Articles

My Influence on Hellerwork

By Darwyn Rowland

There have been numerous influences on my practice in Hellerwork. Some of these influences came into being prior to my work in this field and some during my 13 years practicing. These diverse influences arise from client responses to their sessions, some from reading and classes taken during that time, and some simply from a broadening knowledge of anatomy and physiology. However, the strongest impression on me and my work has been my long and passionate love of sport and fitness. This paper is a map of what I now bring to my practice and hence the greater field of Hellerwork presenting further development of my knowledge in this profound and progressive work.

One of the prominent requirements in any fitness program is a desire for injury free training, and when injury does encroach on ones training, then a fast and lasting recovery. At the core of this need is the desire to be the best one can be. When training is consistent; unhampered by long interruptions due to injury, then athletes improve fast and often realize their goals far faster. It can facilitate a sense of pride and well being in any athlete, knowing that they are performing to their full potential.

The principles of Hellerwork fit firmly within the process of sport as it does in daily life. For the purpose of this assignment, I will break down the development and integration of fitness and sport rehabilitation into the 3 celebrated sections in the Hellerwork process: The Sleeve, The Core, and Integration. However, prior to getting into the specifics of each session work, I have included an overview of philosophy and approach to broaden the perspective and allow the reader to understand the principles that my work flows from.

Overview

Incorporated throughout the process of the series, I teach small and simply absorbed lessons that relate to the clients sport. In general terms this teaching is needed for the client to understand the process and role of bodywork in their area of sport so that individuals can go out into their lives and use what they are taught with understanding and respect for what they have learned. Some of this teaching is done prior to beginning bodywork and possibly even prior to booking a session. Once the client understands Hellerwork’s role in sport and in the training, then teaching throughout the Hellerwork Series builds on that education to help the athlete improve how they care for their bodies, and how they stay healthy throughout a training season.

Teaching about muscle adhesions and muscle strength and efficiency is one of the key principles for all performance in sport. Adhesion formation is a daily (and nightly) process for the mammalian body. With frequent, diverse and healthy use of our bodies, the sum accumulation of adhesion development over time is nil. However, with repetitive, ineffective, or overly intense use of limbs and tissues, adhesion formation brings an accumulation of fibrous build-up with a biological purpose in mind. That purpose is to brace, stabilize, and strengthen precarious, poorly used or relatively fragile areas of the body. With adhesion formation in muscles and the related fascia, balance is easily disrupted.

Of course sport fits easily into the “repetitive, sometimes ineffective, or overly intense use of limbs and tissues” realm. Consequently athletes can be at prime risk for adhesion formation and should be actively working for adhesion breakdown; hence the appearance of Hellerwork. Hellerwork removes adhesions and allows for proper lubrication of the muscle fibres. Contraction of muscles is easier and more effective with proper lubrication and internal resistance minimized. And that principle leads us directly to the next train of thought… if an athlete is pushing tissues and the body to its limits, then that ease of contraction and efficiency translates to enhanced performance and less pain for more gain.

An individual’s ability to tune into the interactions between mind and body, and thus know what to do with those interactions is another key skill. Having this skill can ensure long life in sport and injury free performance. Athletes tend to be aware of that internal flow of information from body to mind coming in the form of small differences in feeling from one workout to the next, or one stride to the next, or one stroke to the next. However, what is missing in the process for so many athletes is the ability or knowledge to act on that information. Essentially, athletes are very good at overriding information that is contrary to their goals. How that manifests is; the small twinge or heaviness in the muscle that workout is considered a distraction or message to be “worked out” or “run off”. This attitude can facilitate success when the injury is not treacherous, but can also harbor the signs of our downfall. It is so prevalent that you can hear it in many conversations between athletes from day to day. Hellerwork can teach athletes to hear those messages in a different way. It can bring that awareness to a level of understanding where they know what is good and what is not good to tolerate.

What the Hellerwork Series inherently does is open the awareness of what your body is doing, how it is functioning, and connects it with the knowledge and desire to act appropriately on the information. I liken it to hooking your car up to the omniscient diagnostic computer that will tell us about every system in your car. The difference is the idea that something external will tell us how we are functioning. This is never as effective as our own knowing. The most frequently reported outcome from gaining this awareness and understanding of their bodies is that this awareness is brought to the forefront so each athlete can carry with them the internal awareness and they have the skills or tools to avoid injury.

With the vital understanding of why Hellerwork is an essential piece of an athlete’s inventory, he/she will initiate the series work engaged and excited about the possibilities. Now we can trust in the Hellerwork training to make the changes on all levels of the athlete’s life with cooperation and foresight.

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Section 1- The Sleeve

Session One

The Session One objective is opening the breathing and aligning the ribcage over the pelvis. This can give many athletes improved performance and enjoyment of training and racing. It can also give them an edge.

Naturally, freedom of ribcage movement will improve oxygen and carbon dioxide exchange, thus improving efficiency in muscle contraction, and waste removal. The potential outcome is improved physical function and a greater enjoyment of what they are accomplishing. Ribcage processing for open and resistant free movement of ribs on the sternum, the thoracic spine and in the intercostals allow for energy to be spent on the primary movement and not on our metabolic function alone. We do not want to be expending excessive energy on the lifting and dropping of the diaphragm and ribs when that energy is needed for crossing the finish line.

Alignment of the ribcage over the pelvis allows for full contraction or range of motion in the diaphragm and removes potential resistances found in the intercostals, costochondral joints, clavicles, diaphragm, and abdomen. When misalignment of the ribcage is present, inevitably there is compression between ribs, and greater energy expended lifting the bound ribs. Even at the subtlest level, when the resistance is not in the athlete’s awareness, these adhesions and misalignment problems will run down or slow him/her over time. A fully upright runner that is breathing freely is far more efficient than one who has to work against gravity and resistance in ways that are not about forward propulsion.

Further to the ideas mentioned, aligning the ribcage over the pelvis is going to make some other changes to performance. Particularly in the case of the long distance athlete, that misalignment is going to force greater exertion to a few muscles that would normal share the load with many. This occurs due to weight shift within the torso applying more weight to one side of the body. For example, if the ribcage displays a slight shift to the right, then the erector spinae, the mutifidi, quadrates lumborum, and others, of the left side of the athlete’s body will working excessively. This will subsequently create rigidity in the spine, and waste energy by eating up those so precious reserves needed to make it through the truly long distance event. In the same scenario, greater weight is going to be placed on the right leg and hip, accelerating exhaustion and wear and tear on those structures.

I have found that Session One work can be the most profound and inspiring for clients. Once the alignment and opening in the ribcage is achieved, a sense of ease can accompany him/her for a long time following the session. Then the body integrates the new change and the homework provided helps to keep that change present and improving for a lifetime. Athletes will report this same transformation, however, they go on to report a great sense of ease in their workouts related to catching ones breath and recovery with speed previously unmet. It is often reported with vigor and with a sentiment of pleasant surprise.

Session Two

Session two work involves leveling the ankles and knees and bringing the legs under the body, and distributing the weight of the body properly over the feet. These goals are fundamental to sport and in obvious activities such as running and cycling, but also in the less obvious sport of swimming. Healthy stride length and ease of movement involved in running will also translate to ease of hip flexion and strength in the very technical aspect of flutter kick in swimming.

Because the issues around alignment and flexibility of the legs are less obvious in swimming, I have decided to use this sport as an example of how that alignment plays out. For flutter kick to be effective it has to come from the hip and not from the knee. Until I did my Hellerwork training in the early 90s, I did not know this meant using the psoas muscles and not the anterior muscles of the thigh. When the psoas contracts and flexes the hip joint, flutter kick relies on the subsequent flow of force/movement through the hip, thigh, knee, leg, ankle and finally the foot and toes. When alignment and tissue flexibility is present, the force of the psoas contraction is nearly equal to the force of the movement of the foot and toes through the water. Some engineering types will know that with some approaches to biological measurement that force actually increases from hip to foot due to the whip like movement of the leg. When there is misalignment or resistant to movement in a rigid state, force is lost on its way to the toes and the forward propulsion of the body is also lost.

As mentioned, injury prevention is always a primary goal and for sports that require long strides or rapid lunges where tendon and muscle length can spike, it is essential. Lack of potential performance in these structures can not only increase effort of each lunge or stride, and force improper positioning of joints and limbs, but also the positioning and balance of your body on the tennis court. If the efficiency of the legs of the tennis athlete is undermined by this misalignment, he/she may not find themselves returning to the centre of the court in time to return the next volley. Further to this, the attempt to drive those joints and muscles beyond their potential will force damage. The intensity involved can injure tissue that is not capable of adapting quickly to meet the demand.

For running, cycling, and court activities the force of impact on joints and bones can reach up to 10 000 pounds per square inch. (Bodywise, Heller and Henkin, 1986) These intense forces need to be managed carefully with the weight distributed evenly throughout each structure such as knees, hips and ankles. Balance within each structure allows them to do what nature intended, and not only reduce the effects of pressure points within the joint, but also to allow the muscles to pull on bones and fascia in the proper position. That proper positioning of ligaments, tendons, and joints will inevitably provide the athlete with greater strength and efficiency, but also longer life in the sport. From the pro athlete to the weekend warrior, longevity in their preferred sport is a central goal and often reported as the reason for showing up to bodywork sessions.

This diagram indicates how pressure points might occur within the knee joint and hence how some injuries happen. The left illustration will gain undue pressure between the medial articular condyle of the femur and the medial condyle of the tibia. The illustration on the right shows how pressure is properly distributed throughout the knee, consequently avoiding injuries such as torn meniscus, and torn or strained ligaments. (Illustration from Bodywise)

Session two work goes on to organize the foot and the ankle joints. Much of the information for the legs also applies to the foot, however, there is an added improvement the foot sees that knees and leg muscles may not see through the series work. The foot is a powerful and dynamic part of all ambulation in general and so too for sports. Proper flexibility is essential for efficient use in swimming, running, court sports and even golf. For the more demanding sport of running, proper arch flexibility and strength is essential for propulsion through the push phase of the stride. If there is limited flex within the arches of the foot, mechanical advantage is lost, and the hips and knees need to do more of the work that the feet should be doing. This will inevitably tire those structures under increased demand. Further to this issue is the flex and recoil of the foot provides a significant amount of propulsion; inflexibility will slow the runner causing decreased performance and fewer goals met for the year.

Another consistent issue relating to what was described for the feet, is ankle flexibility, or more accurately mobility. When the ankle and lower leg is under healthy circumstances, there are a number of dynamic processes happening in the case of high impact sports such as running and basketball. When the body lands or drives force into the ground, the ankle provides shock absorption from the following process: the tibia and fibula articulate at the ankle by a fibrous joint (tibiofibular joint). This fibrous connection, along with the interosseous membrane, allows the bones to drop and separate over the talus bone of the ankle. There is a subsequent returning force, or spring, as the interosseous membrane and tibiofibular joint return the tibia and fibula to their original position.

This process at the ankle joint absorbs shock the same way that the piston and spring in a car’s shock absorbers do. For our cars, the shock absorbers piston retracts with the application of force and extends with the absence of force and this allows a smooth and stress free ride. For our ankles, any rigidity in the mentioned structures will diminish the body’s ability to absorb shock and the ensuing jarring force is transmitted through the body. It becomes obvious in this circumstance how the body will begin to break down with the shock traveling through the body…not to mention the previously described pressure points amplifying that force.

Session Three

The purpose of session three is to free the shoulders, arms, and sides, and to attain vertical alignment to the torso. Resistant free movements of shoulders in sports that demand fluid arm movements is paramount. In sports such as swimming, gymnastics, racquet sports and many others, strength in the arms can be greatly enhanced through adhesion elimination and alignment allowing for greater speed and strength of stroke or swing, and speed of recovery.

The shoulder joints are exceedingly mobile and therefore need highly coordinated control with many muscles to gain that control. Adhesion formation in the muscles or fascial planes tends to limit the movement related to what tissue is being held. What that means is, for example, if the subscapularis muscle is inflexible due to adhesion formation, then the subsequent flow of movement for a baseball pitcher might force a slightly medially rotated spin on the ball creating a completely different outcome then the non-adhered pitcher. Of course the potential for a significant tear of the myofascia mid pitch is a concern that can be dispelled by increasing the flexibility of the tissue.

For a pitcher in baseball to the tennis athlete, the tracking of one’s arm and shoulder is essential. When the eye sees what it needs the arm to do, or the brain tries to apply the proper tracking of the limb, we hope and expect it will follow the prescribed line for greatest effect. If the baseball pitcher wants to place the ball in the lower right quadrant to force a swing, or the tennis pro wants to catch the opposing player out of position on the tennis court, she/he relies on the fluid motion prescribed for that outcome. If adhesions are present, not only is strength of that movement lost, but the tracking is altered as well. This means that prior to releasing the baseball or connecting with the tennis ball, the arm will have tracked along a pathway that is not planned and the outcome will be less than ideal.

Arm movement in session 3 will apply to the leg cadence for runners. Leg cadence in running may seem out of place in this instance, but arm cadence dictates leg cadence for most runners, so the freedom and ease of movement gained in session 3 is of vital importance to runners.

For lateral alignment of shoulders, if the athlete has greater volume of tissue to the front, it might indicate tension in the posterior muscles of the shoulder; hence resist follow though of the swing for the golfer or simply may force the golf club off line causing a slice or some other tracking problem. If the opposite is true, and there is greater volume to the back, it may indicate tension within the anterior muscles of the shoulder girdle and speak of an imbalance in the golfer’s swing where the posterior muscles of the shoulder cannot track the golfers swing properly.

Though an extreme example, the first image indicates increased volume to the front, the second image indicates increased volume to the back and the third shows the balance attained during session three work. (illustration from Align for Life, Bienenfeld)

Again, the Hellerwork Series, and specifically session three, will balance the structure in either case to attain the alignment presented in the third illustration in this diagram. Golfers that I have processed report better ease of swing and an improved score following session three.

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Section 2 – The Core

Session Four

The purpose of session four work is to gain alignment to the midline of the inside of the legs, and to open the pelvic floor or bottom of the core. A notorious and difficult injury of the medial line of the legs (groin pull or injury) is all an athlete needs to recognize one of the important factors in keeping the medial line of the legs fluid and resistant free. I recently worked with a horse jumper involved in national level jumping. During the one month period that she was experiencing the acute groin injury, she reported an inability to hold her position on the horse which inevitably made it more difficult to hold on but also confused her horse and she got thrown 2 times. The subtle communication that occurred between horse and rider was altered and her horse did not know what was expected of it.

In the case of this horse jumper, strength was the main factor that she was dealing with. She lost so much strength in the adduction of her legs that it made her sport dangerous. Further injury (though minor) ensued and all could have been avoided if she had known about the importance of Hellerwork in her sport.

For the swimmer performing breast stroke or for the tennis player moving side to side on the court, that same strength issue will come into play. Injured adductors will reduce strength leading to poor performance. However, for the flutter kick or dolphin kick, or for the runner, tracking may also be a problem. Athletes such as runners and swimmers rely on their adductors often more than they are aware. When an injury has occurred, poor tracking will diminish the athlete’s ability to lead their legs through the prescribed pattern of movement for the desired result. Often runners will report an inability to keep the legs in and when turning on the track they report extreme difficulty and pain with such a demand on the injured adductors.

For athletes looking to gain strength and functionality, the internal resistance found in the adductors and subsequently the pelvic floor becomes the primary concern. As mentioned in the opening part of this paper, internal resistance from adhesion formation may cause weak muscle contraction, and without an obvious injury, the athlete may not meet the season’s goals due to a weakened performance that may be just under the radar.

Session Five

The purpose of the fifth session is to organize the front of the core, and to release the deep muscles of the pelvis. How this translates to athletic performance and rehabilitation is one paramount to every budding and pro athlete. If there truly is a most important session I believe it is session 5. It certainly builds on the previous sessions One, and Two, whose import has already been described.

The front of the core includes muscles such as obliques, rectus abdominus, and psoas. A recent fad that has arisen in the fitness world is a near hysterical need to develop core strength. Healthy and open abdominal muscles and psoas will bring a healthier response from the tissue of all muscles mentioned. When a demand for sustained contraction of the abdominals and psoas muscles happens, the resulting condition is rigidity in the core and a possible shortening of the muscles at issue. Further to this unhealthy response is a potential for compression of the lumbar spine as well as pulling the lumbar spine into an anterior position creating excessive curve to the normally gentle lumbar curve.

There are a number of problems that will hinder athlete performance with these circumstances. The rigid state of the abdominal muscles tends to weaken the breath by disallowing the diaphragm to drop properly. For the diaphragm to fully contract to allow a deep breath, the abdominal contents must be displaced. When the abdominal muscles have no flex, the resulting situation is nowhere for the abdominal contents to go, and an attempt to deep breath is met with resistance. It becomes very unlikely that a full deep breath is possible. From here it is obvious how the athlete will “hit the wall” far sooner than necessary.

For a situation where psoas shortening is present, full stride for many sports will not be achieved. Losing a portion of stride length will reduce potential speed and endurance. For the runner, the end of each stride must see the leg extend significantly, therefore the psoas must have the potential to fully lengthen. Complete ROM will not happen; encountering resistant and greater effort as well as potential pain. Strength of contraction will also be lost. As obvious a problem this is for gymnasts, runners and cyclists, the swimmer will also lose that needed strength. As mentioned in the session two section, the flutter and dolphin kick initiates from the hip/psoas. If the psoas is unable to strongly and efficiently contract, the resulting situation is weakness in that kick or a rapid exhaustion due to that internal resistance that the athlete will be fighting against. Again, for the swimmer, when psoas shortening has occurred, the hip angle can be decreased forcing the swimmers legs down in the water creating a huge drag coefficient.

Further to this discussion, athletes often fear that lengthening the abdominals and psoas will weaken their hip contraction or core stability making them less powerful in their preferred movements. However, the contrary is the case. Fully released muscles (adhesion removal and lubricated muscle fibre contraction) are stronger having little to no internal resistance to work with. Plus full range of motion in limbs allows for greater windup and follow-through for many sports.

Session Six

The purpose of session six is to organize the back of the core and bring it into balance with the front of the core. For the athlete experiencing imbalance through the torso, the back is a common cause. For session six this can be a dramatically observable circumstance. All sports require back strength, and some would demand exceptional back strength. Going back to earlier discussions, rigid musculature and fascial planes reduces strength and stamina, and ROM becomes compromised.

For the client receiving the series, session five has just been completed. He/She would have experienced the lengthening of the front of the core, leaving the back of the core relatively short and restricted. This situation may manifest in the form of tired or sore back or a feeling of weakness in the back, or the observable excessive concave arch in the lumbar spine. Many of my clients will report, when following session five they go out and do strenuous exercise and they feel unstable in their back or feel pain. For this reason I try to place session five and session six relatively close together so this phenomenon is minimized. However, what this finding indicates for so many athletes is that their backs are restricted and tight ongoing and on a daily basis, but that they have not experienced spontaneous symptoms yet: this condition could go on to cause larger problems later in their season.

What is happening for the athlete experiencing this uncomfortable change between sessions is that the fine balance between the front and back of the core has been altered. It might be a distressing feeling, but I always assure them, that when the back of the core is opened properly, they should feel a return of equilibrium, with a greater potential for gaining strength and function, and it predictably happens this way.

A constricted back of the core can increase the likelihood of anterior disc protrusion and hence possible nerve impingement. This is especially true for an individual who has the classic lordosis and is performing jarring and bouncing activities collectively. There are few sports that do not involve the latter. Combined with the lordosis will amplify the potential for disc herniation or rupture.

Further to this discussion, muscles that need a neutral starting position to gain full strength of contraction (nearly all muscles) will be over or under stretched. The resulting attempt at contracting the front or the back of the core will yield poor outcomes. This is why so many people report weakness along with back ache; even a minor ache. The musculature cannot contract properly and effort will not change this. Some athletes will become very concerned about this condition, immediately suspecting that all their training is for not… if hours and hours of strength building for one activity suddenly manifests as weakness. It can be very confusing for the client. Yet placing that balance back into the core could and often will dramatically change the situation.

Bringing healthy length into the interscapular area will do a couple of things for the athlete. In swimming, that length will allow him/her to place the arm in the proper position for the catch. In the golfer, baseball player or racquet sport athlete, it will allow proper follow through of the swing. This is where so many athletes lose strength and proper technique.

Session Seven

The purpose of session seven is to release and organize the top of the core, to align the head over the torso, and to release tension in the head, neck, and face. Many athletes will say they want to skip this session as they do not see any relevance to their sport. Here is where good education of the basic fundamentals of Hellerwork comes in. The athlete will need to know the multitude of reasons why session seven is essential.

One outcome found following session seven is the lengthening of the neck that can be measured with photographs before and after a session. I do not often use this technique for expediency; however, I do have some photos that clients have allowed me to use for teaching. This will often convince the athlete of its import.

A longer and more relaxed neck is capable of greater rotation and faster response to demands. For the racquet sport athlete this is simple to understand. Following the ball with the eyes and head become essential however, with neck stiffness, there may be a lag in that flow, or simply pain. As in session six, a compression of intervertebral discs, namely the condition of a tight and short neck, can also impinge the nerves with the outcome of pain and weakness that is either constant or arises with movement.

In the case of sports where prolonged neck extension is part of the posture, such as cycling, or older swimmers having been trained in old techniques, session seven will increase the stamina of the demand posture, or help the athlete gain a better position. For the cyclist, especially in aero position, long rides can be traumatic to the neck causing headaches, “pulled” neck muscles and, and TMJ difficulties. Lengthening the neck will allow the athlete to hold the head in position for a longer period. How this happens is, session work will reposition the head appropriately, so that when the long bike ride happens, it is not already tired from normal standing position, as so many necks are. Also, the decompressed tissue in and around the cervical vertebrae allows better circulation and metabolism: hence longer contraction capabilities. This is the essence of stamina.

For a swimmer trained on old techniques, changing the head position from one of sustained extension with rotations on each breath to one of neutral alignment can be paramount; not only for performance, but for long term cervical health. Old techniques in swimming taught the athlete to hold the head up, looking forward just under the surface of the water. The circumstances of sustained extension in the swimmers case is the same for the cyclist. However, there is added benefit in the swimmers scenario. Once patterns of movement are set, it is hard to change them. One dire principle for change is that elusive awareness. As mentioned in the Overview section in this paper, awareness is a common and valuable outcome of the Hellerwork Series. This awareness allows the swimmer, not only to gain proper position more easily, but also to improved and change his/her technique more quickly.

Another situation that can be helpful for the athlete is proper alignment of the ethmoid and sphenoid bones. Once these two bones are aligned, the nasal passages are straight and open more fully. This is a simple case of reducing the resistance and effort in breathing. When the air passages of the nose are fully open then the athlete can achieve ventilation easier then there is greater potential for reducing the oxygen debt during strenuous activity.

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Section 3 - Integration

Session Eight

The purpose of Session Eight is to release rotations in the lower extremities of the body, and to balance the related deep and superficial myofascia. This session is the start of integration in the series work, and this is where the athlete can start to see bigger changes in their performance and reaching goals.

Rotations shorten tissue and limbs of our bodies. This can be seen bilaterally, making both legs, for example, shorter. This will compress joints and muscles so they will not be starting in the neutral position for strong and efficient contraction. Weak limbs are an obvious problem in daily life as well as for all sports. The condition can also be seen unilaterally. In this scenario, there can be long term consequences. One sided shortness forces adjustments throughout the body to compensate for the rotation. Using the cyclist as an example, in one ride there would be thousands, and potentially millions of repetitive strokes made. The shorter leg would force the athlete to reach more with one leg, tipping the pelvis, or continuously rocking the pelvis until back muscles were built up unequally in their natural support of the pelvis.

A teammate of mine had this occur, but in a more artificial way. When she purchased a new bike and it was being assembled, the crank length was not checked. One crank was longer than the other, and after thousands of pedal strokes, she began to suffer from leg, and back pain. She came to me for work that focused on session eight, but we were having no success. Multiple sessions seemed to gain short term results but no positive effect in the long term. For me, and my client, this was extremely frustrating and puzzling. However, as you can well see, my client was riding her bike numerous times a week and the trauma to the body was happening over and over. Once her crank length was fixed, the related symptoms disappeared.

This athlete put years into training for a specific race, but when that race day arrived, she was unable to finish the grueling, long distance event. Her body was not capable of completing it due to this imbalance. The stress of the imbalance showed in effort and stamina. The body needs balance to be efficient.

Session Nine

The purpose of session nine is to release rotations in the upper half of the body, and to release the deep and superficial myofascia of this area. As in all Hellerwork sessions, balance and symmetry are significant concerns and for the athlete who is challenging their muscular and fascial system to extreme limits, it can be even more important. Many sports are one sided activities and can build rotations into the body, even if they were not there before starting the sport.

For the basketball player, dribbling may be symmetrical; however, jump shots and layups will usually favor one side as the stronger and more accurate. A possible outcome of this is a lifted shoulder on one side that sits forward on the ribcage. For the golfer and hockey player who’s grip on the club or stick is uneven by design, the torso through the spine might rotate slightly as strength and repetition causes a buildup of muscle and fascia in the leading side of the torso when shooting the puck or swinging the club. So too might the trailing shoulder drop for much of the strength moves, training that shoulder into the dropped position. The swimmer who breaths on one side will often experience greater load on the opposite side of the breath, and in this case, the shoulder could be up or down, depending on the details of that swimmers stoke.

With this posture built into an efficient athletes build, some would say that the unbalanced position they are in because of training, would be the more efficient. This might be the case if the stronger arm was in distinct isolation from other parts of the body. However, when a pitcher throws the ball, a successful pitch relies on the whole muscle, myofascial, and skeletal system working together. For this reason, the pitch is far more efficient when he/she is balanced, muscles are in neutral for a starting point, and there is no shortening in those tissues to hinder the tracking and follow-through of each limb, and twist of the torso etc.

Session Ten

The purpose of session ten is to establish the overall integrity of the body through working with the joints. Throughout the series work we have been affecting joints right through each session, however, there has been no specific focus looking at the joints and body as a whole.

Joints are significantly comprised of the muscles and myofascia that has been lengthened, opened, moved and softened in all previous sessions, so there is an amount of health and balance that is already manifesting in the clients body. For session ten, we are looking at the quality of movement, the tracking of limbs, and the balance within and without, the joints. Tissue quality within all the major joints of the body is assessed and attended to.
Athletes are placing so much strain on joints and the related structures. This session is exceedingly important for every sport. I cannot think of one sport that does not put some demand on the joints either through sheer effort or through repetition of movement. Both instances may show a new scenario than we have seen previously, even if their body is now looking and feeling in balance.

For so many athletes, the function that we have been talking about relies heavily on fluid movement of the joints. There are injuries common to some sports that indicate the type of strain that person is inflicting on their joints. Some examples are swimmers shoulder and tennis elbow. Each athlete within that sport has common factors of strain. Looking at each athlete and their specific sport, I tend to use session ten for a greater focus on the areas under the greatest demand. Tennis elbow as an example, I would be aware that the joint as a whole needs work but that the common extensor tendon is going to needed added attention and possibly will take a disproportionate amount of time for that joint and possibly for that session. However, all the joints are carefully balanced and function assessed.

In sport, if we are talking about running, where there is a great amount of compression and shear on the knees, it is important to remember that healthy and fluid muscles and tendons absorb a large amount of force. In the past running has been blamed for osteoarthritis but evidence is available in abundance now to the contrary. Conditioning the knees through the Hellerwork series will open the joint taking pressure off of the cartilage, and stimulating blood flow via the same process, will balance the generation/degeneration process towards the positive.

For repetitive sports that have smaller amounts of applied force (on average) such as cycling, swimming, cross-country skiing etc, still have that repetitive component that can wear joints down over time. Plus in some conditions, all these sports can have sudden and explosive demands placed on the joints where the proper cushioning response from the myofascia is essential and can lead an athlete to a long and successful career or hobby.

Session Eleven

The purpose of session eleven work is completion, self expression, and empowerment. What could be better for athletes looking at getting back on the track, or into the pool, or back on the literal and proverbial horse? For an athlete out of training because of injury, or simply not feeling as fully present and motivated as they would like to be, the whole Hellerwork series is a process of empowerment. It may look like a teaching session or a movement session depending on what that specific athlete needs. I attend to the doubts and fears that may have accompanied the athlete’s injury or may have simply been there through life’s traumas and stressors.

When the time comes to complete the series, many athletes are already there… in that sense of empowerment. Often the dialogue that occurs is one of empowerment and moving on, and is initiated by the client, and then I know that my work has been effective.

I see the role of the Hellerwork Practitioner as one that should encourage the confidence to achieve whatever goals you may have in life. For myself that means exploring the athlete’s future within their sport, but also exploring the desire of any individual athlete that may be wanting to get out of sport and lead a less intense life style. Many athletes hearing this might throw down this article in disgust (look out Red Skeleton). However, any athlete that is not into their sport either to achieve great things, or to stay fit and enjoy life, should be looking at moving on. Many athletes can become significantly depressed when it comes time to retire and hang up the skates. It can be my job to gently assist in this transition that I hope would surface during the series work, and then can be brought into empowerment in the final session.

If the retirement from sport is seen as a failure of the body to perform as the athlete had hoped, then there will never be that partnership between mind and body that can so advance ones enjoyment of life and love. Where the series works, and especially session eleven comes in, is allowing that athlete to explore a life with different goals and dreams. It is not a failure, simply a change in the dreams… sometimes to a more appropriate and healthy dream.

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