Fascial and Membrane Technique
The Therapeutic Value of
Fascial and Membrane Technique

The science of anatomy has shown us that connective tissue for each of the systems of the body has clearly describable functions. It is known that it is just as present in the epimesial and divisional layers of the musculoskeletal system as in the fascial envelope layers of the organs and in the perineurial sheets of the nervous system. Histology is able to show the presence of connective tissue ranging from large areas of subdermal tissue to the periosteum and the smallest units of the cell. Thus, we now have enough information to understand the functions of each of the various layers of connective tissue within one bodily system. We can see how the fascial system surrounds individual muscles, divides them, and connects them to the periosteum by way of the tendons. We can see how membranes extend from the interior of the cranium by way of the dura mater and perineuria into the finest arborizations of the nervi nervosum. And it is therefore possible for us to construct an overall blue print of the body as an interlaced system of connective tissue chambers.

This sort of analysis and classification therefore provides insight into the functions that the connective tissue performs for the anatomically defined subsystems. We also know which general functions the connective tissue performs for metabolism and the immune system. However, it is still unclear how connections between the individual subsystems arise and how the connective tissue as an organ of form provides the building blocks for these connections in the overall mosaic of the body (Varela and Frenk 1987:73-89).

Fascial and Membrane Technique (FMT) applies to the outer and subdivisional layers, whether within the musculoskeletal system, the organ system, or the nervous system, or, if we choose the traditional osteopathic classifications, within the parietal, visceral and craniosacral region. The goal of FMT is to produce physiologically expedient mobility between the individual components of a region.

If we achieve greater mobility in one region, effects will also be felt in the other regions. In the practice of FMT, the three-dimensional interconnection of fasciae and membranes means that the effects of a manual intervention simply cannot be limited to one individual subsystem of the body. Mobilization techniques, as soon as they are applied to the connective tissue system, are always a process that changes the shape of the whole organism as well. However, most examination procedures, in particular those taught in medical schools, relate only to the subsystems; therefore there is an information gap about the way a single subsystem constitutes shape regarding to the interconnection of the systems to one another in practice as well.

If treatment is restricted to the subsystem alone, i.e. if detailed technique is used without a more "global" intermixing, then the therapist must rely on the greatest precision. The effectiveness of this sort of procedure lives and dies by the evaluative precision of the assessment of the subsystems and the "minimalist selection" of treatment steps.

FMT turns its attention to the bridging, interconnecting function of fasciae and membranes mentioned above. Fascaie and membranes are the medium of interaction between the individual systems of the organism; not only do they function within the individual systems, but they also serve as "mediators" between the various systems of the organism. FMT addresses these mediating functions.

FMT on one hand is based on the basic osteopathic theme of mobilization that is as precise and as gentle as possible, and on the other hand, ties in with the form-stabilizing approach of Ida Rolf's Structural Integration. How, practically, should we proceed so that we can treat details in a precise manner, and, at the same time, have an effect on the larger form with its global interrelationships? One answer to this question may be found in the treatments of mobility restrictions in the ribcage; we treat the small components that may be found in the interior of the cavity in such a way that, at the same time, we are influencing the organization of the exterior form. A second answer may be found in the treatment of the segmental organization of the leg. We treat the details of the muscular fasciae, the intermuscular septa, and the interosseous membranes in such a way that a positive effect occurs on the fine tunic structures of the nerves and thus an improved neural function is supported. The nerve is the river; the fascia, membranes, and perineurial envelopes form the riverbed. In order to ensure a better equilibrium of flow in the river, we treat the riverbed.

FMT is a part of the growing realm of what could be termed "spatial medicine" - the study of what can be accomplished through the modification of shape.

Excerpt from Fascial and Membrane Technique by Peter Schwind. Publisher Churchill/Livingston/Elsevier, ISBN 0-443-10219-8. Available through the Barral Institute.

Meet the Developer

Peter Schwind, PhD, Rolfer

"It introduces soft tissue release techniques, which are inspired by the French osteopathic approach to fascial contractures ('unwinding', 'indirect technique', visceral osteopathy) as well as by Rolfing method of myofascial release."
R. S., Munich, Germany

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