as ligaments. Tendons are collagen fiber bundles that extended beyond muscle and are continuous with the bone surface (periosteum). The dense fibrous net of connective tissue that envelops and penetrates the muscle itself is called fascia muscle and fascia together are called the myofascia. This is another interconnected connective tissue network; from periosteum of bone, to tendon, to myofascial tissue, to tendon, to periosteum of the next bone, etc., creating a movement network throughout the body. We presume that the direction and development of the tendonous bed determines the direction of muscle development and organization rather than visa versa.
These interconnected structures form in the evolving connective tissue bed in response to the directional pressure from growing bones. This pressure creates the tension which signals the need that a particular function must be met. Function is the determining structure in the evolving embryonic body. This developmental cycle is not limited to the womb world, in fact, this embryonic response to tension and stress is inherent in the mesoderm and conditions its growth and responsiveness throughout life.
The Continuing Saga of the Mesoderm: Growing Down In’ The Outside World
In a Rolfing practice, we see tendon-like cords which have developed in the body where no ligaments or tendons are shown in standard anatomy texts. For example, tension cords usually develop between the shoulder blades and spine in people who habitually pull back their shoulders. Another common example are the heavy cords which develop along the upper margin of the hip bone (ilium) and extend to include the sacroiliac junction. These form when being “uptight” quite literally resulting from a tightening of the anus and buttocks.
It is generally assumed that these tension cords are tough muscle. In fact, they are hardened, contracted, often “frozen” connective tissue covering muscle tissue. We would suggest that these cords come into being in exactly the same manner as tendons and ligaments in the embryo. However, these tension cords are reversible, they can let go. When a habitually tensed body changes from a protectively held “shoulders up, head forward” position to a more relaxed “shoulders down, head back” position, many of the stresses on the back are released and the tension cords from the old position relax and disband. Habitually tensed tissue which has hardened like a frozen rubber band thaws and regains its elasticity. This thawing occurs when the stress is removed.
Many of these tension cords exist on the surface of the fascial bed, in what we have called the body stocking. Their effect on movement and on structures beneath the surface runs deep, it is not superficial. This is because there is continuity between the layers of the fascial bed. The structural network, movement network, and the surface body stocking are interconnected within the webof fascia, the most pervasive derivative of the embryonic mesoderm. Fascia acts as a packing material for all organs and systems in the body. The body stocking fits just under the skin, as it flows over the body it tends to get snagged on the bony protrusions (joints) where there is a normal increase in fascial density. When this density is excessive; however, it will tend to inhibit movement of the joint. The body stocking reflects lack of movement at any level in the body. It is an excellent index of the condition of the structures within.
Between this surface body stocking and the deepest (structural) fascial layer at the bone level there is much less linearly organized connective tissue layer. Muscle and fascia] tissue weave and interweave between body stocking and bone, surrounded by filler which has a texture almost like shredded paper. Pads of fat and fibrous connective tissue are part of this filler. Fatty pads come into being where the joints are constricted, giving the body a lumpy appearance. There are normally pads over the upper part of the hip bones and pads along the back (sacrum). When there is shortening in the back and holding patterns in the rear end, these pads get dense and larger. In Rolfing, as connective tissue on the surface body stocking relaxes the body is able to lengthen, constrictions around the joints and the spinal vertebrae open and let go. Then, fatty pads in the filler layer can melt and the body regains a smoother contour.
We differ from traditional attitudes about soft tissue descriptive anatomy in two major ways: (1) we consider all connective tissue “structures” as areas of specialization within a continuous connective tissue bed; (2) we recognize areas of connective tissue specialization which have not been described, namely the body retinaculi or bands. These are visible in the living body, losing their characteristic organization after death.
The body bands logically will arise in the fetus as normal supportive concentrations by mid-pregnancy. They could serve as horizontal supports for the belly and chest of the fetus at a time when it is being held in a curved position. The front of the developing fetus is much slower to achieve a differentiated and resilient structure than is the back.
We see a primary pattern of constriction occurring in the body stocking. It is apparent as a series of horizontal concentrations of fibers which tend to accumulate in relation to the spinal flexures or junctions. When a body is not vertically balanced, its weight will tend to pull the soft tissue away from the bony scaffolding, creating directional stress in the connective tissue bed. Collagen fibers then form surface bands. These are oriented along the line of stress, which is at right angles to the spine, holding the tissue closer to the bony core. There are seven of these bandings in the torso, each associated with one of the spinal flexures. (See illustration and captions). When it is excessive, this kind of thickening in the body stocking will tend to inhibit the flow of movement and energy.
The pattern of blocks described in bioenergetics bears considerable resemblance to our map of body bands, as does the chakra system of Tantric Yoga. Bioenergetics is primarily a psychological and emotional analysis of body structure. It goes into considerable detail describing the relation of physical and emotional attitudes to holding patterns. The oriental system of kundalini yoga includes the chakras, a series of points along the spine that correspond to the spinal flexures which are the endpoints of our bands. An inability to extend the spine at these points inhibits all forms of energy flow: movement, emotion, and consciousness. There is a natural transformation of energy in the human body from the denser energy used for support and locomotion to the more differentiated energy needed for the processes of aliveness: regeneration, perception, manual dexterity, speech, awareness and mentation. These transformations, in oriental tradition, are mediated through the spinal flexures. When the flexures cannot extend, directional stress through the connective tissue will generate surface retaining bands, building the soft tissue more securely to its bony core. In turn, these bands will act as an anchor, preventing full body extension and establishing a stress pattern that increasingly pulls the body away from the vertical into the curved embryonic pattern.
The seven flexures of the spinal column are established in the first month of pregnancy in a postural curve that precedes the formation of the vertebra, which then mold themselves to this body shape. We tend to assume that the embryo lies in an unbroken, undifferentiated “c” shaped curve within the uterus, but this is really not the case. The shape is actually more angular; the flexures provide a pattern for regional differentiation in the vertebral column. As the embryo develops, these flexures become the junctions of the torso. In an adult, the greatest potential for inhibition of movement occurs at these junctions. The degree to which we maintain the spinal flexures in a “closed” position reflects our unwillingness to let go of the embryonic position. In a sense, we keep the option open to return to the womb.
Body bands do not occur only in the torso. We also find bands around the knees, ankles, wrists, and elbows. There are balances across the body (as at the wrist and pubic arch), as well as through the length of the body (as in the correspondence of tension between the ankles and the atlanto occipital [head and neck] junction). It is often impossible to clear restrictions at the pubic bone unless restrictions in the wrist are also cleared. We go into the interconnections of these body bands in more detail in a forthcoming book, The Endless Web.
The specific shape of body bands will vary from person to person. They have arisen out of patterns of use and are areas of fiber concentrated rather than specific structures. Also, in any one band there will be areas where the fibers are more concentrated, other areas where condensation is more diffuse, and still other areas where the bands will be pulled up, down, or inward by pulls from other parts of the body. Moreover, the bands can have a third dimension, forcing restriction through the body like a shelf. An example of this is often found in gymnasts who develop a pelvic shelf that will constrict the lower intestines, bowels, and sex organs.
In a maturely developed body, there is a natural spring action in the spine, a normal length and flow of movement at these junctions with corresponding length in the front of the torso. By observing the pattern of body bands in the body stocking, we have a readily available road map showing when the individual is unwilling to open, lengthen, and straighten at these junctions. Rolfing is a means of loosening these fascial bands that bind us.
We have alluded to several ways in which parts of a person’s body will reflect emotional repression-compressed joints, heavy horizontal connective tissue fiber concentrations, depressed ribs, etc. Frequently, during the Rolfing process, emotion will surface as a particular area is encouraged to greater freedom and mobility. The physical goal of Rolfing is always in the direction of greater length and a freer flow of movement and energy throughout the body. The held emotion is not specific to a particular physical body restriction.
For example, as the armpit is manipulated, one of a variety of emotional responses might be apparent: anger, sadness, joy, contentment, impatience, irritability. We cannot relate a particular body conformation to a single emotional classification. This would be misleading and might even be dangerous. As the physical restriction changes, the Rolfers’ role is not to classify, but rather to observe and to be present for whatever physical and emotional responses may emerge.
What we have presented is an anatomical description of a body language. Whether it is interpreted in term of emotional blocks, energy centers, or structural bandings, the goals remain the same. When the soft tissue releases, the joints are able to “float”, increasing awareness and mobility in the body. Such responses must lead to lifting upward while remaining grounded-Ida Rolf’s vision of verticality in relation to gravity.
Body Retinacula: The Seven Body Bands of the Torso
1. The lowest band in the torso extends from the pubic bone in front across the groin (which is thereby shortened), around the hip bones (the greater trochanter of the femur), and across the buttocks, ending at the junction of the sacrum and coccyx.
2. The band across the lower abdomen is frequently more prominent in men. It connects the two bony projections of the pelvic bones in front (the anterior-superior spines of the ilia). It usually dips slightly downward in front, like an inverted arch, resembling an internal jock strap or chastity belt. Its lower margin tends to include the inguinal ligament, connecting the band downward to the region of the pubic bone. This band extends laterally along the upper margin of the large wings of the pelvic bone (ilia), ending at the lumbo-sacral junction.
3. The third band crosses the abdomen and is perhaps the most variable in shape. It may cross at the umbilicus (sometimes creating a crease in the abdominal wall extending out on either side of the umbilicus), or it may lie midway between the umbilicus and the midcostal arch (tying together the two sides of the costal arch). In either case, it will extend laterally to from an arch across the abdomen to the lower ribs on each side-particularly to the free tip of the 11th rib. It travels backward along the lower ribs, ending at the junction of the thoracic and lumbar vertebrae.
4. The fourth band is in the area just below the nipples and is visually the most apparent. It is usually a non-moving depressed area on the chest, the skin seems glued down onto the ribs and muscle. Laterally, it extends along the lower border of the pectoralis major, across the midlateral chest, and down the lateral margin of the latissimus dorsi where it begins to run parallel to the scapula toward the arm. The strap appears to tie the lower tip of the scapula to the back rubs and ends at the dorsal hinge of the spine. When this strap is pronounced, there is not only a depressed mid chest, but an inability to expand the ribs sideways in breathing.
5. The fifth strap at the shoulders involves the clavicle and is part of the tissue gluing the clavicle to the first and second ribs in front. It can be felt as a pad of tissue just below and deep to the collar bone (clavicle). It extends laterally to the tip of the shoulder, with some fibers fanning down into the armpit. The strap continues toward the back on the inside and outside of the upper border of the shoulder blade (scapula), and ends at the junction of cervical and thoracic vertebrae.
6. The area below the chin (the chin-strap) is an area of concentration of fibers and padding which includes the hyoid bone and the base of the jaw, passing just below the ear, and ending where the base of the skull joins the first cervical vertebrae (atlas).
7. The top band is the most difficult to visualize. It originates on the bridge of the nose, travels across the eye sockets and above the ears, and ends at the back of the skull just above the occipital crest (the bump at the back of the skull).
<img src=’https://novo.pedroprado.com.br/imgs/1994/411-1.gif’>
There is an extraordinary drama happening every day in the mesoderm. A story pregnant with birth, copulation and death; of cellular migration and tissue transformation.
Yet nobody knows what the mesoderm is
The mesoderm is the median layer between skin and digestive system in the human body. Our bodies derive a never ending potential for change from the mesoderm.
The theme of the meso dermic drama is simply this: we create our bodies through use and disuse.
In order to understand this better we must create a vocabulary in which the anatomy of tissue mechanics is clearly understood. For the message of the mesoderm is locked into the nuts and bolts of tissue and cell … and that message is:
We off embryos for life[:de]In The Beginning: Growth In The Womb-World
The moment of conception is creation of life. Within two weeks, the germ cell has become an embryo with three basic germ layers: the ectoderm, the mesoderm, and the endoderm. This is not unlike a star birth in outer space in which the gaseous nebula later condenses into layers.
These primitive, embryonic germ layers are the precursors to functional tissue organization in the body. The ectoderm develops primarily into the epidermis (skin covering) and neural tissue. The endoderm becomes the lining of the digestive system, the glands associated with digestion, and the respiratory system. In the middle is the mesoderm-which differentiates into a complex array of tissues. It becomes the filler between skin and digestive tube and also gives rise to muscle, connective tissue (blood, cartilage, ligaments, tendons and fascia), and to the reproductive and urinary systems.
By the third week of pregnancy, this mesoderm layer contains primitive mesenchyme cells which separate from the mesoderm and connect the three germ layers. These are the first cells to serve a primitive connective tissue function in the evolving body.
By the end of the first month of pregnancy, the mesoderm houses primitive fibers made by connections of the mesenchyme cells in the semi fluid intercellular matrix. This matrix is a type of primitive blood plasma; a protein solution that baths the cells in essential nutrients. Eventually the embryo develops major arteries and veins which are the autobahns for rapid blood transport in the body. Blood then passes on to smaller veins and arteries which are like local roads. Eventually, as in a car, it is possible to drive off the road entirely and onto a country meadow. The matrix of the mesoderm would be like the country meadow. It is liquid, so the process is actually like rivers feeding into a matrix ocean. By the time blood emerges into the matrix, it has been destructured down to the basic components for cellular nutrition.
By the end of the second month of pregnancy, true collagen fibers have developed in the matrix. This is the beginning of the mature connective tissue bed, which consists of fibroblast cells, collagen fibers, and an intercellular matrix with small arterials, venials, and capillaries. With these building blocks present, specific areas in the connective tissue bed begin to specialize-and differentiate further.
Possibly through a genetic stimulus, cells in certain areas of the mesoderm start to secrete a thick, rubbery matrix (chondromucoid). As this dense matrix flows through the fibrous network, cells are pushed away from each other; capillaries are compressed, impeding blood flow into the area. This is the early stage of cartilage formation. The process might be likened to the separation of the seas and formation of dry land in the Biblical story of creation. As cells continue to secrete this rubbery matrix, compressed cells at the center die because they are cut off from oxygen and nutrients they would normally obtain in the free flowing matrix. In this way the primitive cartilage skeletal framework begins to form.
As the immature skeleton condenses in the connective tissue bed, the cartilage is penetrated by a vascular bud (connective tissue with blood) in response to the stress of lack of oxygen and nutrients. The vascular bud bores its way into the center of the condensed area of inner cells. Within the vascular bud are cartilage digesting cells (chondroclasts) which engulf and digest cartilage in the area of the bud. This process is called vascularization and marks the beginning of cartilage destruction in the pre bone. Digesting cells create open space at the center of the cartilage. This space is then filled with bone forming cells (osteoblasts) which secrete calcified bone protein. The process is both destructive and constructive, a sequence of cartilage growth and bone replacement. Cartilage continues to grow at the bone’s surface, while its center is replaced with calcified bone. In this way bone chases cartilage, and both increases in size as the developing body grows.
Bone thus develops as an area of connective tissue specialization with its own characteristic cells, fibers, and matrix. The hallmark of bone is its hardened, calcified matrix. This view modifies our attitude that bone is an isolated, presumably unchangeable structure. Eventually a similar process happens to bone as happened to cartilage. As bony areas increase in length and thickness, bone digesting cells (osteoclasts) eat away the central core, creating bone marrow cavities which ultimately fill in fat and blood forming tissues (which are both further modifications of connective tissue).
The process of bone growth catches up with the cartilage skeletal model about 20 to 25 years after we leave the womb. Perhaps it is this which has given rise to the idea that we finish our physical identity by our early twenties. Yet there is still potential for bone contour modification throughout the life of the individual. If it were not so, teeth braces would not work. The principle behind braces is pressure; the basic principle to all growth in the body. If persistent pressure is applied to a bone, stress activates cells in that portion of the bone to become bone producing cells (osteoblasts) while cells in another area compensate by converting to bone digesting cells (osteoclasts) which resourb bone tissue. In this way the shape of bone can change long after its first formation. This embryonic response to stress is retained throughout a lifetime. If this response exists in bone, the hardest form of connective tissue, we can begin to see how it is possible in all forms of connective tissue.
Bones are at the core, the deepest level of the mesoderm’s matrix ocean. Yet it is inaccurate to think that bones act like a scaffolding, like a rigid frame on which soft tissue hangs. Nor do bones fit into a tight lock-and-key pattern as a skeleton might suggest. Bones actually float in the body. This floating action is mediated through the joints, which are primarily connections between the bones. A joint is the connective tissue extension at the end of a bone which forms a membrane capsule, connecting the surface of one bone with the next. In a living body, there is a fluid film between the bones; a secretion of connective tissue fluid into the joint capsule. If this fluid were not there, bone would be grinding on bone. The loss of this fluid becomes a factor for example in dancer’s knee problems. When bone gets too close, the cells are pressured to secrete more fluid. As this fluid increases it may balloon out the joint capsule. Fluid on the knee can be reduced through Rolfing. As connective tissue around bones is opened and lengthened, fluid decreases because there is proper space between the bones and the stress is removed. Ligaments provide a further connection between bones. Their formation in the embryo follows the pattern that is characteristic of connective tissue under directional pressure and stress. As the embryonic cartilage skeleton grows, it exerts directional pressure in the connective tissue bed; creating tension between and along adjacent bones. This tension activates the fibroblast cells to increase their collagen fiber secretion and, characteristically, these fibers will line up along the line of tension. The ligamentous fibers thus originated will attach to the fibrous part of the bone surface (the periosteum), providing a continuity from the periosteum of one bone to the ligament to the periosteum of the next bone to the ligament, etc., and creating the support network for the body.
Tendons similarly provide a connection between muscles and bones, forming in much the same way as ligaments. Tendons are collagen fiber bundles that extended beyond muscle and are continuous with the bone surface (periosteum). The dense fibrous net of connective tissue that envelops and penetrates the muscle itself is called fascia muscle and fascia together are called the myofascia. This is another interconnected connective tissue network; from periosteum of bone, to tendon, to myofascial tissue, to tendon, to periosteum of the next bone, etc., creating a movement network throughout the body. We presume that the direction and development of the tendonous bed determines the direction of muscle development and organization rather than visa versa.
These interconnected structures form in the evolving connective tissue bed in response to the directional pressure from growing bones. This pressure creates the tension which signals the need that a particular function must be met. Function is the determining structure in the evolving embryonic body. This developmental cycle is not limited to the womb world, in fact, this embryonic response to tension and stress is inherent in the mesoderm and conditions its growth and responsiveness throughout life.
The Continuing Saga of the Mesoderm: Growing Down In’ The Outside World
In a Rolfing practice, we see tendon-like cords which have developed in the body where no ligaments or tendons are shown in standard anatomy texts. For example, tension cords usually develop between the shoulder blades and spine in people who habitually pull back their shoulders. Another common example are the heavy cords which develop along the upper margin of the hip bone (ilium) and extend to include the sacroiliac junction. These form when being “uptight” quite literally resulting from a tightening of the anus and buttocks.
It is generally assumed that these tension cords are tough muscle. In fact, they are hardened, contracted, often “frozen” connective tissue covering muscle tissue. We would suggest that these cords come into being in exactly the same manner as tendons and ligaments in the embryo. However, these tension cords are reversible, they can let go. When a habitually tensed body changes from a protectively held “shoulders up, head forward” position to a more relaxed “shoulders down, head back” position, many of the stresses on the back are released and the tension cords from the old position relax and disband. Habitually tensed tissue which has hardened like a frozen rubber band thaws and regains its elasticity. This thawing occurs when the stress is removed.
Many of these tension cords exist on the surface of the fascial bed, in what we have called the body stocking. Their effect on movement and on structures beneath the surface runs deep, it is not superficial. This is because there is continuity between the layers of the fascial bed. The structural network, movement network, and the surface body stocking are interconnected within the webof fascia, the most pervasive derivative of the embryonic mesoderm. Fascia acts as a packing material for all organs and systems in the body. The body stocking fits just under the skin, as it flows over the body it tends to get snagged on the bony protrusions (joints) where there is a normal increase in fascial density. When this density is excessive; however, it will tend to inhibit movement of the joint. The body stocking reflects lack of movement at any level in the body. It is an excellent index of the condition of the structures within.
Between this surface body stocking and the deepest (structural) fascial layer at the bone level there is much less linearly organized connective tissue layer. Muscle and fascia] tissue weave and interweave between body stocking and bone, surrounded by filler which has a texture almost like shredded paper. Pads of fat and fibrous connective tissue are part of this filler. Fatty pads come into being where the joints are constricted, giving the body a lumpy appearance. There are normally pads over the upper part of the hip bones and pads along the back (sacrum). When there is shortening in the back and holding patterns in the rear end, these pads get dense and larger. In Rolfing, as connective tissue on the surface body stocking relaxes the body is able to lengthen, constrictions around the joints and the spinal vertebrae open and let go. Then, fatty pads in the filler layer can melt and the body regains a smoother contour.
We differ from traditional attitudes about soft tissue descriptive anatomy in two major ways: (1) we consider all connective tissue “structures” as areas of specialization within a continuous connective tissue bed; (2) we recognize areas of connective tissue specialization which have not been described, namely the body retinaculi or bands. These are visible in the living body, losing their characteristic organization after death.
The body bands logically will arise in the fetus as normal supportive concentrations by mid-pregnancy. They could serve as horizontal supports for the belly and chest of the fetus at a time when it is being held in a curved position. The front of the developing fetus is much slower to achieve a differentiated and resilient structure than is the back.
We see a primary pattern of constriction occurring in the body stocking. It is apparent as a series of horizontal concentrations of fibers which tend to accumulate in relation to the spinal flexures or junctions. When a body is not vertically balanced, its weight will tend to pull the soft tissue away from the bony scaffolding, creating directional stress in the connective tissue bed. Collagen fibers then form surface bands. These are oriented along the line of stress, which is at right angles to the spine, holding the tissue closer to the bony core. There are seven of these bandings in the torso, each associated with one of the spinal flexures. (See illustration and captions). When it is excessive, this kind of thickening in the body stocking will tend to inhibit the flow of movement and energy.
The pattern of blocks described in bioenergetics bears considerable resemblance to our map of body bands, as does the chakra system of Tantric Yoga. Bioenergetics is primarily a psychological and emotional analysis of body structure. It goes into considerable detail describing the relation of physical and emotional attitudes to holding patterns. The oriental system of kundalini yoga includes the chakras, a series of points along the spine that correspond to the spinal flexures which are the endpoints of our bands. An inability to extend the spine at these points inhibits all forms of energy flow: movement, emotion, and consciousness. There is a natural transformation of energy in the human body from the denser energy used for support and locomotion to the more differentiated energy needed for the processes of aliveness: regeneration, perception, manual dexterity, speech, awareness and mentation. These transformations, in oriental tradition, are mediated through the spinal flexures. When the flexures cannot extend, directional stress through the connective tissue will generate surface retaining bands, building the soft tissue more securely to its bony core. In turn, these bands will act as an anchor, preventing full body extension and establishing a stress pattern that increasingly pulls the body away from the vertical into the curved embryonic pattern.
The seven flexures of the spinal column are established in the first month of pregnancy in a postural curve that precedes the formation of the vertebra, which then mold themselves to this body shape. We tend to assume that the embryo lies in an unbroken, undifferentiated “c” shaped curve within the uterus, but this is really not the case. The shape is actually more angular; the flexures provide a pattern for regional differentiation in the vertebral column. As the embryo develops, these flexures become the junctions of the torso. In an adult, the greatest potential for inhibition of movement occurs at these junctions. The degree to which we maintain the spinal flexures in a “closed” position reflects our unwillingness to let go of the embryonic position. In a sense, we keep the option open to return to the womb.
Body bands do not occur only in the torso. We also find bands around the knees, ankles, wrists, and elbows. There are balances across the body (as at the wrist and pubic arch), as well as through the length of the body (as in the correspondence of tension between the ankles and the atlanto occipital [head and neck] junction). It is often impossible to clear restrictions at the pubic bone unless restrictions in the wrist are also cleared. We go into the interconnections of these body bands in more detail in a forthcoming book, The Endless Web.
The specific shape of body bands will vary from person to person. They have arisen out of patterns of use and are areas of fiber concentrated rather than specific structures. Also, in any one band there will be areas where the fibers are more concentrated, other areas where condensation is more diffuse, and still other areas where the bands will be pulled up, down, or inward by pulls from other parts of the body. Moreover, the bands can have a third dimension, forcing restriction through the body like a shelf. An example of this is often found in gymnasts who develop a pelvic shelf that will constrict the lower intestines, bowels, and sex organs.
In a maturely developed body, there is a natural spring action in the spine, a normal length and flow of movement at these junctions with corresponding length in the front of the torso. By observing the pattern of body bands in the body stocking, we have a readily available road map showing when the individual is unwilling to open, lengthen, and straighten at these junctions. Rolfing is a means of loosening these fascial bands that bind us.
We have alluded to several ways in which parts of a person’s body will reflect emotional repression-compressed joints, heavy horizontal connective tissue fiber concentrations, depressed ribs, etc. Frequently, during the Rolfing process, emotion will surface as a particular area is encouraged to greater freedom and mobility. The physical goal of Rolfing is always in the direction of greater length and a freer flow of movement and energy throughout the body. The held emotion is not specific to a particular physical body restriction.
For example, as the armpit is manipulated, one of a variety of emotional responses might be apparent: anger, sadness, joy, contentment, impatience, irritability. We cannot relate a particular body conformation to a single emotional classification. This would be misleading and might even be dangerous. As the physical restriction changes, the Rolfers’ role is not to classify, but rather to observe and to be present for whatever physical and emotional responses may emerge.
What we have presented is an anatomical description of a body language. Whether it is interpreted in term of emotional blocks, energy centers, or structural bandings, the goals remain the same. When the soft tissue releases, the joints are able to “float”, increasing awareness and mobility in the body. Such responses must lead to lifting upward while remaining grounded-Ida Rolf’s vision of verticality in relation to gravity.
Body Retinacula: The Seven Body Bands of the Torso
1. The lowest band in the torso extends from the pubic bone in front across the groin (which is thereby shortened), around the hip bones (the greater trochanter of the femur), and across the buttocks, ending at the junction of the sacrum and coccyx.
2. The band across the lower abdomen is frequently more prominent in men. It connects the two bony projections of the pelvic bones in front (the anterior-superior spines of the ilia). It usually dips slightly downward in front, like an inverted arch, resembling an internal jock strap or chastity belt. Its lower margin tends to include the inguinal ligament, connecting the band downward to the region of the pubic bone. This band extends laterally along the upper margin of the large wings of the pelvic bone (ilia), ending at the lumbo-sacral junction.
3. The third band crosses the abdomen and is perhaps the most variable in shape. It may cross at the umbilicus (sometimes creating a crease in the abdominal wall extending out on either side of the umbilicus), or it may lie midway between the umbilicus and the midcostal arch (tying together the two sides of the costal arch). In either case, it will extend laterally to from an arch across the abdomen to the lower ribs on each side-particularly to the free tip of the 11th rib. It travels backward along the lower ribs, ending at the junction of the thoracic and lumbar vertebrae.
4. The fourth band is in the area just below the nipples and is visually the most apparent. It is usually a non-moving depressed area on the chest, the skin seems glued down onto the ribs and muscle. Laterally, it extends along the lower border of the pectoralis major, across the midlateral chest, and down the lateral margin of the latissimus dorsi where it begins to run parallel to the scapula toward the arm. The strap appears to tie the lower tip of the scapula to the back rubs and ends at the dorsal hinge of the spine. When this strap is pronounced, there is not only a depressed mid chest, but an inability to expand the ribs sideways in breathing.
5. The fifth strap at the shoulders involves the clavicle and is part of the tissue gluing the clavicle to the first and second ribs in front. It can be felt as a pad of tissue just below and deep to the collar bone (clavicle). It extends laterally to the tip of the shoulder, with some fibers fanning down into the armpit. The strap continues toward the back on the inside and outside of the upper border of the shoulder blade (scapula), and ends at the junction of cervical and thoracic vertebrae.
6. The area below the chin (the chin-strap) is an area of concentration of fibers and padding which includes the hyoid bone and the base of the jaw, passing just below the ear, and ending where the base of the skull joins the first cervical vertebrae (atlas).
7. The top band is the most difficult to visualize. It originates on the bridge of the nose, travels across the eye sockets and above the ears, and ends at the back of the skull just above the occipital crest (the bump at the back of the skull).
<img src=’https://novo.pedroprado.com.br/imgs/1994/411-1.gif’>
There is an extraordinary drama happening every day in the mesoderm. A story pregnant with birth, copulation and death; of cellular migration and tissue transformation.
Yet nobody knows what the mesoderm is
The mesoderm is the median layer between skin and digestive system in the human body. Our bodies derive a never ending potential for change from the mesoderm.
The theme of the meso dermic drama is simply this: we create our bodies through use and disuse.
In order to understand this better we must create a vocabulary in which the anatomy of tissue mechanics is clearly understood. For the message of the mesoderm is locked into the nuts and bolts of tissue and cell … and that message is:
We off embryos for life[:fr]In The Beginning: Growth In The Womb-World
The moment of conception is creation of life. Within two weeks, the germ cell has become an embryo with three basic germ layers: the ectoderm, the mesoderm, and the endoderm. This is not unlike a star birth in outer space in which the gaseous nebula later condenses into layers.
These primitive, embryonic germ layers are the precursors to functional tissue organization in the body. The ectoderm develops primarily into the epidermis (skin covering) and neural tissue. The endoderm becomes the lining of the digestive system, the glands associated with digestion, and the respiratory system. In the middle is the mesoderm-which differentiates into a complex array of tissues. It becomes the filler between skin and digestive tube and also gives rise to muscle, connective tissue (blood, cartilage, ligaments, tendons and fascia), and to the reproductive and urinary systems.
By the third week of pregnancy, this mesoderm layer contains primitive mesenchyme cells which separate from the mesoderm and connect the three germ layers. These are the first cells to serve a primitive connective tissue function in the evolving body.
By the end of the first month of pregnancy, the mesoderm houses primitive fibers made by connections of the mesenchyme cells in the semi fluid intercellular matrix. This matrix is a type of primitive blood plasma; a protein solution that baths the cells in essential nutrients. Eventually the embryo develops major arteries and veins which are the autobahns for rapid blood transport in the body. Blood then passes on to smaller veins and arteries which are like local roads. Eventually, as in a car, it is possible to drive off the road entirely and onto a country meadow. The matrix of the mesoderm would be like the country meadow. It is liquid, so the process is actually like rivers feeding into a matrix ocean. By the time blood emerges into the matrix, it has been destructured down to the basic components for cellular nutrition.
By the end of the second month of pregnancy, true collagen fibers have developed in the matrix. This is the beginning of the mature connective tissue bed, which consists of fibroblast cells, collagen fibers, and an intercellular matrix with small arterials, venials, and capillaries. With these building blocks present, specific areas in the connective tissue bed begin to specialize-and differentiate further.
Possibly through a genetic stimulus, cells in certain areas of the mesoderm start to secrete a thick, rubbery matrix (chondromucoid). As this dense matrix flows through the fibrous network, cells are pushed away from each other; capillaries are compressed, impeding blood flow into the area. This is the early stage of cartilage formation. The process might be likened to the separation of the seas and formation of dry land in the Biblical story of creation. As cells continue to secrete this rubbery matrix, compressed cells at the center die because they are cut off from oxygen and nutrients they would normally obtain in the free flowing matrix. In this way the primitive cartilage skeletal framework begins to form.
As the immature skeleton condenses in the connective tissue bed, the cartilage is penetrated by a vascular bud (connective tissue with blood) in response to the stress of lack of oxygen and nutrients. The vascular bud bores its way into the center of the condensed area of inner cells. Within the vascular bud are cartilage digesting cells (chondroclasts) which engulf and digest cartilage in the area of the bud. This process is called vascularization and marks the beginning of cartilage destruction in the pre bone. Digesting cells create open space at the center of the cartilage. This space is then filled with bone forming cells (osteoblasts) which secrete calcified bone protein. The process is both destructive and constructive, a sequence of cartilage growth and bone replacement. Cartilage continues to grow at the bone’s surface, while its center is replaced with calcified bone. In this way bone chases cartilage, and both increases in size as the developing body grows.
Bone thus develops as an area of connective tissue specialization with its own characteristic cells, fibers, and matrix. The hallmark of bone is its hardened, calcified matrix. This view modifies our attitude that bone is an isolated, presumably unchangeable structure. Eventually a similar process happens to bone as happened to cartilage. As bony areas increase in length and thickness, bone digesting cells (osteoclasts) eat away the central core, creating bone marrow cavities which ultimately fill in fat and blood forming tissues (which are both further modifications of connective tissue).
The process of bone growth catches up with the cartilage skeletal model about 20 to 25 years after we leave the womb. Perhaps it is this which has given rise to the idea that we finish our physical identity by our early twenties. Yet there is still potential for bone contour modification throughout the life of the individual. If it were not so, teeth braces would not work. The principle behind braces is pressure; the basic principle to all growth in the body. If persistent pressure is applied to a bone, stress activates cells in that portion of the bone to become bone producing cells (osteoblasts) while cells in another area compensate by converting to bone digesting cells (osteoclasts) which resourb bone tissue. In this way the shape of bone can change long after its first formation. This embryonic response to stress is retained throughout a lifetime. If this response exists in bone, the hardest form of connective tissue, we can begin to see how it is possible in all forms of connective tissue.
Bones are at the core, the deepest level of the mesoderm’s matrix ocean. Yet it is inaccurate to think that bones act like a scaffolding, like a rigid frame on which soft tissue hangs. Nor do bones fit into a tight lock-and-key pattern as a skeleton might suggest. Bones actually float in the body. This floating action is mediated through the joints, which are primarily connections between the bones. A joint is the connective tissue extension at the end of a bone which forms a membrane capsule, connecting the surface of one bone with the next. In a living body, there is a fluid film between the bones; a secretion of connective tissue fluid into the joint capsule. If this fluid were not there, bone would be grinding on bone. The loss of this fluid becomes a factor for example in dancer’s knee problems. When bone gets too close, the cells are pressured to secrete more fluid. As this fluid increases it may balloon out the joint capsule. Fluid on the knee can be reduced through Rolfing. As connective tissue around bones is opened and lengthened, fluid decreases because there is proper space between the bones and the stress is removed. Ligaments provide a further connection between bones. Their formation in the embryo follows the pattern that is characteristic of connective tissue under directional pressure and stress. As the embryonic cartilage skeleton grows, it exerts directional pressure in the connective tissue bed; creating tension between and along adjacent bones. This tension activates the fibroblast cells to increase their collagen fiber secretion and, characteristically, these fibers will line up along the line of tension. The ligamentous fibers thus originated will attach to the fibrous part of the bone surface (the periosteum), providing a continuity from the periosteum of one bone to the ligament to the periosteum of the next bone to the ligament, etc., and creating the support network for the body.
Tendons similarly provide a connection between muscles and bones, forming in much the same way as ligaments. Tendons are collagen fiber bundles that extended beyond muscle and are continuous with the bone surface (periosteum). The dense fibrous net of connective tissue that envelops and penetrates the muscle itself is called fascia muscle and fascia together are called the myofascia. This is another interconnected connective tissue network; from periosteum of bone, to tendon, to myofascial tissue, to tendon, to periosteum of the next bone, etc., creating a movement network throughout the body. We presume that the direction and development of the tendonous bed determines the direction of muscle development and organization rather than visa versa.
These interconnected structures form in the evolving connective tissue bed in response to the directional pressure from growing bones. This pressure creates the tension which signals the need that a particular function must be met. Function is the determining structure in the evolving embryonic body. This developmental cycle is not limited to the womb world, in fact, this embryonic response to tension and stress is inherent in the mesoderm and conditions its growth and responsiveness throughout life.
The Continuing Saga of the Mesoderm: Growing Down In’ The Outside World
In a Rolfing practice, we see tendon-like cords which have developed in the body where no ligaments or tendons are shown in standard anatomy texts. For example, tension cords usually develop between the shoulder blades and spine in people who habitually pull back their shoulders. Another common example are the heavy cords which develop along the upper margin of the hip bone (ilium) and extend to include the sacroiliac junction. These form when being “uptight” quite literally resulting from a tightening of the anus and buttocks.
It is generally assumed that these tension cords are tough muscle. In fact, they are hardened, contracted, often “frozen” connective tissue covering muscle tissue. We would suggest that these cords come into being in exactly the same manner as tendons and ligaments in the embryo. However, these tension cords are reversible, they can let go. When a habitually tensed body changes from a protectively held “shoulders up, head forward” position to a more relaxed “shoulders down, head back” position, many of the stresses on the back are released and the tension cords from the old position relax and disband. Habitually tensed tissue which has hardened like a frozen rubber band thaws and regains its elasticity. This thawing occurs when the stress is removed.
Many of these tension cords exist on the surface of the fascial bed, in what we have called the body stocking. Their effect on movement and on structures beneath the surface runs deep, it is not superficial. This is because there is continuity between the layers of the fascial bed. The structural network, movement network, and the surface body stocking are interconnected within the webof fascia, the most pervasive derivative of the embryonic mesoderm. Fascia acts as a packing material for all organs and systems in the body. The body stocking fits just under the skin, as it flows over the body it tends to get snagged on the bony protrusions (joints) where there is a normal increase in fascial density. When this density is excessive; however, it will tend to inhibit movement of the joint. The body stocking reflects lack of movement at any level in the body. It is an excellent index of the condition of the structures within.
Between this surface body stocking and the deepest (structural) fascial layer at the bone level there is much less linearly organized connective tissue layer. Muscle and fascia] tissue weave and interweave between body stocking and bone, surrounded by filler which has a texture almost like shredded paper. Pads of fat and fibrous connective tissue are part of this filler. Fatty pads come into being where the joints are constricted, giving the body a lumpy appearance. There are normally pads over the upper part of the hip bones and pads along the back (sacrum). When there is shortening in the back and holding patterns in the rear end, these pads get dense and larger. In Rolfing, as connective tissue on the surface body stocking relaxes the body is able to lengthen, constrictions around the joints and the spinal vertebrae open and let go. Then, fatty pads in the filler layer can melt and the body regains a smoother contour.
We differ from traditional attitudes about soft tissue descriptive anatomy in two major ways: (1) we consider all connective tissue “structures” as areas of specialization within a continuous connective tissue bed; (2) we recognize areas of connective tissue specialization which have not been described, namely the body retinaculi or bands. These are visible in the living body, losing their characteristic organization after death.
The body bands logically will arise in the fetus as normal supportive concentrations by mid-pregnancy. They could serve as horizontal supports for the belly and chest of the fetus at a time when it is being held in a curved position. The front of the developing fetus is much slower to achieve a differentiated and resilient structure than is the back.
We see a primary pattern of constriction occurring in the body stocking. It is apparent as a series of horizontal concentrations of fibers which tend to accumulate in relation to the spinal flexures or junctions. When a body is not vertically balanced, its weight will tend to pull the soft tissue away from the bony scaffolding, creating directional stress in the connective tissue bed. Collagen fibers then form surface bands. These are oriented along the line of stress, which is at right angles to the spine, holding the tissue closer to the bony core. There are seven of these bandings in the torso, each associated with one of the spinal flexures. (See illustration and captions). When it is excessive, this kind of thickening in the body stocking will tend to inhibit the flow of movement and energy.
The pattern of blocks described in bioenergetics bears considerable resemblance to our map of body bands, as does the chakra system of Tantric Yoga. Bioenergetics is primarily a psychological and emotional analysis of body structure. It goes into considerable detail describing the relation of physical and emotional attitudes to holding patterns. The oriental system of kundalini yoga includes the chakras, a series of points along the spine that correspond to the spinal flexures which are the endpoints of our bands. An inability to extend the spine at these points inhibits all forms of energy flow: movement, emotion, and consciousness. There is a natural transformation of energy in the human body from the denser energy used for support and locomotion to the more differentiated energy needed for the processes of aliveness: regeneration, perception, manual dexterity, speech, awareness and mentation. These transformations, in oriental tradition, are mediated through the spinal flexures. When the flexures cannot extend, directional stress through the connective tissue will generate surface retaining bands, building the soft tissue more securely to its bony core. In turn, these bands will act as an anchor, preventing full body extension and establishing a stress pattern that increasingly pulls the body away from the vertical into the curved embryonic pattern.
The seven flexures of the spinal column are established in the first month of pregnancy in a postural curve that precedes the formation of the vertebra, which then mold themselves to this body shape. We tend to assume that the embryo lies in an unbroken, undifferentiated “c” shaped curve within the uterus, but this is really not the case. The shape is actually more angular; the flexures provide a pattern for regional differentiation in the vertebral column. As the embryo develops, these flexures become the junctions of the torso. In an adult, the greatest potential for inhibition of movement occurs at these junctions. The degree to which we maintain the spinal flexures in a “closed” position reflects our unwillingness to let go of the embryonic position. In a sense, we keep the option open to return to the womb.
Body bands do not occur only in the torso. We also find bands around the knees, ankles, wrists, and elbows. There are balances across the body (as at the wrist and pubic arch), as well as through the length of the body (as in the correspondence of tension between the ankles and the atlanto occipital [head and neck] junction). It is often impossible to clear restrictions at the pubic bone unless restrictions in the wrist are also cleared. We go into the interconnections of these body bands in more detail in a forthcoming book, The Endless Web.
The specific shape of body bands will vary from person to person. They have arisen out of patterns of use and are areas of fiber concentrated rather than specific structures. Also, in any one band there will be areas where the fibers are more concentrated, other areas where condensation is more diffuse, and still other areas where the bands will be pulled up, down, or inward by pulls from other parts of the body. Moreover, the bands can have a third dimension, forcing restriction through the body like a shelf. An example of this is often found in gymnasts who develop a pelvic shelf that will constrict the lower intestines, bowels, and sex organs.
In a maturely developed body, there is a natural spring action in the spine, a normal length and flow of movement at these junctions with corresponding length in the front of the torso. By observing the pattern of body bands in the body stocking, we have a readily available road map showing when the individual is unwilling to open, lengthen, and straighten at these junctions. Rolfing is a means of loosening these fascial bands that bind us.
We have alluded to several ways in which parts of a person’s body will reflect emotional repression-compressed joints, heavy horizontal connective tissue fiber concentrations, depressed ribs, etc. Frequently, during the Rolfing process, emotion will surface as a particular area is encouraged to greater freedom and mobility. The physical goal of Rolfing is always in the direction of greater length and a freer flow of movement and energy throughout the body. The held emotion is not specific to a particular physical body restriction.
For example, as the armpit is manipulated, one of a variety of emotional responses might be apparent: anger, sadness, joy, contentment, impatience, irritability. We cannot relate a particular body conformation to a single emotional classification. This would be misleading and might even be dangerous. As the physical restriction changes, the Rolfers’ role is not to classify, but rather to observe and to be present for whatever physical and emotional responses may emerge.
What we have presented is an anatomical description of a body language. Whether it is interpreted in term of emotional blocks, energy centers, or structural bandings, the goals remain the same. When the soft tissue releases, the joints are able to “float”, increasing awareness and mobility in the body. Such responses must lead to lifting upward while remaining grounded-Ida Rolf’s vision of verticality in relation to gravity.
Body Retinacula: The Seven Body Bands of the Torso
1. The lowest band in the torso extends from the pubic bone in front across the groin (which is thereby shortened), around the hip bones (the greater trochanter of the femur), and across the buttocks, ending at the junction of the sacrum and coccyx.
2. The band across the lower abdomen is frequently more prominent in men. It connects the two bony projections of the pelvic bones in front (the anterior-superior spines of the ilia). It usually dips slightly downward in front, like an inverted arch, resembling an internal jock strap or chastity belt. Its lower margin tends to include the inguinal ligament, connecting the band downward to the region of the pubic bone. This band extends laterally along the upper margin of the large wings of the pelvic bone (ilia), ending at the lumbo-sacral junction.
3. The third band crosses the abdomen and is perhaps the most variable in shape. It may cross at the umbilicus (sometimes creating a crease in the abdominal wall extending out on either side of the umbilicus), or it may lie midway between the umbilicus and the midcostal arch (tying together the two sides of the costal arch). In either case, it will extend laterally to from an arch across the abdomen to the lower ribs on each side-particularly to the free tip of the 11th rib. It travels backward along the lower ribs, ending at the junction of the thoracic and lumbar vertebrae.
4. The fourth band is in the area just below the nipples and is visually the most apparent. It is usually a non-moving depressed area on the chest, the skin seems glued down onto the ribs and muscle. Laterally, it extends along the lower border of the pectoralis major, across the midlateral chest, and down the lateral margin of the latissimus dorsi where it begins to run parallel to the scapula toward the arm. The strap appears to tie the lower tip of the scapula to the back rubs and ends at the dorsal hinge of the spine. When this strap is pronounced, there is not only a depressed mid chest, but an inability to expand the ribs sideways in breathing.
5. The fifth strap at the shoulders involves the clavicle and is part of the tissue gluing the clavicle to the first and second ribs in front. It can be felt as a pad of tissue just below and deep to the collar bone (clavicle). It extends laterally to the tip of the shoulder, with some fibers fanning down into the armpit. The strap continues toward the back on the inside and outside of the upper border of the shoulder blade (scapula), and ends at the junction of cervical and thoracic vertebrae.
6. The area below the chin (the chin-strap) is an area of concentration of fibers and padding which includes the hyoid bone and the base of the jaw, passing just below the ear, and ending where the base of the skull joins the first cervical vertebrae (atlas).
7. The top band is the most difficult to visualize. It originates on the bridge of the nose, travels across the eye sockets and above the ears, and ends at the back of the skull just above the occipital crest (the bump at the back of the skull).
<img src=’https://novo.pedroprado.com.br/imgs/1994/411-1.gif’>
There is an extraordinary drama happening every day in the mesoderm. A story pregnant with birth, copulation and death; of cellular migration and tissue transformation.
Yet nobody knows what the mesoderm is
The mesoderm is the median layer between skin and digestive system in the human body. Our bodies derive a never ending potential for change from the mesoderm.
The theme of the meso dermic drama is simply this: we create our bodies through use and disuse.
In order to understand this better we must create a vocabulary in which the anatomy of tissue mechanics is clearly understood. For the message of the mesoderm is locked into the nuts and bolts of tissue and cell … and that message is:
We off embryos for life[:es]In The Beginning: Growth In The Womb-World
The moment of conception is creation of life. Within two weeks, the germ cell has become an embryo with three basic germ layers: the ectoderm, the mesoderm, and the endoderm. This is not unlike a star birth in outer space in which the gaseous nebula later condenses into layers.
These primitive, embryonic germ layers are the precursors to functional tissue organization in the body. The ectoderm develops primarily into the epidermis (skin covering) and neural tissue. The endoderm becomes the lining of the digestive system, the glands associated with digestion, and the respiratory system. In the middle is the mesoderm-which differentiates into a complex array of tissues. It becomes the filler between skin and digestive tube and also gives rise to muscle, connective tissue (blood, cartilage, ligaments, tendons and fascia), and to the reproductive and urinary systems.
By the third week of pregnancy, this mesoderm layer contains primitive mesenchyme cells which separate from the mesoderm and connect the three germ layers. These are the first cells to serve a primitive connective tissue function in the evolving body.
By the end of the first month of pregnancy, the mesoderm houses primitive fibers made by connections of the mesenchyme cells in the semi fluid intercellular matrix. This matrix is a type of primitive blood plasma; a protein solution that baths the cells in essential nutrients. Eventually the embryo develops major arteries and veins which are the autobahns for rapid blood transport in the body. Blood then passes on to smaller veins and arteries which are like local roads. Eventually, as in a car, it is possible to drive off the road entirely and onto a country meadow. The matrix of the mesoderm would be like the country meadow. It is liquid, so the process is actually like rivers feeding into a matrix ocean. By the time blood emerges into the matrix, it has been destructured down to the basic components for cellular nutrition.
By the end of the second month of pregnancy, true collagen fibers have developed in the matrix. This is the beginning of the mature connective tissue bed, which consists of fibroblast cells, collagen fibers, and an intercellular matrix with small arterials, venials, and capillaries. With these building blocks present, specific areas in the connective tissue bed begin to specialize-and differentiate further.
Possibly through a genetic stimulus, cells in certain areas of the mesoderm start to secrete a thick, rubbery matrix (chondromucoid). As this dense matrix flows through the fibrous network, cells are pushed away from each other; capillaries are compressed, impeding blood flow into the area. This is the early stage of cartilage formation. The process might be likened to the separation of the seas and formation of dry land in the Biblical story of creation. As cells continue to secrete this rubbery matrix, compressed cells at the center die because they are cut off from oxygen and nutrients they would normally obtain in the free flowing matrix. In this way the primitive cartilage skeletal framework begins to form.
As the immature skeleton condenses in the connective tissue bed, the cartilage is penetrated by a vascular bud (connective tissue with blood) in response to the stress of lack of oxygen and nutrients. The vascular bud bores its way into the center of the condensed area of inner cells. Within the vascular bud are cartilage digesting cells (chondroclasts) which engulf and digest cartilage in the area of the bud. This process is called vascularization and marks the beginning of cartilage destruction in the pre bone. Digesting cells create open space at the center of the cartilage. This space is then filled with bone forming cells (osteoblasts) which secrete calcified bone protein. The process is both destructive and constructive, a sequence of cartilage growth and bone replacement. Cartilage continues to grow at the bone’s surface, while its center is replaced with calcified bone. In this way bone chases cartilage, and both increases in size as the developing body grows.
Bone thus develops as an area of connective tissue specialization with its own characteristic cells, fibers, and matrix. The hallmark of bone is its hardened, calcified matrix. This view modifies our attitude that bone is an isolated, presumably unchangeable structure. Eventually a similar process happens to bone as happened to cartilage. As bony areas increase in length and thickness, bone digesting cells (osteoclasts) eat away the central core, creating bone marrow cavities which ultimately fill in fat and blood forming tissues (which are both further modifications of connective tissue).
The process of bone growth catches up with the cartilage skeletal model about 20 to 25 years after we leave the womb. Perhaps it is this which has given rise to the idea that we finish our physical identity by our early twenties. Yet there is still potential for bone contour modification throughout the life of the individual. If it were not so, teeth braces would not work. The principle behind braces is pressure; the basic principle to all growth in the body. If persistent pressure is applied to a bone, stress activates cells in that portion of the bone to become bone producing cells (osteoblasts) while cells in another area compensate by converting to bone digesting cells (osteoclasts) which resourb bone tissue. In this way the shape of bone can change long after its first formation. This embryonic response to stress is retained throughout a lifetime. If this response exists in bone, the hardest form of connective tissue, we can begin to see how it is possible in all forms of connective tissue.
Bones are at the core, the deepest level of the mesoderm’s matrix ocean. Yet it is inaccurate to think that bones act like a scaffolding, like a rigid frame on which soft tissue hangs. Nor do bones fit into a tight lock-and-key pattern as a skeleton might suggest. Bones actually float in the body. This floating action is mediated through the joints, which are primarily connections between the bones. A joint is the connective tissue extension at the end of a bone which forms a membrane capsule, connecting the surface of one bone with the next. In a living body, there is a fluid film between the bones; a secretion of connective tissue fluid into the joint capsule. If this fluid were not there, bone would be grinding on bone. The loss of this fluid becomes a factor for example in dancer’s knee problems. When bone gets too close, the cells are pressured to secrete more fluid. As this fluid increases it may balloon out the joint capsule. Fluid on the knee can be reduced through Rolfing. As connective tissue around bones is opened and lengthened, fluid decreases because there is proper space between the bones and the stress is removed. Ligaments provide a further connection between bones. Their formation in the embryo follows the pattern that is characteristic of connective tissue under directional pressure and stress. As the embryonic cartilage skeleton grows, it exerts directional pressure in the connective tissue bed; creating tension between and along adjacent bones. This tension activates the fibroblast cells to increase their collagen fiber secretion and, characteristically, these fibers will line up along the line of tension. The ligamentous fibers thus originated will attach to the fibrous part of the bone surface (the periosteum), providing a continuity from the periosteum of one bone to the ligament to the periosteum of the next bone to the ligament, etc., and creating the support network for the body.
Tendons similarly provide a connection between muscles and bones, forming in much the same way as ligaments. Tendons are collagen fiber bundles that extended beyond muscle and are continuous with the bone surface (periosteum). The dense fibrous net of connective tissue that envelops and penetrates the muscle itself is called fascia muscle and fascia together are called the myofascia. This is another interconnected connective tissue network; from periosteum of bone, to tendon, to myofascial tissue, to tendon, to periosteum of the next bone, etc., creating a movement network throughout the body. We presume that the direction and development of the tendonous bed determines the direction of muscle development and organization rather than visa versa.
These interconnected structures form in the evolving connective tissue bed in response to the directional pressure from growing bones. This pressure creates the tension which signals the need that a particular function must be met. Function is the determining structure in the evolving embryonic body. This developmental cycle is not limited to the womb world, in fact, this embryonic response to tension and stress is inherent in the mesoderm and conditions its growth and responsiveness throughout life.
The Continuing Saga of the Mesoderm: Growing Down In’ The Outside World
In a Rolfing practice, we see tendon-like cords which have developed in the body where no ligaments or tendons are shown in standard anatomy texts. For example, tension cords usually develop between the shoulder blades and spine in people who habitually pull back their shoulders. Another common example are the heavy cords which develop along the upper margin of the hip bone (ilium) and extend to include the sacroiliac junction. These form when being “uptight” quite literally resulting from a tightening of the anus and buttocks.
It is generally assumed that these tension cords are tough muscle. In fact, they are hardened, contracted, often “frozen” connective tissue covering muscle tissue. We would suggest that these cords come into being in exactly the same manner as tendons and ligaments in the embryo. However, these tension cords are reversible, they can let go. When a habitually tensed body changes from a protectively held “shoulders up, head forward” position to a more relaxed “shoulders down, head back” position, many of the stresses on the back are released and the tension cords from the old position relax and disband. Habitually tensed tissue which has hardened like a frozen rubber band thaws and regains its elasticity. This thawing occurs when the stress is removed.
Many of these tension cords exist on the surface of the fascial bed, in what we have called the body stocking. Their effect on movement and on structures beneath the surface runs deep, it is not superficial. This is because there is continuity between the layers of the fascial bed. The structural network, movement network, and the surface body stocking are interconnected within the webof fascia, the most pervasive derivative of the embryonic mesoderm. Fascia acts as a packing material for all organs and systems in the body. The body stocking fits just under the skin, as it flows over the body it tends to get snagged on the bony protrusions (joints) where there is a normal increase in fascial density. When this density is excessive; however, it will tend to inhibit movement of the joint. The body stocking reflects lack of movement at any level in the body. It is an excellent index of the condition of the structures within.
Between this surface body stocking and the deepest (structural) fascial layer at the bone level there is much less linearly organized connective tissue layer. Muscle and fascia] tissue weave and interweave between body stocking and bone, surrounded by filler which has a texture almost like shredded paper. Pads of fat and fibrous connective tissue are part of this filler. Fatty pads come into being where the joints are constricted, giving the body a lumpy appearance. There are normally pads over the upper part of the hip bones and pads along the back (sacrum). When there is shortening in the back and holding patterns in the rear end, these pads get dense and larger. In Rolfing, as connective tissue on the surface body stocking relaxes the body is able to lengthen, constrictions around the joints and the spinal vertebrae open and let go. Then, fatty pads in the filler layer can melt and the body regains a smoother contour.
We differ from traditional attitudes about soft tissue descriptive anatomy in two major ways: (1) we consider all connective tissue “structures” as areas of specialization within a continuous connective tissue bed; (2) we recognize areas of connective tissue specialization which have not been described, namely the body retinaculi or bands. These are visible in the living body, losing their characteristic organization after death.
The body bands logically will arise in the fetus as normal supportive concentrations by mid-pregnancy. They could serve as horizontal supports for the belly and chest of the fetus at a time when it is being held in a curved position. The front of the developing fetus is much slower to achieve a differentiated and resilient structure than is the back.
We see a primary pattern of constriction occurring in the body stocking. It is apparent as a series of horizontal concentrations of fibers which tend to accumulate in relation to the spinal flexures or junctions. When a body is not vertically balanced, its weight will tend to pull the soft tissue away from the bony scaffolding, creating directional stress in the connective tissue bed. Collagen fibers then form surface bands. These are oriented along the line of stress, which is at right angles to the spine, holding the tissue closer to the bony core. There are seven of these bandings in the torso, each associated with one of the spinal flexures. (See illustration and captions). When it is excessive, this kind of thickening in the body stocking will tend to inhibit the flow of movement and energy.
The pattern of blocks described in bioenergetics bears considerable resemblance to our map of body bands, as does the chakra system of Tantric Yoga. Bioenergetics is primarily a psychological and emotional analysis of body structure. It goes into considerable detail describing the relation of physical and emotional attitudes to holding patterns. The oriental system of kundalini yoga includes the chakras, a series of points along the spine that correspond to the spinal flexures which are the endpoints of our bands. An inability to extend the spine at these points inhibits all forms of energy flow: movement, emotion, and consciousness. There is a natural transformation of energy in the human body from the denser energy used for support and locomotion to the more differentiated energy needed for the processes of aliveness: regeneration, perception, manual dexterity, speech, awareness and mentation. These transformations, in oriental tradition, are mediated through the spinal flexures. When the flexures cannot extend, directional stress through the connective tissue will generate surface retaining bands, building the soft tissue more securely to its bony core. In turn, these bands will act as an anchor, preventing full body extension and establishing a stress pattern that increasingly pulls the body away from the vertical into the curved embryonic pattern.
The seven flexures of the spinal column are established in the first month of pregnancy in a postural curve that precedes the formation of the vertebra, which then mold themselves to this body shape. We tend to assume that the embryo lies in an unbroken, undifferentiated “c” shaped curve within the uterus, but this is really not the case. The shape is actually more angular; the flexures provide a pattern for regional differentiation in the vertebral column. As the embryo develops, these flexures become the junctions of the torso. In an adult, the greatest potential for inhibition of movement occurs at these junctions. The degree to which we maintain the spinal flexures in a “closed” position reflects our unwillingness to let go of the embryonic position. In a sense, we keep the option open to return to the womb.
Body bands do not occur only in the torso. We also find bands around the knees, ankles, wrists, and elbows. There are balances across the body (as at the wrist and pubic arch), as well as through the length of the body (as in the correspondence of tension between the ankles and the atlanto occipital [head and neck] junction). It is often impossible to clear restrictions at the pubic bone unless restrictions in the wrist are also cleared. We go into the interconnections of these body bands in more detail in a forthcoming book, The Endless Web.
The specific shape of body bands will vary from person to person. They have arisen out of patterns of use and are areas of fiber concentrated rather than specific structures. Also, in any one band there will be areas where the fibers are more concentrated, other areas where condensation is more diffuse, and still other areas where the bands will be pulled up, down, or inward by pulls from other parts of the body. Moreover, the bands can have a third dimension, forcing restriction through the body like a shelf. An example of this is often found in gymnasts who develop a pelvic shelf that will constrict the lower intestines, bowels, and sex organs.
In a maturely developed body, there is a natural spring action in the spine, a normal length and flow of movement at these junctions with corresponding length in the front of the torso. By observing the pattern of body bands in the body stocking, we have a readily available road map showing when the individual is unwilling to open, lengthen, and straighten at these junctions. Rolfing is a means of loosening these fascial bands that bind us.
We have alluded to several ways in which parts of a person’s body will reflect emotional repression-compressed joints, heavy horizontal connective tissue fiber concentrations, depressed ribs, etc. Frequently, during the Rolfing process, emotion will surface as a particular area is encouraged to greater freedom and mobility. The physical goal of Rolfing is always in the direction of greater length and a freer flow of movement and energy throughout the body. The held emotion is not specific to a particular physical body restriction.
For example, as the armpit is manipulated, one of a variety of emotional responses might be apparent: anger, sadness, joy, contentment, impatience, irritability. We cannot relate a particular body conformation to a single emotional classification. This would be misleading and might even be dangerous. As the physical restriction changes, the Rolfers’ role is not to classify, but rather to observe and to be present for whatever physical and emotional responses may emerge.
What we have presented is an anatomical description of a body language. Whether it is interpreted in term of emotional blocks, energy centers, or structural bandings, the goals remain the same. When the soft tissue releases, the joints are able to “float”, increasing awareness and mobility in the body. Such responses must lead to lifting upward while remaining grounded-Ida Rolf’s vision of verticality in relation to gravity.
Body Retinacula: The Seven Body Bands of the Torso
1. The lowest band in the torso extends from the pubic bone in front across the groin (which is thereby shortened), around the hip bones (the greater trochanter of the femur), and across the buttocks, ending at the junction of the sacrum and coccyx.
2. The band across the lower abdomen is frequently more prominent in men. It connects the two bony projections of the pelvic bones in front (the anterior-superior spines of the ilia). It usually dips slightly downward in front, like an inverted arch, resembling an internal jock strap or chastity belt. Its lower margin tends to include the inguinal ligament, connecting the band downward to the region of the pubic bone. This band extends laterally along the upper margin of the large wings of the pelvic bone (ilia), ending at the lumbo-sacral junction.
3. The third band crosses the abdomen and is perhaps the most variable in shape. It may cross at the umbilicus (sometimes creating a crease in the abdominal wall extending out on either side of the umbilicus), or it may lie midway between the umbilicus and the midcostal arch (tying together the two sides of the costal arch). In either case, it will extend laterally to from an arch across the abdomen to the lower ribs on each side-particularly to the free tip of the 11th rib. It travels backward along the lower ribs, ending at the junction of the thoracic and lumbar vertebrae.
4. The fourth band is in the area just below the nipples and is visually the most apparent. It is usually a non-moving depressed area on the chest, the skin seems glued down onto the ribs and muscle. Laterally, it extends along the lower border of the pectoralis major, across the midlateral chest, and down the lateral margin of the latissimus dorsi where it begins to run parallel to the scapula toward the arm. The strap appears to tie the lower tip of the scapula to the back rubs and ends at the dorsal hinge of the spine. When this strap is pronounced, there is not only a depressed mid chest, but an inability to expand the ribs sideways in breathing.
5. The fifth strap at the shoulders involves the clavicle and is part of the tissue gluing the clavicle to the first and second ribs in front. It can be felt as a pad of tissue just below and deep to the collar bone (clavicle). It extends laterally to the tip of the shoulder, with some fibers fanning down into the armpit. The strap continues toward the back on the inside and outside of the upper border of the shoulder blade (scapula), and ends at the junction of cervical and thoracic vertebrae.
6. The area below the chin (the chin-strap) is an area of concentration of fibers and padding which includes the hyoid bone and the base of the jaw, passing just below the ear, and ending where the base of the skull joins the first cervical vertebrae (atlas).
7. The top band is the most difficult to visualize. It originates on the bridge of the nose, travels across the eye sockets and above the ears, and ends at the back of the skull just above the occipital crest (the bump at the back of the skull).
<img src=’https://novo.pedroprado.com.br/imgs/1994/411-1.gif’>
There is an extraordinary drama happening every day in the mesoderm. A story pregnant with birth, copulation and death; of cellular migration and tissue transformation.
Yet nobody knows what the mesoderm is
The mesoderm is the median layer between skin and digestive system in the human body. Our bodies derive a never ending potential for change from the mesoderm.
The theme of the meso dermic drama is simply this: we create our bodies through use and disuse.
In order to understand this better we must create a vocabulary in which the anatomy of tissue mechanics is clearly understood. For the message of the mesoderm is locked into the nuts and bolts of tissue and cell … and that message is:
We off embryos for life[:ja]In The Beginning: Growth In The Womb-World
The moment of conception is creation of life. Within two weeks, the germ cell has become an embryo with three basic germ layers: the ectoderm, the mesoderm, and the endoderm. This is not unlike a star birth in outer space in which the gaseous nebula later condenses into layers.
These primitive, embryonic germ layers are the precursors to functional tissue organization in the body. The ectoderm develops primarily into the epidermis (skin covering) and neural tissue. The endoderm becomes the lining of the digestive system, the glands associated with digestion, and the respiratory system. In the middle is the mesoderm-which differentiates into a complex array of tissues. It becomes the filler between skin and digestive tube and also gives rise to muscle, connective tissue (blood, cartilage, ligaments, tendons and fascia), and to the reproductive and urinary systems.
By the third week of pregnancy, this mesoderm layer contains primitive mesenchyme cells which separate from the mesoderm and connect the three germ layers. These are the first cells to serve a primitive connective tissue function in the evolving body.
By the end of the first month of pregnancy, the mesoderm houses primitive fibers made by connections of the mesenchyme cells in the semi fluid intercellular matrix. This matrix is a type of primitive blood plasma; a protein solution that baths the cells in essential nutrients. Eventually the embryo develops major arteries and veins which are the autobahns for rapid blood transport in the body. Blood then passes on to smaller veins and arteries which are like local roads. Eventually, as in a car, it is possible to drive off the road entirely and onto a country meadow. The matrix of the mesoderm would be like the country meadow. It is liquid, so the process is actually like rivers feeding into a matrix ocean. By the time blood emerges into the matrix, it has been destructured down to the basic components for cellular nutrition.
By the end of the second month of pregnancy, true collagen fibers have developed in the matrix. This is the beginning of the mature connective tissue bed, which consists of fibroblast cells, collagen fibers, and an intercellular matrix with small arterials, venials, and capillaries. With these building blocks present, specific areas in the connective tissue bed begin to specialize-and differentiate further.
Possibly through a genetic stimulus, cells in certain areas of the mesoderm start to secrete a thick, rubbery matrix (chondromucoid). As this dense matrix flows through the fibrous network, cells are pushed away from each other; capillaries are compressed, impeding blood flow into the area. This is the early stage of cartilage formation. The process might be likened to the separation of the seas and formation of dry land in the Biblical story of creation. As cells continue to secrete this rubbery matrix, compressed cells at the center die because they are cut off from oxygen and nutrients they would normally obtain in the free flowing matrix. In this way the primitive cartilage skeletal framework begins to form.
As the immature skeleton condenses in the connective tissue bed, the cartilage is penetrated by a vascular bud (connective tissue with blood) in response to the stress of lack of oxygen and nutrients. The vascular bud bores its way into the center of the condensed area of inner cells. Within the vascular bud are cartilage digesting cells (chondroclasts) which engulf and digest cartilage in the area of the bud. This process is called vascularization and marks the beginning of cartilage destruction in the pre bone. Digesting cells create open space at the center of the cartilage. This space is then filled with bone forming cells (osteoblasts) which secrete calcified bone protein. The process is both destructive and constructive, a sequence of cartilage growth and bone replacement. Cartilage continues to grow at the bone’s surface, while its center is replaced with calcified bone. In this way bone chases cartilage, and both increases in size as the developing body grows.
Bone thus develops as an area of connective tissue specialization with its own characteristic cells, fibers, and matrix. The hallmark of bone is its hardened, calcified matrix. This view modifies our attitude that bone is an isolated, presumably unchangeable structure. Eventually a similar process happens to bone as happened to cartilage. As bony areas increase in length and thickness, bone digesting cells (osteoclasts) eat away the central core, creating bone marrow cavities which ultimately fill in fat and blood forming tissues (which are both further modifications of connective tissue).
The process of bone growth catches up with the cartilage skeletal model about 20 to 25 years after we leave the womb. Perhaps it is this which has given rise to the idea that we finish our physical identity by our early twenties. Yet there is still potential for bone contour modification throughout the life of the individual. If it were not so, teeth braces would not work. The principle behind braces is pressure; the basic principle to all growth in the body. If persistent pressure is applied to a bone, stress activates cells in that portion of the bone to become bone producing cells (osteoblasts) while cells in another area compensate by converting to bone digesting cells (osteoclasts) which resourb bone tissue. In this way the shape of bone can change long after its first formation. This embryonic response to stress is retained throughout a lifetime. If this response exists in bone, the hardest form of connective tissue, we can begin to see how it is possible in all forms of connective tissue.
Bones are at the core, the deepest level of the mesoderm’s matrix ocean. Yet it is inaccurate to think that bones act like a scaffolding, like a rigid frame on which soft tissue hangs. Nor do bones fit into a tight lock-and-key pattern as a skeleton might suggest. Bones actually float in the body. This floating action is mediated through the joints, which are primarily connections between the bones. A joint is the connective tissue extension at the end of a bone which forms a membrane capsule, connecting the surface of one bone with the next. In a living body, there is a fluid film between the bones; a secretion of connective tissue fluid into the joint capsule. If this fluid were not there, bone would be grinding on bone. The loss of this fluid becomes a factor for example in dancer’s knee problems. When bone gets too close, the cells are pressured to secrete more fluid. As this fluid increases it may balloon out the joint capsule. Fluid on the knee can be reduced through Rolfing. As connective tissue around bones is opened and lengthened, fluid decreases because there is proper space between the bones and the stress is removed. Ligaments provide a further connection between bones. Their formation in the embryo follows the pattern that is characteristic of connective tissue under directional pressure and stress. As the embryonic cartilage skeleton grows, it exerts directional pressure in the connective tissue bed; creating tension between and along adjacent bones. This tension activates the fibroblast cells to increase their collagen fiber secretion and, characteristically, these fibers will line up along the line of tension. The ligamentous fibers thus originated will attach to the fibrous part of the bone surface (the periosteum), providing a continuity from the periosteum of one bone to the ligament to the periosteum of the next bone to the ligament, etc., and creating the support network for the body.
Tendons similarly provide a connection between muscles and bones, forming in much the same way as ligaments. Tendons are collagen fiber bundles that extended beyond muscle and are continuous with the bone surface (periosteum). The dense fibrous net of connective tissue that envelops and penetrates the muscle itself is called fascia muscle and fascia together are called the myofascia. This is another interconnected connective tissue network; from periosteum of bone, to tendon, to myofascial tissue, to tendon, to periosteum of the next bone, etc., creating a movement network throughout the body. We presume that the direction and development of the tendonous bed determines the direction of muscle development and organization rather than visa versa.
These interconnected structures form in the evolving connective tissue bed in response to the directional pressure from growing bones. This pressure creates the tension which signals the need that a particular function must be met. Function is the determining structure in the evolving embryonic body. This developmental cycle is not limited to the womb world, in fact, this embryonic response to tension and stress is inherent in the mesoderm and conditions its growth and responsiveness throughout life.
The Continuing Saga of the Mesoderm: Growing Down In’ The Outside World
In a Rolfing practice, we see tendon-like cords which have developed in the body where no ligaments or tendons are shown in standard anatomy texts. For example, tension cords usually develop between the shoulder blades and spine in people who habitually pull back their shoulders. Another common example are the heavy cords which develop along the upper margin of the hip bone (ilium) and extend to include the sacroiliac junction. These form when being “uptight” quite literally resulting from a tightening of the anus and buttocks.
It is generally assumed that these tension cords are tough muscle. In fact, they are hardened, contracted, often “frozen” connective tissue covering muscle tissue. We would suggest that these cords come into being in exactly the same manner as tendons and ligaments in the embryo. However, these tension cords are reversible, they can let go. When a habitually tensed body changes from a protectively held “shoulders up, head forward” position to a more relaxed “shoulders down, head back” position, many of the stresses on the back are released and the tension cords from the old position relax and disband. Habitually tensed tissue which has hardened like a frozen rubber band thaws and regains its elasticity. This thawing occurs when the stress is removed.
Many of these tension cords exist on the surface of the fascial bed, in what we have called the body stocking. Their effect on movement and on structures beneath the surface runs deep, it is not superficial. This is because there is continuity between the layers of the fascial bed. The structural network, movement network, and the surface body stocking are interconnected within the webof fascia, the most pervasive derivative of the embryonic mesoderm. Fascia acts as a packing material for all organs and systems in the body. The body stocking fits just under the skin, as it flows over the body it tends to get snagged on the bony protrusions (joints) where there is a normal increase in fascial density. When this density is excessive; however, it will tend to inhibit movement of the joint. The body stocking reflects lack of movement at any level in the body. It is an excellent index of the condition of the structures within.
Between this surface body stocking and the deepest (structural) fascial layer at the bone level there is much less linearly organized connective tissue layer. Muscle and fascia] tissue weave and interweave between body stocking and bone, surrounded by filler which has a texture almost like shredded paper. Pads of fat and fibrous connective tissue are part of this filler. Fatty pads come into being where the joints are constricted, giving the body a lumpy appearance. There are normally pads over the upper part of the hip bones and pads along the back (sacrum). When there is shortening in the back and holding patterns in the rear end, these pads get dense and larger. In Rolfing, as connective tissue on the surface body stocking relaxes the body is able to lengthen, constrictions around the joints and the spinal vertebrae open and let go. Then, fatty pads in the filler layer can melt and the body regains a smoother contour.
We differ from traditional attitudes about soft tissue descriptive anatomy in two major ways: (1) we consider all connective tissue “structures” as areas of specialization within a continuous connective tissue bed; (2) we recognize areas of connective tissue specialization which have not been described, namely the body retinaculi or bands. These are visible in the living body, losing their characteristic organization after death.
The body bands logically will arise in the fetus as normal supportive concentrations by mid-pregnancy. They could serve as horizontal supports for the belly and chest of the fetus at a time when it is being held in a curved position. The front of the developing fetus is much slower to achieve a differentiated and resilient structure than is the back.
We see a primary pattern of constriction occurring in the body stocking. It is apparent as a series of horizontal concentrations of fibers which tend to accumulate in relation to the spinal flexures or junctions. When a body is not vertically balanced, its weight will tend to pull the soft tissue away from the bony scaffolding, creating directional stress in the connective tissue bed. Collagen fibers then form surface bands. These are oriented along the line of stress, which is at right angles to the spine, holding the tissue closer to the bony core. There are seven of these bandings in the torso, each associated with one of the spinal flexures. (See illustration and captions). When it is excessive, this kind of thickening in the body stocking will tend to inhibit the flow of movement and energy.
The pattern of blocks described in bioenergetics bears considerable resemblance to our map of body bands, as does the chakra system of Tantric Yoga. Bioenergetics is primarily a psychological and emotional analysis of body structure. It goes into considerable detail describing the relation of physical and emotional attitudes to holding patterns. The oriental system of kundalini yoga includes the chakras, a series of points along the spine that correspond to the spinal flexures which are the endpoints of our bands. An inability to extend the spine at these points inhibits all forms of energy flow: movement, emotion, and consciousness. There is a natural transformation of energy in the human body from the denser energy used for support and locomotion to the more differentiated energy needed for the processes of aliveness: regeneration, perception, manual dexterity, speech, awareness and mentation. These transformations, in oriental tradition, are mediated through the spinal flexures. When the flexures cannot extend, directional stress through the connective tissue will generate surface retaining bands, building the soft tissue more securely to its bony core. In turn, these bands will act as an anchor, preventing full body extension and establishing a stress pattern that increasingly pulls the body away from the vertical into the curved embryonic pattern.
The seven flexures of the spinal column are established in the first month of pregnancy in a postural curve that precedes the formation of the vertebra, which then mold themselves to this body shape. We tend to assume that the embryo lies in an unbroken, undifferentiated “c” shaped curve within the uterus, but this is really not the case. The shape is actually more angular; the flexures provide a pattern for regional differentiation in the vertebral column. As the embryo develops, these flexures become the junctions of the torso. In an adult, the greatest potential for inhibition of movement occurs at these junctions. The degree to which we maintain the spinal flexures in a “closed” position reflects our unwillingness to let go of the embryonic position. In a sense, we keep the option open to return to the womb.
Body bands do not occur only in the torso. We also find bands around the knees, ankles, wrists, and elbows. There are balances across the body (as at the wrist and pubic arch), as well as through the length of the body (as in the correspondence of tension between the ankles and the atlanto occipital [head and neck] junction). It is often impossible to clear restrictions at the pubic bone unless restrictions in the wrist are also cleared. We go into the interconnections of these body bands in more detail in a forthcoming book, The Endless Web.
The specific shape of body bands will vary from person to person. They have arisen out of patterns of use and are areas of fiber concentrated rather than specific structures. Also, in any one band there will be areas where the fibers are more concentrated, other areas where condensation is more diffuse, and still other areas where the bands will be pulled up, down, or inward by pulls from other parts of the body. Moreover, the bands can have a third dimension, forcing restriction through the body like a shelf. An example of this is often found in gymnasts who develop a pelvic shelf that will constrict the lower intestines, bowels, and sex organs.
In a maturely developed body, there is a natural spring action in the spine, a normal length and flow of movement at these junctions with corresponding length in the front of the torso. By observing the pattern of body bands in the body stocking, we have a readily available road map showing when the individual is unwilling to open, lengthen, and straighten at these junctions. Rolfing is a means of loosening these fascial bands that bind us.
We have alluded to several ways in which parts of a person’s body will reflect emotional repression-compressed joints, heavy horizontal connective tissue fiber concentrations, depressed ribs, etc. Frequently, during the Rolfing process, emotion will surface as a particular area is encouraged to greater freedom and mobility. The physical goal of Rolfing is always in the direction of greater length and a freer flow of movement and energy throughout the body. The held emotion is not specific to a particular physical body restriction.
For example, as the armpit is manipulated, one of a variety of emotional responses might be apparent: anger, sadness, joy, contentment, impatience, irritability. We cannot relate a particular body conformation to a single emotional classification. This would be misleading and might even be dangerous. As the physical restriction changes, the Rolfers’ role is not to classify, but rather to observe and to be present for whatever physical and emotional responses may emerge.
What we have presented is an anatomical description of a body language. Whether it is interpreted in term of emotional blocks, energy centers, or structural bandings, the goals remain the same. When the soft tissue releases, the joints are able to “float”, increasing awareness and mobility in the body. Such responses must lead to lifting upward while remaining grounded-Ida Rolf’s vision of verticality in relation to gravity.
Body Retinacula: The Seven Body Bands of the Torso
1. The lowest band in the torso extends from the pubic bone in front across the groin (which is thereby shortened), around the hip bones (the greater trochanter of the femur), and across the buttocks, ending at the junction of the sacrum and coccyx.
2. The band across the lower abdomen is frequently more prominent in men. It connects the two bony projections of the pelvic bones in front (the anterior-superior spines of the ilia). It usually dips slightly downward in front, like an inverted arch, resembling an internal jock strap or chastity belt. Its lower margin tends to include the inguinal ligament, connecting the band downward to the region of the pubic bone. This band extends laterally along the upper margin of the large wings of the pelvic bone (ilia), ending at the lumbo-sacral junction.
3. The third band crosses the abdomen and is perhaps the most variable in shape. It may cross at the umbilicus (sometimes creating a crease in the abdominal wall extending out on either side of the umbilicus), or it may lie midway between the umbilicus and the midcostal arch (tying together the two sides of the costal arch). In either case, it will extend laterally to from an arch across the abdomen to the lower ribs on each side-particularly to the free tip of the 11th rib. It travels backward along the lower ribs, ending at the junction of the thoracic and lumbar vertebrae.
4. The fourth band is in the area just below the nipples and is visually the most apparent. It is usually a non-moving depressed area on the chest, the skin seems glued down onto the ribs and muscle. Laterally, it extends along the lower border of the pectoralis major, across the midlateral chest, and down the lateral margin of the latissimus dorsi where it begins to run parallel to the scapula toward the arm. The strap appears to tie the lower tip of the scapula to the back rubs and ends at the dorsal hinge of the spine. When this strap is pronounced, there is not only a depressed mid chest, but an inability to expand the ribs sideways in breathing.
5. The fifth strap at the shoulders involves the clavicle and is part of the tissue gluing the clavicle to the first and second ribs in front. It can be felt as a pad of tissue just below and deep to the collar bone (clavicle). It extends laterally to the tip of the shoulder, with some fibers fanning down into the armpit. The strap continues toward the back on the inside and outside of the upper border of the shoulder blade (scapula), and ends at the junction of cervical and thoracic vertebrae.
6. The area below the chin (the chin-strap) is an area of concentration of fibers and padding which includes the hyoid bone and the base of the jaw, passing just below the ear, and ending where the base of the skull joins the first cervical vertebrae (atlas).
7. The top band is the most difficult to visualize. It originates on the bridge of the nose, travels across the eye sockets and above the ears, and ends at the back of the skull just above the occipital crest (the bump at the back of the skull).
<img src=’https://novo.pedroprado.com.br/imgs/1994/411-1.gif’>
There is an extraordinary drama happening every day in the mesoderm. A story pregnant with birth, copulation and death; of cellular migration and tissue transformation.
Yet nobody knows what the mesoderm is
The mesoderm is the median layer between skin and digestive system in the human body. Our bodies derive a never ending potential for change from the mesoderm.
The theme of the meso dermic drama is simply this: we create our bodies through use and disuse.
In order to understand this better we must create a vocabulary in which the anatomy of tissue mechanics is clearly understood. For the message of the mesoderm is locked into the nuts and bolts of tissue and cell … and that message is:
We off embryos for life[:it]In The Beginning: Growth In The Womb-World
The moment of conception is creation of life. Within two weeks, the germ cell has become an embryo with three basic germ layers: the ectoderm, the mesoderm, and the endoderm. This is not unlike a star birth in outer space in which the gaseous nebula later condenses into layers.
These primitive, embryonic germ layers are the precursors to functional tissue organization in the body. The ectoderm develops primarily into the epidermis (skin covering) and neural tissue. The endoderm becomes the lining of the digestive system, the glands associated with digestion, and the respiratory system. In the middle is the mesoderm-which differentiates into a complex array of tissues. It becomes the filler between skin and digestive tube and also gives rise to muscle, connective tissue (blood, cartilage, ligaments, tendons and fascia), and to the reproductive and urinary systems.
By the third week of pregnancy, this mesoderm layer contains primitive mesenchyme cells which separate from the mesoderm and connect the three germ layers. These are the first cells to serve a primitive connective tissue function in the evolving body.
By the end of the first month of pregnancy, the mesoderm houses primitive fibers made by connections of the mesenchyme cells in the semi fluid intercellular matrix. This matrix is a type of primitive blood plasma; a protein solution that baths the cells in essential nutrients. Eventually the embryo develops major arteries and veins which are the autobahns for rapid blood transport in the body. Blood then passes on to smaller veins and arteries which are like local roads. Eventually, as in a car, it is possible to drive off the road entirely and onto a country meadow. The matrix of the mesoderm would be like the country meadow. It is liquid, so the process is actually like rivers feeding into a matrix ocean. By the time blood emerges into the matrix, it has been destructured down to the basic components for cellular nutrition.
By the end of the second month of pregnancy, true collagen fibers have developed in the matrix. This is the beginning of the mature connective tissue bed, which consists of fibroblast cells, collagen fibers, and an intercellular matrix with small arterials, venials, and capillaries. With these building blocks present, specific areas in the connective tissue bed begin to specialize-and differentiate further.
Possibly through a genetic stimulus, cells in certain areas of the mesoderm start to secrete a thick, rubbery matrix (chondromucoid). As this dense matrix flows through the fibrous network, cells are pushed away from each other; capillaries are compressed, impeding blood flow into the area. This is the early stage of cartilage formation. The process might be likened to the separation of the seas and formation of dry land in the Biblical story of creation. As cells continue to secrete this rubbery matrix, compressed cells at the center die because they are cut off from oxygen and nutrients they would normally obtain in the free flowing matrix. In this way the primitive cartilage skeletal framework begins to form.
As the immature skeleton condenses in the connective tissue bed, the cartilage is penetrated by a vascular bud (connective tissue with blood) in response to the stress of lack of oxygen and nutrients. The vascular bud bores its way into the center of the condensed area of inner cells. Within the vascular bud are cartilage digesting cells (chondroclasts) which engulf and digest cartilage in the area of the bud. This process is called vascularization and marks the beginning of cartilage destruction in the pre bone. Digesting cells create open space at the center of the cartilage. This space is then filled with bone forming cells (osteoblasts) which secrete calcified bone protein. The process is both destructive and constructive, a sequence of cartilage growth and bone replacement. Cartilage continues to grow at the bone’s surface, while its center is replaced with calcified bone. In this way bone chases cartilage, and both increases in size as the developing body grows.
Bone thus develops as an area of connective tissue specialization with its own characteristic cells, fibers, and matrix. The hallmark of bone is its hardened, calcified matrix. This view modifies our attitude that bone is an isolated, presumably unchangeable structure. Eventually a similar process happens to bone as happened to cartilage. As bony areas increase in length and thickness, bone digesting cells (osteoclasts) eat away the central core, creating bone marrow cavities which ultimately fill in fat and blood forming tissues (which are both further modifications of connective tissue).
The process of bone growth catches up with the cartilage skeletal model about 20 to 25 years after we leave the womb. Perhaps it is this which has given rise to the idea that we finish our physical identity by our early twenties. Yet there is still potential for bone contour modification throughout the life of the individual. If it were not so, teeth braces would not work. The principle behind braces is pressure; the basic principle to all growth in the body. If persistent pressure is applied to a bone, stress activates cells in that portion of the bone to become bone producing cells (osteoblasts) while cells in another area compensate by converting to bone digesting cells (osteoclasts) which resourb bone tissue. In this way the shape of bone can change long after its first formation. This embryonic response to stress is retained throughout a lifetime. If this response exists in bone, the hardest form of connective tissue, we can begin to see how it is possible in all forms of connective tissue.
Bones are at the core, the deepest level of the mesoderm’s matrix ocean. Yet it is inaccurate to think that bones act like a scaffolding, like a rigid frame on which soft tissue hangs. Nor do bones fit into a tight lock-and-key pattern as a skeleton might suggest. Bones actually float in the body. This floating action is mediated through the joints, which are primarily connections between the bones. A joint is the connective tissue extension at the end of a bone which forms a membrane capsule, connecting the surface of one bone with the next. In a living body, there is a fluid film between the bones; a secretion of connective tissue fluid into the joint capsule. If this fluid were not there, bone would be grinding on bone. The loss of this fluid becomes a factor for example in dancer’s knee problems. When bone gets too close, the cells are pressured to secrete more fluid. As this fluid increases it may balloon out the joint capsule. Fluid on the knee can be reduced through Rolfing. As connective tissue around bones is opened and lengthened, fluid decreases because there is proper space between the bones and the stress is removed. Ligaments provide a further connection between bones. Their formation in the embryo follows the pattern that is characteristic of connective tissue under directional pressure and stress. As the embryonic cartilage skeleton grows, it exerts directional pressure in the connective tissue bed; creating tension between and along adjacent bones. This tension activates the fibroblast cells to increase their collagen fiber secretion and, characteristically, these fibers will line up along the line of tension. The ligamentous fibers thus originated will attach to the fibrous part of the bone surface (the periosteum), providing a continuity from the periosteum of one bone to the ligament to the periosteum of the next bone to the ligament, etc., and creating the support network for the body.
Tendons similarly provide a connection between muscles and bones, forming in much the same way as ligaments. Tendons are collagen fiber bundles that extended beyond muscle and are continuous with the bone surface (periosteum). The dense fibrous net of connective tissue that envelops and penetrates the muscle itself is called fascia muscle and fascia together are called the myofascia. This is another interconnected connective tissue network; from periosteum of bone, to tendon, to myofascial tissue, to tendon, to periosteum of the next bone, etc., creating a movement network throughout the body. We presume that the direction and development of the tendonous bed determines the direction of muscle development and organization rather than visa versa.
These interconnected structures form in the evolving connective tissue bed in response to the directional pressure from growing bones. This pressure creates the tension which signals the need that a particular function must be met. Function is the determining structure in the evolving embryonic body. This developmental cycle is not limited to the womb world, in fact, this embryonic response to tension and stress is inherent in the mesoderm and conditions its growth and responsiveness throughout life.
The Continuing Saga of the Mesoderm: Growing Down In’ The Outside World
In a Rolfing practice, we see tendon-like cords which have developed in the body where no ligaments or tendons are shown in standard anatomy texts. For example, tension cords usually develop between the shoulder blades and spine in people who habitually pull back their shoulders. Another common example are the heavy cords which develop along the upper margin of the hip bone (ilium) and extend to include the sacroiliac junction. These form when being “uptight” quite literally resulting from a tightening of the anus and buttocks.
It is generally assumed that these tension cords are tough muscle. In fact, they are hardened, contracted, often “frozen” connective tissue covering muscle tissue. We would suggest that these cords come into being in exactly the same manner as tendons and ligaments in the embryo. However, these tension cords are reversible, they can let go. When a habitually tensed body changes from a protectively held “shoulders up, head forward” position to a more relaxed “shoulders down, head back” position, many of the stresses on the back are released and the tension cords from the old position relax and disband. Habitually tensed tissue which has hardened like a frozen rubber band thaws and regains its elasticity. This thawing occurs when the stress is removed.
Many of these tension cords exist on the surface of the fascial bed, in what we have called the body stocking. Their effect on movement and on structures beneath the surface runs deep, it is not superficial. This is because there is continuity between the layers of the fascial bed. The structural network, movement network, and the surface body stocking are interconnected within the webof fascia, the most pervasive derivative of the embryonic mesoderm. Fascia acts as a packing material for all organs and systems in the body. The body stocking fits just under the skin, as it flows over the body it tends to get snagged on the bony protrusions (joints) where there is a normal increase in fascial density. When this density is excessive; however, it will tend to inhibit movement of the joint. The body stocking reflects lack of movement at any level in the body. It is an excellent index of the condition of the structures within.
Between this surface body stocking and the deepest (structural) fascial layer at the bone level there is much less linearly organized connective tissue layer. Muscle and fascia] tissue weave and interweave between body stocking and bone, surrounded by filler which has a texture almost like shredded paper. Pads of fat and fibrous connective tissue are part of this filler. Fatty pads come into being where the joints are constricted, giving the body a lumpy appearance. There are normally pads over the upper part of the hip bones and pads along the back (sacrum). When there is shortening in the back and holding patterns in the rear end, these pads get dense and larger. In Rolfing, as connective tissue on the surface body stocking relaxes the body is able to lengthen, constrictions around the joints and the spinal vertebrae open and let go. Then, fatty pads in the filler layer can melt and the body regains a smoother contour.
We differ from traditional attitudes about soft tissue descriptive anatomy in two major ways: (1) we consider all connective tissue “structures” as areas of specialization within a continuous connective tissue bed; (2) we recognize areas of connective tissue specialization which have not been described, namely the body retinaculi or bands. These are visible in the living body, losing their characteristic organization after death.
The body bands logically will arise in the fetus as normal supportive concentrations by mid-pregnancy. They could serve as horizontal supports for the belly and chest of the fetus at a time when it is being held in a curved position. The front of the developing fetus is much slower to achieve a differentiated and resilient structure than is the back.
We see a primary pattern of constriction occurring in the body stocking. It is apparent as a series of horizontal concentrations of fibers which tend to accumulate in relation to the spinal flexures or junctions. When a body is not vertically balanced, its weight will tend to pull the soft tissue away from the bony scaffolding, creating directional stress in the connective tissue bed. Collagen fibers then form surface bands. These are oriented along the line of stress, which is at right angles to the spine, holding the tissue closer to the bony core. There are seven of these bandings in the torso, each associated with one of the spinal flexures. (See illustration and captions). When it is excessive, this kind of thickening in the body stocking will tend to inhibit the flow of movement and energy.
The pattern of blocks described in bioenergetics bears considerable resemblance to our map of body bands, as does the chakra system of Tantric Yoga. Bioenergetics is primarily a psychological and emotional analysis of body structure. It goes into considerable detail describing the relation of physical and emotional attitudes to holding patterns. The oriental system of kundalini yoga includes the chakras, a series of points along the spine that correspond to the spinal flexures which are the endpoints of our bands. An inability to extend the spine at these points inhibits all forms of energy flow: movement, emotion, and consciousness. There is a natural transformation of energy in the human body from the denser energy used for support and locomotion to the more differentiated energy needed for the processes of aliveness: regeneration, perception, manual dexterity, speech, awareness and mentation. These transformations, in oriental tradition, are mediated through the spinal flexures. When the flexures cannot extend, directional stress through the connective tissue will generate surface retaining bands, building the soft tissue more securely to its bony core. In turn, these bands will act as an anchor, preventing full body extension and establishing a stress pattern that increasingly pulls the body away from the vertical into the curved embryonic pattern.
The seven flexures of the spinal column are established in the first month of pregnancy in a postural curve that precedes the formation of the vertebra, which then mold themselves to this body shape. We tend to assume that the embryo lies in an unbroken, undifferentiated “c” shaped curve within the uterus, but this is really not the case. The shape is actually more angular; the flexures provide a pattern for regional differentiation in the vertebral column. As the embryo develops, these flexures become the junctions of the torso. In an adult, the greatest potential for inhibition of movement occurs at these junctions. The degree to which we maintain the spinal flexures in a “closed” position reflects our unwillingness to let go of the embryonic position. In a sense, we keep the option open to return to the womb.
Body bands do not occur only in the torso. We also find bands around the knees, ankles, wrists, and elbows. There are balances across the body (as at the wrist and pubic arch), as well as through the length of the body (as in the correspondence of tension between the ankles and the atlanto occipital [head and neck] junction). It is often impossible to clear restrictions at the pubic bone unless restrictions in the wrist are also cleared. We go into the interconnections of these body bands in more detail in a forthcoming book, The Endless Web.
The specific shape of body bands will vary from person to person. They have arisen out of patterns of use and are areas of fiber concentrated rather than specific structures. Also, in any one band there will be areas where the fibers are more concentrated, other areas where condensation is more diffuse, and still other areas where the bands will be pulled up, down, or inward by pulls from other parts of the body. Moreover, the bands can have a third dimension, forcing restriction through the body like a shelf. An example of this is often found in gymnasts who develop a pelvic shelf that will constrict the lower intestines, bowels, and sex organs.
In a maturely developed body, there is a natural spring action in the spine, a normal length and flow of movement at these junctions with corresponding length in the front of the torso. By observing the pattern of body bands in the body stocking, we have a readily available road map showing when the individual is unwilling to open, lengthen, and straighten at these junctions. Rolfing is a means of loosening these fascial bands that bind us.
We have alluded to several ways in which parts of a person’s body will reflect emotional repression-compressed joints, heavy horizontal connective tissue fiber concentrations, depressed ribs, etc. Frequently, during the Rolfing process, emotion will surface as a particular area is encouraged to greater freedom and mobility. The physical goal of Rolfing is always in the direction of greater length and a freer flow of movement and energy throughout the body. The held emotion is not specific to a particular physical body restriction.
For example, as the armpit is manipulated, one of a variety of emotional responses might be apparent: anger, sadness, joy, contentment, impatience, irritability. We cannot relate a particular body conformation to a single emotional classification. This would be misleading and might even be dangerous. As the physical restriction changes, the Rolfers’ role is not to classify, but rather to observe and to be present for whatever physical and emotional responses may emerge.
What we have presented is an anatomical description of a body language. Whether it is interpreted in term of emotional blocks, energy centers, or structural bandings, the goals remain the same. When the soft tissue releases, the joints are able to “float”, increasing awareness and mobility in the body. Such responses must lead to lifting upward while remaining grounded-Ida Rolf’s vision of verticality in relation to gravity.
Body Retinacula: The Seven Body Bands of the Torso
1. The lowest band in the torso extends from the pubic bone in front across the groin (which is thereby shortened), around the hip bones (the greater trochanter of the femur), and across the buttocks, ending at the junction of the sacrum and coccyx.
2. The band across the lower abdomen is frequently more prominent in men. It connects the two bony projections of the pelvic bones in front (the anterior-superior spines of the ilia). It usually dips slightly downward in front, like an inverted arch, resembling an internal jock strap or chastity belt. Its lower margin tends to include the inguinal ligament, connecting the band downward to the region of the pubic bone. This band extends laterally along the upper margin of the large wings of the pelvic bone (ilia), ending at the lumbo-sacral junction.
3. The third band crosses the abdomen and is perhaps the most variable in shape. It may cross at the umbilicus (sometimes creating a crease in the abdominal wall extending out on either side of the umbilicus), or it may lie midway between the umbilicus and the midcostal arch (tying together the two sides of the costal arch). In either case, it will extend laterally to from an arch across the abdomen to the lower ribs on each side-particularly to the free tip of the 11th rib. It travels backward along the lower ribs, ending at the junction of the thoracic and lumbar vertebrae.
4. The fourth band is in the area just below the nipples and is visually the most apparent. It is usually a non-moving depressed area on the chest, the skin seems glued down onto the ribs and muscle. Laterally, it extends along the lower border of the pectoralis major, across the midlateral chest, and down the lateral margin of the latissimus dorsi where it begins to run parallel to the scapula toward the arm. The strap appears to tie the lower tip of the scapula to the back rubs and ends at the dorsal hinge of the spine. When this strap is pronounced, there is not only a depressed mid chest, but an inability to expand the ribs sideways in breathing.
5. The fifth strap at the shoulders involves the clavicle and is part of the tissue gluing the clavicle to the first and second ribs in front. It can be felt as a pad of tissue just below and deep to the collar bone (clavicle). It extends laterally to the tip of the shoulder, with some fibers fanning down into the armpit. The strap continues toward the back on the inside and outside of the upper border of the shoulder blade (scapula), and ends at the junction of cervical and thoracic vertebrae.
6. The area below the chin (the chin-strap) is an area of concentration of fibers and padding which includes the hyoid bone and the base of the jaw, passing just below the ear, and ending where the base of the skull joins the first cervical vertebrae (atlas).
7. The top band is the most difficult to visualize. It originates on the bridge of the nose, travels across the eye sockets and above the ears, and ends at the back of the skull just above the occipital crest (the bump at the back of the skull).
<img src=’https://novo.pedroprado.com.br/imgs/1994/411-1.gif’>
There is an extraordinary drama happening every day in the mesoderm. A story pregnant with birth, copulation and death; of cellular migration and tissue transformation.
Yet nobody knows what the mesoderm is
The mesoderm is the median layer between skin and digestive system in the human body. Our bodies derive a never ending potential for change from the mesoderm.
The theme of the meso dermic drama is simply this: we create our bodies through use and disuse.
In order to understand this better we must create a vocabulary in which the anatomy of tissue mechanics is clearly understood. For the message of the mesoderm is locked into the nuts and bolts of tissue and cell … and that message is:
We off embryos for life[:pb]In The Beginning: Growth In The Womb-World
The moment of conception is creation of life. Within two weeks, the germ cell has become an embryo with three basic germ layers: the ectoderm, the mesoderm, and the endoderm. This is not unlike a star birth in outer space in which the gaseous nebula later condenses into layers.
These primitive, embryonic germ layers are the precursors to functional tissue organization in the body. The ectoderm develops primarily into the epidermis (skin covering) and neural tissue. The endoderm becomes the lining of the digestive system, the glands associated with digestion, and the respiratory system. In the middle is the mesoderm-which differentiates into a complex array of tissues. It becomes the filler between skin and digestive tube and also gives rise to muscle, connective tissue (blood, cartilage, ligaments, tendons and fascia), and to the reproductive and urinary systems.
By the third week of pregnancy, this mesoderm layer contains primitive mesenchyme cells which separate from the mesoderm and connect the three germ layers. These are the first cells to serve a primitive connective tissue function in the evolving body.
By the end of the first month of pregnancy, the mesoderm houses primitive fibers made by connections of the mesenchyme cells in the semi fluid intercellular matrix. This matrix is a type of primitive blood plasma; a protein solution that baths the cells in essential nutrients. Eventually the embryo develops major arteries and veins which are the autobahns for rapid blood transport in the body. Blood then passes on to smaller veins and arteries which are like local roads. Eventually, as in a car, it is possible to drive off the road entirely and onto a country meadow. The matrix of the mesoderm would be like the country meadow. It is liquid, so the process is actually like rivers feeding into a matrix ocean. By the time blood emerges into the matrix, it has been destructured down to the basic components for cellular nutrition.
By the end of the second month of pregnancy, true collagen fibers have developed in the matrix. This is the beginning of the mature connective tissue bed, which consists of fibroblast cells, collagen fibers, and an intercellular matrix with small arterials, venials, and capillaries. With these building blocks present, specific areas in the connective tissue bed begin to specialize-and differentiate further.
Possibly through a genetic stimulus, cells in certain areas of the mesoderm start to secrete a thick, rubbery matrix (chondromucoid). As this dense matrix flows through the fibrous network, cells are pushed away from each other; capillaries are compressed, impeding blood flow into the area. This is the early stage of cartilage formation. The process might be likened to the separation of the seas and formation of dry land in the Biblical story of creation. As cells continue to secrete this rubbery matrix, compressed cells at the center die because they are cut off from oxygen and nutrients they would normally obtain in the free flowing matrix. In this way the primitive cartilage skeletal framework begins to form.
As the immature skeleton condenses in the connective tissue bed, the cartilage is penetrated by a vascular bud (connective tissue with blood) in response to the stress of lack of oxygen and nutrients. The vascular bud bores its way into the center of the condensed area of inner cells. Within the vascular bud are cartilage digesting cells (chondroclasts) which engulf and digest cartilage in the area of the bud. This process is called vascularization and marks the beginning of cartilage destruction in the pre bone. Digesting cells create open space at the center of the cartilage. This space is then filled with bone forming cells (osteoblasts) which secrete calcified bone protein. The process is both destructive and constructive, a sequence of cartilage growth and bone replacement. Cartilage continues to grow at the bone’s surface, while its center is replaced with calcified bone. In this way bone chases cartilage, and both increases in size as the developing body grows.
Bone thus develops as an area of connective tissue specialization with its own characteristic cells, fibers, and matrix. The hallmark of bone is its hardened, calcified matrix. This view modifies our attitude that bone is an isolated, presumably unchangeable structure. Eventually a similar process happens to bone as happened to cartilage. As bony areas increase in length and thickness, bone digesting cells (osteoclasts) eat away the central core, creating bone marrow cavities which ultimately fill in fat and blood forming tissues (which are both further modifications of connective tissue).
The process of bone growth catches up with the cartilage skeletal model about 20 to 25 years after we leave the womb. Perhaps it is this which has given rise to the idea that we finish our physical identity by our early twenties. Yet there is still potential for bone contour modification throughout the life of the individual. If it were not so, teeth braces would not work. The principle behind braces is pressure; the basic principle to all growth in the body. If persistent pressure is applied to a bone, stress activates cells in that portion of the bone to become bone producing cells (osteoblasts) while cells in another area compensate by converting to bone digesting cells (osteoclasts) which resourb bone tissue. In this way the shape of bone can change long after its first formation. This embryonic response to stress is retained throughout a lifetime. If this response exists in bone, the hardest form of connective tissue, we can begin to see how it is possible in all forms of connective tissue.
Bones are at the core, the deepest level of the mesoderm’s matrix ocean. Yet it is inaccurate to think that bones act like a scaffolding, like a rigid frame on which soft tissue hangs. Nor do bones fit into a tight lock-and-key pattern as a skeleton might suggest. Bones actually float in the body. This floating action is mediated through the joints, which are primarily connections between the bones. A joint is the connective tissue extension at the end of a bone which forms a membrane capsule, connecting the surface of one bone with the next. In a living body, there is a fluid film between the bones; a secretion of connective tissue fluid into the joint capsule. If this fluid were not there, bone would be grinding on bone. The loss of this fluid becomes a factor for example in dancer’s knee problems. When bone gets too close, the cells are pressured to secrete more fluid. As this fluid increases it may balloon out the joint capsule. Fluid on the knee can be reduced through Rolfing. As connective tissue around bones is opened and lengthened, fluid decreases because there is proper space between the bones and the stress is removed. Ligaments provide a further connection between bones. Their formation in the embryo follows the pattern that is characteristic of connective tissue under directional pressure and stress. As the embryonic cartilage skeleton grows, it exerts directional pressure in the connective tissue bed; creating tension between and along adjacent bones. This tension activates the fibroblast cells to increase their collagen fiber secretion and, characteristically, these fibers will line up along the line of tension. The ligamentous fibers thus originated will attach to the fibrous part of the bone surface (the periosteum), providing a continuity from the periosteum of one bone to the ligament to the periosteum of the next bone to the ligament, etc., and creating the support network for the body.
Tendons similarly provide a connection between muscles and bones, forming in much the same way as ligaments. Tendons are collagen fiber bundles that extended beyond muscle and are continuous with the bone surface (periosteum). The dense fibrous net of connective tissue that envelops and penetrates the muscle itself is called fascia muscle and fascia together are called the myofascia. This is another interconnected connective tissue network; from periosteum of bone, to tendon, to myofascial tissue, to tendon, to periosteum of the next bone, etc., creating a movement network throughout the body. We presume that the direction and development of the tendonous bed determines the direction of muscle development and organization rather than visa versa.
These interconnected structures form in the evolving connective tissue bed in response to the directional pressure from growing bones. This pressure creates the tension which signals the need that a particular function must be met. Function is the determining structure in the evolving embryonic body. This developmental cycle is not limited to the womb world, in fact, this embryonic response to tension and stress is inherent in the mesoderm and conditions its growth and responsiveness throughout life.
The Continuing Saga of the Mesoderm: Growing Down In’ The Outside World
In a Rolfing practice, we see tendon-like cords which have developed in the body where no ligaments or tendons are shown in standard anatomy texts. For example, tension cords usually develop between the shoulder blades and spine in people who habitually pull back their shoulders. Another common example are the heavy cords which develop along the upper margin of the hip bone (ilium) and extend to include the sacroiliac junction. These form when being “uptight” quite literally resulting from a tightening of the anus and buttocks.
It is generally assumed that these tension cords are tough muscle. In fact, they are hardened, contracted, often “frozen” connective tissue covering muscle tissue. We would suggest that these cords come into being in exactly the same manner as tendons and ligaments in the embryo. However, these tension cords are reversible, they can let go. When a habitually tensed body changes from a protectively held “shoulders up, head forward” position to a more relaxed “shoulders down, head back” position, many of the stresses on the back are released and the tension cords from the old position relax and disband. Habitually tensed tissue which has hardened like a frozen rubber band thaws and regains its elasticity. This thawing occurs when the stress is removed.
Many of these tension cords exist on the surface of the fascial bed, in what we have called the body stocking. Their effect on movement and on structures beneath the surface runs deep, it is not superficial. This is because there is continuity between the layers of the fascial bed. The structural network, movement network, and the surface body stocking are interconnected within the webof fascia, the most pervasive derivative of the embryonic mesoderm. Fascia acts as a packing material for all organs and systems in the body. The body stocking fits just under the skin, as it flows over the body it tends to get snagged on the bony protrusions (joints) where there is a normal increase in fascial density. When this density is excessive; however, it will tend to inhibit movement of the joint. The body stocking reflects lack of movement at any level in the body. It is an excellent index of the condition of the structures within.
Between this surface body stocking and the deepest (structural) fascial layer at the bone level there is much less linearly organized connective tissue layer. Muscle and fascia] tissue weave and interweave between body stocking and bone, surrounded by filler which has a texture almost like shredded paper. Pads of fat and fibrous connective tissue are part of this filler. Fatty pads come into being where the joints are constricted, giving the body a lumpy appearance. There are normally pads over the upper part of the hip bones and pads along the back (sacrum). When there is shortening in the back and holding patterns in the rear end, these pads get dense and larger. In Rolfing, as connective tissue on the surface body stocking relaxes the body is able to lengthen, constrictions around the joints and the spinal vertebrae open and let go. Then, fatty pads in the filler layer can melt and the body regains a smoother contour.
We differ from traditional attitudes about soft tissue descriptive anatomy in two major ways: (1) we consider all connective tissue “structures” as areas of specialization within a continuous connective tissue bed; (2) we recognize areas of connective tissue specialization which have not been described, namely the body retinaculi or bands. These are visible in the living body, losing their characteristic organization after death.
The body bands logically will arise in the fetus as normal supportive concentrations by mid-pregnancy. They could serve as horizontal supports for the belly and chest of the fetus at a time when it is being held in a curved position. The front of the developing fetus is much slower to achieve a differentiated and resilient structure than is the back.
We see a primary pattern of constriction occurring in the body stocking. It is apparent as a series of horizontal concentrations of fibers which tend to accumulate in relation to the spinal flexures or junctions. When a body is not vertically balanced, its weight will tend to pull the soft tissue away from the bony scaffolding, creating directional stress in the connective tissue bed. Collagen fibers then form surface bands. These are oriented along the line of stress, which is at right angles to the spine, holding the tissue closer to the bony core. There are seven of these bandings in the torso, each associated with one of the spinal flexures. (See illustration and captions). When it is excessive, this kind of thickening in the body stocking will tend to inhibit the flow of movement and energy.
The pattern of blocks described in bioenergetics bears considerable resemblance to our map of body bands, as does the chakra system of Tantric Yoga. Bioenergetics is primarily a psychological and emotional analysis of body structure. It goes into considerable detail describing the relation of physical and emotional attitudes to holding patterns. The oriental system of kundalini yoga includes the chakras, a series of points along the spine that correspond to the spinal flexures which are the endpoints of our bands. An inability to extend the spine at these points inhibits all forms of energy flow: movement, emotion, and consciousness. There is a natural transformation of energy in the human body from the denser energy used for support and locomotion to the more differentiated energy needed for the processes of aliveness: regeneration, perception, manual dexterity, speech, awareness and mentation. These transformations, in oriental tradition, are mediated through the spinal flexures. When the flexures cannot extend, directional stress through the connective tissue will generate surface retaining bands, building the soft tissue more securely to its bony core. In turn, these bands will act as an anchor, preventing full body extension and establishing a stress pattern that increasingly pulls the body away from the vertical into the curved embryonic pattern.
The seven flexures of the spinal column are established in the first month of pregnancy in a postural curve that precedes the formation of the vertebra, which then mold themselves to this body shape. We tend to assume that the embryo lies in an unbroken, undifferentiated “c” shaped curve within the uterus, but this is really not the case. The shape is actually more angular; the flexures provide a pattern for regional differentiation in the vertebral column. As the embryo develops, these flexures become the junctions of the torso. In an adult, the greatest potential for inhibition of movement occurs at these junctions. The degree to which we maintain the spinal flexures in a “closed” position reflects our unwillingness to let go of the embryonic position. In a sense, we keep the option open to return to the womb.
Body bands do not occur only in the torso. We also find bands around the knees, ankles, wrists, and elbows. There are balances across the body (as at the wrist and pubic arch), as well as through the length of the body (as in the correspondence of tension between the ankles and the atlanto occipital [head and neck] junction). It is often impossible to clear restrictions at the pubic bone unless restrictions in the wrist are also cleared. We go into the interconnections of these body bands in more detail in a forthcoming book, The Endless Web.
The specific shape of body bands will vary from person to person. They have arisen out of patterns of use and are areas of fiber concentrated rather than specific structures. Also, in any one band there will be areas where the fibers are more concentrated, other areas where condensation is more diffuse, and still other areas where the bands will be pulled up, down, or inward by pulls from other parts of the body. Moreover, the bands can have a third dimension, forcing restriction through the body like a shelf. An example of this is often found in gymnasts who develop a pelvic shelf that will constrict the lower intestines, bowels, and sex organs.
In a maturely developed body, there is a natural spring action in the spine, a normal length and flow of movement at these junctions with corresponding length in the front of the torso. By observing the pattern of body bands in the body stocking, we have a readily available road map showing when the individual is unwilling to open, lengthen, and straighten at these junctions. Rolfing is a means of loosening these fascial bands that bind us.
We have alluded to several ways in which parts of a person’s body will reflect emotional repression-compressed joints, heavy horizontal connective tissue fiber concentrations, depressed ribs, etc. Frequently, during the Rolfing process, emotion will surface as a particular area is encouraged to greater freedom and mobility. The physical goal of Rolfing is always in the direction of greater length and a freer flow of movement and energy throughout the body. The held emotion is not specific to a particular physical body restriction.
For example, as the armpit is manipulated, one of a variety of emotional responses might be apparent: anger, sadness, joy, contentment, impatience, irritability. We cannot relate a particular body conformation to a single emotional classification. This would be misleading and might even be dangerous. As the physical restriction changes, the Rolfers’ role is not to classify, but rather to observe and to be present for whatever physical and emotional responses may emerge.
What we have presented is an anatomical description of a body language. Whether it is interpreted in term of emotional blocks, energy centers, or structural bandings, the goals remain the same. When the soft tissue releases, the joints are able to “float”, increasing awareness and mobility in the body. Such responses must lead to lifting upward while remaining grounded-Ida Rolf’s vision of verticality in relation to gravity.
Body Retinacula: The Seven Body Bands of the Torso
1. The lowest band in the torso extends from the pubic bone in front across the groin (which is thereby shortened), around the hip bones (the greater trochanter of the femur), and across the buttocks, ending at the junction of the sacrum and coccyx.
2. The band across the lower abdomen is frequently more prominent in men. It connects the two bony projections of the pelvic bones in front (the anterior-superior spines of the ilia). It usually dips slightly downward in front, like an inverted arch, resembling an internal jock strap or chastity belt. Its lower margin tends to include the inguinal ligament, connecting the band downward to the region of the pubic bone. This band extends laterally along the upper margin of the large wings of the pelvic bone (ilia), ending at the lumbo-sacral junction.
3. The third band crosses the abdomen and is perhaps the most variable in shape. It may cross at the umbilicus (sometimes creating a crease in the abdominal wall extending out on either side of the umbilicus), or it may lie midway between the umbilicus and the midcostal arch (tying together the two sides of the costal arch). In either case, it will extend laterally to from an arch across the abdomen to the lower ribs on each side-particularly to the free tip of the 11th rib. It travels backward along the lower ribs, ending at the junction of the thoracic and lumbar vertebrae.
4. The fourth band is in the area just below the nipples and is visually the most apparent. It is usually a non-moving depressed area on the chest, the skin seems glued down onto the ribs and muscle. Laterally, it extends along the lower border of the pectoralis major, across the midlateral chest, and down the lateral margin of the latissimus dorsi where it begins to run parallel to the scapula toward the arm. The strap appears to tie the lower tip of the scapula to the back rubs and ends at the dorsal hinge of the spine. When this strap is pronounced, there is not only a depressed mid chest, but an inability to expand the ribs sideways in breathing.
5. The fifth strap at the shoulders involves the clavicle and is part of the tissue gluing the clavicle to the first and second ribs in front. It can be felt as a pad of tissue just below and deep to the collar bone (clavicle). It extends laterally to the tip of the shoulder, with some fibers fanning down into the armpit. The strap continues toward the back on the inside and outside of the upper border of the shoulder blade (scapula), and ends at the junction of cervical and thoracic vertebrae.
6. The area below the chin (the chin-strap) is an area of concentration of fibers and padding which includes the hyoid bone and the base of the jaw, passing just below the ear, and ending where the base of the skull joins the first cervical vertebrae (atlas).
7. The top band is the most difficult to visualize. It originates on the bridge of the nose, travels across the eye sockets and above the ears, and ends at the back of the skull just above the occipital crest (the bump at the back of the skull).
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There is an extraordinary drama happening every day in the mesoderm. A story pregnant with birth, copulation and death; of cellular migration and tissue transformation.
Yet nobody knows what the mesoderm is
The mesoderm is the median layer between skin and digestive system in the human body. Our bodies derive a never ending potential for change from the mesoderm.
The theme of the meso dermic drama is simply this: we create our bodies through use and disuse.
In order to understand this better we must create a vocabulary in which the anatomy of tissue mechanics is clearly understood. For the message of the mesoderm is locked into the nuts and bolts of tissue and cell … and that message is:
We off embryos for life
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