Warren I. Hammer, DC, MS, DABCO
Dr Hammer has been in practice in Norwalk, Connecticut, USA, for 43 years. He has studied numerous soft-tissue methods which he applied to the practice of chiropractic. He writes a regular column for Dynamic Chiropractic since 1985 and has written articles for prominent journals such as Chiropractic Sports Medicine, the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics and Chiropractic Technique. Dr. Hammer has lectured for the Motion Palpation Institute since 1987, and has lectured nationally and internationally on the examination and treatment of soft-tissue lesions based on his best selling second edition of Functional Examination of the Soft Tissues and Treatment by Manual Methods: New Perspectives.
25 Minute Lecture

The Effects of Manual Loading on Soft Tissues: Emphasizing Graston Technique

Abstract:

Mechanical loading is an important regulator of connective tissue homeostasis in health, tissue degeneration and repair following injury. The application of physical force through both stress and motion has been shown to modulate the synthesis of proteoglycans and collagen by the fibroblasts. By way of the tensegrity model “The Architecture of Life” the cell structure (cytoskeleton) transmits forces or messages of these forces from cell surface structures to the nucleus of the cell. Our structure is stabilized by a mechanism of continuous tension and local compression rather than the accepted axial-loaded compression support system or “stack of blocks” Newtonian concept. The bones of the skeleton are compression elements ‘floating’ in an integrated tension network of soft tissues.

Workshop (2 hours)

Use of Graston Technique® based on functional soft tissue evaluation: Spine, Upper & Lower Extremities.

Soft tissue techniques require a functional evaluation to determine where to use them. Joint problems require evaluation of the contractile and passive tissues. Painful resistive testing of the supraspinatus for example would require determining what part of this muscle required treatment. Recent dissection of this muscle has shown that the insertion is partially covered by the coracohumeral ligament and has extensions that go above and below the biceps. This type of information determines the areas to be treated. Testing for restricted spinal posterior fascia, elbow, wrist, hip, knee, leg and ankle areas is required. Functional testing both localises the lesion and tells us when the area is normalised.