MECHANICAL LINKS

Paul Shoffur - Mendeleyev of osteopathy

In article Items of Shoffur on II international congress « Fundamental bases of osteopathy » St.-Petersburg 2002 are used.

Any trade is the world of ideas which basically is universal, and refracts, as in a prism, in this or that speciality. Osteopathy is not the exception. It is interesting to look after the development of the ideas wandering from one osteopath to another, passed by right of succession.

The founder of osteopathy Andrew Still on the basis of long-term practice has developed and has formulated a number of laws. He applied what we today name myofascial release, - a relaxation of muscular structures and environments in which they are concluded, and also indirect technics.

What does the indirect technics represent? Unlike the manipulation based on direct technics when the expert feels obvious click (for example, in a joint or in any other bone joint), the indirect technics is characterized by that the blocked fabric goes to a zone of freedom. The blocked site extends and thus responds to influence of osteopath.

In A.Stilla's practice, under descriptions of contemporaries, nevertheless indirect the technics, passing in direct and coming to an end by a trust could be combined. The trust is the reception, often accompanied an acoustic phenomenon like click, for example, when the spondyle is set. Differently, it is sharp statement of structure on a place.

Widely known doctor Paul Shoffur - one of founders of modern French osteopathy, has developed A.Stilla's doctrine. He surveys structure to understand, how it directs functions just as coast direct a watercourse. Shoffur has defined eight functional units (fascial systems). All functional structures (environments) consist of connecting fabric of the same type. The connecting fabric is the only way of influence on structure.

Paul Shoffur has suggested to examine the following questions:

The origin of osteopathic mechanical connection (ОМС), and its organization in the form of functional units.

How does a usual osteopathy session proceeds: the general auscultation, local auscultation, the testing including as system of specific tests, and the some general medical tests, for example, measurement of arterial pressure. If all tests "converge" in one body, an osteopathic dysfunction is there. For example, tests specify all trouble in one of kidneys, the osteopathic treatment will be led there. This approach has proved as creative and effective enough. However in this case much depends on a condition of the doctor as he estimates results of tests, carries out research, processing of results. I.e. the doctor is actively included in the process. An old principle: « we Treat that is visible, we see only that we search, and we search for that is known », it is possible to treat as « we treat that is known ».

A.Enesa « the General principles of diagnostics and treatments in manipulation medicine ».

To avoid this, P. Shoffur takes principle of Still: « the Doctor knows nothing - the structure knows ». This principle will be paraphrased Hippocrat « Doctor doesn’t treat - the nature treats », that continues Socrat’s « I know only that I know nothing ».

That mechanical osteopathic connections represent, their organization in 8 functional units:

1. An axis: a nape - a backbone - a pelvis, including back edges;

2. A brest - clavicles, including forward edges;

3. The top and bottom finitenesses (joints);

4. Intrabone power lines;

5. Internal bodies;

6. Vessels;

7. Cranio-sacral system;

8. A skin.

First three functional units are the structures concerning to superficial fascia, including bones, muscles, a sheaf, a sinew, etc.

Intrabone power lines examine relations of an organism with gravitation.

The system of internal bodies includes testing as environments of a digestive tube (a stomach, an intestines), and parenchymotone bodies, and also heart, large vessels, thymic gland.

Vessels are arteries and veins adjoining to them, nerves, environments of vessels and the heart considered not as body, but as a vessel - vascular heart.

The cranio-sacral system is a firm brain environment, together with a brain, membranes of a mutual tension and environments of a brain.

And last functional unit - connecting fabrical a part of a skin.

But we shall return to the name of our article - « Mendeleyev of osteopathy ». Paul Shoffur - the first who approved, that it is necessary to consider an organism as system, very precisely, in the determined sequence.

It is known that D.I.Mendeleyev when built the periodic system, has arranged elements under the order according to increase of molecular weight, but in some places elements stood on the contrary. When Dmitry Ivanovich was asked, why so, he said, that does not know, but it is exact so. It was found out later, that the increase of elements goes according to a charge of a kernel, and these exceptions confirm a rule. Offered by Paul Shoffur system of construction of an organism (it’s the system of his research) is for medicine similarly to Mendeleyev’s.

Up to Mendeleyev the chemistry of elements was not systematized. The same occured in osteopathy, and in medicine in general. Modern medicine dedicated. In east medicine there were attempts of ordering through meridians of energy, other conditional terms. Osteopathy researched functional human anatomy step by step. Paul Shoffur said: « When we studied, the man « consisted » only of a backbone, then there was a head (cranio-sacral therapy Shoffur studied at John Aplendzhera); I have entered periphery (finitenesses) into an organism, and J.-P. Barral has filled a stomach with internal bodies ».

Researching step by step the human body Paul Shoffur added intrabone power lines, arteries and the most interesting - a skin. « By osteopathic technics it is possible to work with a skin! When you didn’t know this, you didn’t work with a skin, but now when you know it, you should work with it ».

So the osteopathic table of bodies-elements was created by analogy with Mendeleyev’s. Once at a seminar someone from listeners asked Shoffur id it was possible to survey an organism in other sequence. On what Shoffur said, that we went for years to such sequence, and it is optimum sequence.

Now little about an essence of work in system of osteopathic mechanical connection

Diagnostics is carried out by special tests « reduction a pressure », representing classical impellent (mobile) tests development. In these tests is led or squeezing or stretching.

Shoffur departs from classical impellent tests, as well as from classical trust technics. Both in that and in other case he explains it so: the classics uses long levers on analogy with a door which pull for the handle. To check up as easier are greased a loop, testing restrictions of micromovement in loops, than greater movements of a door. I.e. Paul Shoffur uses short levers for testing. And as it is known, that in osteopathy diagnostics occupies 90 % and treatment of 10 %, and treatment is a continuation of diagnostics the principle of short levers is applied and in treatment.

Osteopathic damages X or Y represent the certain resistency (resistance), characteristic and specific to the given damage. There are no two damages which would have an identical degree of resistency. The semiology of this or that damage is created by the sum of resistance (or damages).

Various damages can be classified from stronger to weaker by means of a simple method « inhibitor balance ». Inhibitor balance had been existing and up to Shoffur, but Shoffur has made itsintegral part of the harmonous, beautiful and logical system.

Treatment goes on so-called « the general damage » which will be revealed during inhibitor balance. inhibitor balance represents a finding of the main damage by comparison.

By method of inhibitor balance we find the main thing or the basic damage and treat it. Other damages or pressure "scatter", as a house of cards. Then we again test the remained "strong" damages, among them we find a new dominant, etc. while in an organism pressure will not disappear all.

The only treatment which we apply in ОМС is recoil, a technique representing development of technics « Togle Recoil » of chiropractics. This technics has the advantage, that it can be applied at any damages: skulls, a backbone, internal bodies and arteries. Recoil is possible to lead in all cases and at all age, On arteries recoil is done very easily and gently, on force it can be compared to whiff of air, touching the skin. Its advantages: accuracy, variations, efficiency, safety.

All approaches in osteopathy can be divided on direct and indirect. Straight lines go on a barrier and remove it, using as biomechanical, and neurophysical laws. Indirect go from a barrier and increase a zone of free movement basically neurophysically. Recoil is a combination direct and indirect technics.

Time

The person lives, works, eats, brings up children, has hobbies. Suddenly something falls ill at him, and he comes to the doctor. The doctor says, that it is necessary to change sharply work, a feed, family, etc. to become healthy. The patient doesn’t want to do this, and so cannot quickly. But he wants to be healthy. Then he goes to other doctor, and that says that nothing is necessary to do, live as well as lived, and from all illnesses I shall register 10 different medicines, and we shall cut off a bilious bubble, and all will be good. Terrible prospect, isn’t it? The third doctor, understanding the same about the patient, as the first, possessing knowledge of the second, registers one, but the most necessary medicine, recommends to replace sugar with fructose and gradually step by step leads the patient to recover.

In this parable 1-st doctor are long the technics, strongly changing life and movement of bodies, 2-nd doctor is usual allopatric medicine and rigid manipulation - methods nothing changing in a life but only removing symptoms, 3-rd doctor is a technics of recoil (if to be fair, it is also soft information osteopathic trusts - technics very close to recoil).

How did A.Still work: he did not use widely trust technics. All of technics concern to time of their carrying out. The technics of strane-concentrane is spent 90 sec. Some advanced technics (Dorn-therapy) - 60 sеc. МEТ technics, and also any of technics using a postisometric relaxation, - 5 sec on a pressure, 20 sec on a relaxation. Indirect functional technics occupy nearby 20 sec, cranio-sacral technics - up to 1 minutes Recoil to last shares of second. During carrying out "long" technics, the hand of the doctor is built in an organism of the patient, and that time for which there is a manipulation, works, leveling position and functioning of body. It proves inhibitor balance. Among osteopaths and manual therapists the term « to enter into system »is widespread. When the doctor was included into system he, becomes a part of system, can something make for it.

However in this is also a restriction of "long" methods. For example, at treatment of newborns and children till 1 year often don’t recommend manipulation methods. Growth and development of these children goes so promptly, that any entrance in system for a long time can disturb natural development. Manipulation methods of treatment sometimes are not recommended in cases of sharp inflammatory diseases, oncology, a bony rarefication and so forth the Reasons - the same. If processes go quickly and uncontrolled, the result of intervention can be opposite to desirable. There is a necessity of interventions without « an entrance in system ». I.e. intervention as though imperceptible, not leading embedding in work of an organism, but thus the adjusting functioning eliminating restriction of movements and so forth Such method on the idea is a trust. The good trust is led so quickly, that "system" has not time to build in a hand of the doctor, in general how to react. However the limited amount of receptors joins precisely in a direction of fulfilment of a trust, that is in a direction of restriction of movement. Reflex arches further join and in this place there are processes of self-restoration. I.e. process of action of a trust especially neuroreflex, instead of mechanical as consider many. However as a result of rigid of trust influence join other receptors (not therapeutic), at times even painful receptors. The mechanism of therapeutic influence turns out greased. Recoil allows to lead influence quickly, precisely, strictly locally. However, as in acupuncture if you will put a needle slightly past, and in homeopathy you will appoint not those pills, the effect will not be, and in system OMS the increased accuracy is required.

Recoil it is possible to lead in all cases and at all age, On arteries recoil it is done very easily and gently.

Sometimes recoil spend very deeply, sometimes in general it is imperceptible (by the way, on our clinical supervision, easy recoil sometimes works more strongly than deep).

We specially place here this material to you the principle osteopathic mechanical communication{connection} became clear. All functional units work in a complex. They supplement each other, but do not replace. The little finger on a hand is not less important, than heart or a kidney.