Studying With Tom Myers Live Online

Looks like I've gotten myself much more screen time again during this circuit breaker period. I've signed up for a 'live' webinar taught by Tom Myers from May 15-17. Due to the unusual circumstances of the global pandemic, the course has to be taught over Zoom, of course.

This is actually the 3rd online course he's teaching since the COVID-19 started. I didn't sign up early enough for the first two and they filled up quickly. Due to high demand, they announced that Tom was teaching the same course for the third time, so I made sure I signed up straight away.

I've attended a few of the Anatomy Trains courses already, and previously one introduction course taught by Tom before. But when Tom is teaching, I just couldn't resist, even though I've learnt some of this material previously.

Tom says he misses using his hands during this pandemic

There's a slight hitch though. The course is taught from 10 pm to 12 am and from 3 to 5 am. I'll have to find a way to cope.

Picture of healthy fascia above.

Patient Has 'Tight' Upper Trapezius Muscles?

My patient came in to our clinic yesterday complaining of 'tightness' in his upper trapezius muscles. He saw me two weeks ago for his R knee pain and that had settled, but now it was discomfort in his upper trapezius area. He had been using the trigger ball in his upper trapezius area and there were marks all over the area.

Other than tightness, he was complaining of a deep ache and constant discomfort there. He thinks this sometimes causes him to have headaches and neck pain as well.

Upright scapula

What gave me the most clues was looking at him from the side view. While looking at him from his left side (I'm using the picture above to keep his identity anonymous), his trunk was tilting backwards with respect to his hips. However, when I got him to straighten up you can see his left scapula tilting forward (right side of the picture below).

See how his left scapula tilts forward

Having explained to him what I saw, I then proceeded to treat him. I did not do any deep tissue massages/ or release his upper trapezius muscles (the area of his complaint). Neither did I stick any needles there to relieve the 'tight' muscle tone. I did not even treat his neck.

So what did I do? I treated his Front and Back Arm Lines. Yes, you read correctly. I treated his arms. If you look at work done by Tom Myers, he's able to dissect the "arm lines" (see picture below) from a cadaver.

In the picture on the right, the Superficial Back Arm Line has been laid over a skeleton model to show the fascia connections.

My patient was amazed, fascinated and happy that I got him better just by treating his arms. He almost couldn't believe it.
Treating the Deep Front Arm Line is key to getting his condition better because of the anterior tilting scapula. Treat the cause of the problem, not the pain.

Deep Front Arm Line

Head, Neck And Jaw

Taking turns for a quick assessment

After Aized last week, yours truly attended the Head, Neck and Jaw course yesterday and today. This is the next course offered after we did the Shoulders and Arms course earlier in April this year.

Wow, time really flies, it's already October today.
It was a really interesting course looking at everyone's head, neck and into their mouths. Yes, you read correctly, we got to stick our fingers inside each other's mouths.

All five different necks

We learnt about the Masseter and Temporalis which are on our face and skull, we also learnt how to treat the Medial and Lateral terygoids, which are inside our mouths and how they connect to the neck.

Showing me my Lateral Pterygoids

Yes, we got right into each other's mouths.

Medial , Lateral Pterygoids

Back to work tomorrow. And if you need to get your head, neck or jaw treated .....

Shoulders And Arms

Really heavy ....

It's back to learning as I attend another course with Anatomy Trains. This time as you can see it's on the Shoulders and Arms.

How do all the scapulars compare?

It's fairly intense in terms of theory, videos to watch and lots of practical as well. Looks like the next couple of days will pass fairly quickly.

New vocabulary

New participants to meet, new terms to get used too and new ways to "body read" each other. Looks like I may have to burn midnight oil to review everything we've done today.

Tensegrity Of The Spine

Lining up half the participants to compare their necks and backs

After Aized and Rachel did Arches and Legs last week, it's the turn of the three amigos this this two days as we do "Tensegrity of the Spine" over the next two days.

Range of movement in the spine

This course is very intense and heavy going as there's a lot of rationale behind the theory involved. Everyone (yes, you read correctly) got lost at some point today, including yours truly.

Let's hope we get a clearer picture tomorrow.

Storm Before Floss Band Course

Storm outside our clinic

There was a big storm before the Floss band course today and maybe that's why the turn out was less than normal. But it certainly didn't dampen our spirits. We had a chiropractor, physiotherapy students, a Singapore Cycling Association coach, another strength and conditioning coach from CrossFit Fire City and personal trainers.

Flossing Ben's knee

As usual, I took the time and effort to explain Tensegrity, what and how our fascia functions and the Pain Gate Theory (by Ronald Melzack and Patrick Wall, 1965) so that the participants understand how the Floss band works. And they can in turn explain to their patients, athletes and friends what the Floss band does.

Can't touch my head

A big thank you to Amy, Danny, Ekina and Jane for coming to get the clinic ready for the course. That allowed me to eat after I saw patients in the clinic from this morning. And for packing up after, so I can see another patient.

A big thank you to everyone who came despite the heavy storm before. Hope everyone learnt useful strategies that you can use use in your own area or work, play and training.

Please contact them at Sanctband Singapore for the next Floss band course and if you need to get the Floss bands.

A big thank you to everyone who came despite the heavy storm before. Hope everyone learnt useful strategies that you can use use in your own area or work, play and training.

Learning From Tom Myers

With Tom Myers

I spent the last 2 days at the Anatomy Trains BodyReading Masterclass with the man himself,Tom Myers.

Having done some Anatomy Trains courses previously, some of what we learnt was revision, but mostly what Tom went through was new, highly enlightening and a different perspective.

Sharing center stage with Tom on Day 1

Next up for Day 3-4 tomorrow on "Resilience: Taking the strain and coming back stronger." Stay tuned.

Fans Of The Hip

Fans of the hip 

Yes, that's the title of the latest course  I am attending. But I'd like to say that we (staff at Physio and Sports Solutions) are fans of learning too. Yes, we are always striving to be better physiotherapists so we can get better at treating our patients.

At lunch, a fellow physiotherapist at the course was asking me why I wasn't  "growing" or opening more clinics. He mentioned that "lots of people" would want to partner us to have more clinics. To which I said we do not wish to be the biggest (physiotherapy chain of clinics), we just want to be the best at treating the cause of  your pain. That's why we keep learning.The lecturer did a great job explaining how the sacrum sits between the 2 hip bones

Ting Jun is the sacrum sitting between Derek and I (the 2 hip bones) in the picture below. For example if I shift forwards and Derek goes back (to simulate forward and posterior tilt in the pelvis) Ting Jun (the sacrum) will really feel unstable.

See the apprehension in her face

Last day of the course today. Back to work tomorrow.

FFTT - Floss Band, Foam Roller, Trigger Ball And Taping

Underwrap? To explain fascia?

It's been a few months since we had our last floss band course. I was told by Jane we had eight previous courses so far.

After the last course Jane mentioned to me that many people have asked about the benefits and especially differences between using the Floss band, foam roller, trigger ball and taping.

She told me my new task was to effectively address how FFTT - floss band, foam roller, trigger ball and taping can be effective (or not depending on how you use them) in treating myofascial pain, addressing adhesion/ knots in fascia and improving range of motion.

Talking about fascia

We spent lots of time on the anatomy of fascia. After explaining how to effectively move fascia, we went on to the practical part of the course. Demonstrations using the floss band, foam roller, trigger ball were shown.

Marc helping with the foam roller demo

For the taping bit, I just showed the class pictures. You've got to come to our Kinesio Taping course if you want to learn the taping techniques.

Let me also mentioned that other than Kinesio Taping, Functional Fascial Taping (or FFT) using rigid sports tape too can influence fascia.

Functional fascial taping for the knee

Ron Alexander who used to treat the Australian Ballet dancers developed the technique while working with the ballet dancers.  If you've attended the course, you will know how much you need to "gather" or pull the tape. In Kinesio Taping, the ability of the Kinesio tape to recoil does the work for you.

Once again, chapeau to Jane, Danny and Ekina for coming to get the place ready and for helping me to pack up too. I wouldn't have gotten ready in time to teach without their help. Please contact them at Sanctband Singapore if you are keen to find out more.

Thank you also all the physiotherapy students, physiotherapists, Terrance Yap from Atlas Chiropractic, the teachers from Nanyang Junior College and the rest who attended the course today. Hope you found it useful.

Getting Tang from NYJC to march

The physiotherapy students and their discussion

Gek Han deep in thought

Gurmit comfy on the floor

I Bit Off More Than I Could Chew Today

I kinda bit off more than I could chew today..... yes I'm writing that down again to remind myself not to do it again.

Waiting ..... for me to be ready

On Saturday afternoons when we have the Floss band course at Sports Solutions, I normally stop seeing patients half an hour before so I can get my act ready.  I have to get the computer and projector ready, whatever anatomy models I may need, laser pointer etc as well as eat some lunch.

Today, I had a patient who was gonna take part in a race tomorrow. And that patient requested that I do some taping as the last time we did the taping, the patient was able race pain free. The only time I could spare to do the taping was the half an hour before the course.

That of course ate into preparation time and I was late for my own course right here in the clinic. I wasn't happy with myself! As someone who takes care to always be early for my patients and appointments, I messed up.

A thousand apologies to all who turned up for the course today. I promise it will not happen again. And by the way we had a chiropractor (for the first time) who turned up for the course today too.

Right in the thick of action

Capt America watching ...while Trevor doesn't

The physio students having a go

A big thank you to Danny, Ekina and Jane who came really early and got the place ready for the course again. Couldn't have done it without them. And for helping me tidy the place after too. Please contact them at Sanctband Singapore if you want to attend the next course.

Anatomy Trains Course

Aized did the Pediatric Craniosacral Therapy course two weeks ago, while I attended the Anatomy Trains workshop this weekend.

Since I did the first two days of this course last year, I only had to come only for the third and fourth day this year.

It was good to have done a little last year and then review some the concepts while adding on to it this time around.

Here are some pictures from the course.

Theory 

More theory

At the end of the course the presenter was saying "if all of you go in to see and patients tomorrow and wonder what you need to do then I've done my job. "

He was challenging us to look at and treat our patients with a whole new perspective instead of trying to treat our patients the same way we've done.

This has been a most interesting and stimulating course. It ties in nicely with many of the things we already do with fascia while treating our patients.

Well, I'll share what I've learnt with the rest of our team and we'll all be looking to treat our patients and make them better quicker.

World Champion Athlete Comes To Floss Band Course

We had a Pencak Silat World Champion attend the Floss Band course today at Sports Solutions along with coaches, and sparring partners from the Singapore Silat Federation.

Surprised?

Yes, you read correctly, Muhammad Shakir Junda (above right) is a 2-time Pencak Silat World Champion (in the over 85-90 kg category). He was crowned World Champion in 2012 and 2016.

While I was still working at the Singapore Sports Council (now the S'pore Sports Institute), I had treated 3 Silat World Champions before and I found out today they were still involved with grooming future world champions.

Of course there were also other Physiotherapists, Personal trainers, Physical Education teachers and Occupational Therapists attending the course today. It was good to see some familiar faces in the participants today (Jocelyn and Tommy).

Hey, I thought it was the Floss band course, not foam rolling

Tommy Yau explaining how it's done

Lenis and Jacq do the cha cha?

A big thank you to Amy, Danny and Ekina for coming early and getting the place ready so I can eat a little after seeing patients in the morning. And for packing up after the course too. Please contact them at Sanctband Singapore if you want to attend the next course in April.

Thank you to all who came to the course today, glad you guys found it useful. And hopefully we'll get more World Champions in Pencak Silat too.

Last Floss Band Course ....

... for this year.

I was informed earlier by Jane today that this is the 6th Floss Band course I've done for the year. Wow, I haven't really been keeping count and didn't realise we've done so many thus far. This I must say though, the year has really flown by. It's 3 weeks to the end of the year!

Well, one thing remained constant. We had a full house again today. There were lots of physiotherapists (from SGH and Khoo Teck Puat Hospital) and many physiotherapy students too among those who signed up. I always enjoy having fellow physiotherapists around to share and bounce ideas.

Getting to know the participants

Asking Jensen to demo for a change

Bert having a go 

I'm the winner!

 Jacqui (Her Lift's gym) and her dislocated shoulder ....

Jane, Danny, Amy and Jerome came really early for lunch first and then got everything ready when I was still seeing patients. Really appreciate their help in setting up the place and also packing up when we were done. Please contact them at Sanctband Singapore for the next Floss Band course.

A big thank you to everyone who came too, hope everyone learnt something useful and can implement in your own area of work.

It was nice seeing Ang Hong again today too. She was my relief form teacher and taught me Biology when I was 15 years young when my form teacher went on medical leave for a few months. She was also one of the first few female triathletes I knew back then.

And yes, this is the last Floss Band course for this year, but there will be more next year. Stay tuned.

*Thanks to Jane Fong and Danny Ho for the pictures.