Deliberate practice is something we embrace as BridgingÂź Technique Specialists. Finding ways to help relieve your pain faster and increase function more completely is a passion for us.
Breaking down the nuances of your pains or developmental challenges to better understand the causes, effects, and movement relationships is something we love to do. Every two weeks we have time set aside to specifically dig into movement concepts. Read more
Shoulder and head strength, hand-eye coordination, hand function, and more — so many essential postural and motor skills emanate from tummy time!
What may not be so apparent? The same fundamental laddered skills related to tummy time support our visual-motor function and are needed at every age. Read more
In his 2008 book, Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell introduced us to the concept of 10,000 hours for mastery. Motor skill development is no different, yet we find so many reasons why infants and young children have missed out on the hours and hours necessary to set them up for success in school. Read more
Every sensory-motor skill developed as an infant is essential for building another skill somewhere down the road. This concept is called laddering — the skills ladder on top of each other. Read more
A recent newsletter discussed the considerations of pre- and post-surgical considerations which often leave a lasting imprint of pain, discomfort, and insomnia. When procedures are for a child there is more to consider.
The impact of medical procedures upon a child’s development is personal — my son had 38 lumbar punctures and four surgical procedures during his three years of leukemia treatment. The biggest impacts, which doctors had no answers for, were in the cognitive, emotional, and social domains. I was left to figure it out on my own. Nine years later he is now thriving. Read more
A lasting reminder of medical procedures is the scar. Bridging can help it fade.
The scar tissue is at fault they say ⊠Yes, the scar tissue can be a source of discomfort and restricted movement, not to mention how it looks.
Different than other professionals, we restore the movement to and across the area affected by the surgery. When the affected area can move freely, we find the scar tissue begins to soften on its own. The scar had an important job; now that job is done and the movement needs help returning to normal.
This client came in for a tune-up and mentioned he had a skin lesion on his calf removed about 6 weeks ago. (See before picture–the incision is still puckered and red.)
The movement implications — his leg was stiff compared to the other leg. The hip didn’t rotate fluently nor did the ankle/knee/hip flex sequentially.
After 15-20 minutes of Bridging movements applied to the overall leg we rechecked the leg. We found the hip rotated easily and the leg flexed sequentially, just like it’s supposed to. Even more amazing is the change to the scar — it’s smoother and the coloration is neutralized. (See the after picture.)
Why did the scar change without specific attention?
First let’s step back and think about what happens with an incision–some amount of tissue is cut, removed, and rearranged in order to put it back together. The entire area has been disrupted and remains fragile (not moving) as it heals. What most people don’t realize is the movement in the area doesn’t magically re-set itself once healed.
There are two aspects of this shut down movement — the overall movement and the interconnected micro-flows within the affected area.
The light oscillatory movement of Bridging enables all of these elements to shift slightly, helping both the movement and internal micro-flows return to normal. The skin tension then calms and restored circulation flows clear away the residual particles and fluids related to the discoloration. It really does seem like a magic eraser!
Will it last? We find many scars are nearly gone when we see a client again weeks later. The restored movement is the key for the affected area returning to normal.
What if the scar is from years ago? These old wounds can still inhibit movement and tissue flows. They do change.
A memorable change was a teen’s tracheotomy scar in the center of her neckline from an infant procedure 12 or so years prior. The discoloration significantly faded and the textured area became so smooth it is now barely noticeable. She no longer feels like she has to cover the area up to avoid attention.
Does this sound like something you or a loved one are experiencing? We can help.
Check out our website for more info about post-surgical support.
Itâs that time of the year where we freak out saying âwhere did summer go, I still have so many things I want to do!â
Scheduled, or by accident, summer is a time for surgery and BridgingŸ can help your recovery in unexpected ways.
However, summer surgery seems to be one of those things that people actually get done. This is commonly so their recovery can be in a time where they (or their helpers) are out of school, or to take advantage of good weather for post surgical recovery therapy. Knee and hip replacements seem to be the most common summer surgeries, but there are others people plan for over summer, such as tonsils and feet.
Sometimes though, a summer surgery is unplanned and our clients want to see a faster recovery period. We have already seen a few clients recovering from fractures with summer sports injuries. Being outdoors and active raises the risk factor of injury. Our clients want to be back on the field playing their sport as soon as they can.
At Kinetic Konnections we look at the symmetry and flow of movement in about a dozen fundamental relationships. Most surgeries (even minimally invasive) disrupt three or more of these movement flows. By focusing on the specifics of your surgery we are able to assess and restore the affected movements fairly quickly. This allows you to heal and get back to your active life or fall sport.
There are three points in time related to surgery where Bridging can help.
If youâve had surgery and just donât feel like youâre back to normal we can often have you feeling better in just one or two sessions. Schedule here.
Check out our website for more info about post-surgical support.
Depending on the specifics, there are several ways the Bridging technique restores movement to help you feel better at each stage along the way.
Surgery is over but you canât sleep or you have odd pains and stiffness that donât seem to go away. The swelling is uncomfortable, not to mention the gastrointestinal discomfort.
The process of surgery is invasive in so many ways beyond the incision. Often the trauma to movement begins before surgery with invasive testing (biopsies, contrast MRIâs, cardiac catheterizations, etc). Read about Annâs experience before and after surgery with Bridging help to get her back on her feet and feeling great quickly.
During the surgery itself there are IVs restricting elbows or wrists; anesthesia and breathing support restricting the head; and odd positions of your body during the process. Minimally invasive surgery uses gas to expand the area the instruments pass through which disassociates the integrity of movement in the area.
These all disrupt essential relationships of the body related to movement, core integrity, and head relationships. You may not even realize the movement is offâall you can tell is that you donât feel right.
Bridging can help with most of it, and one to two sessions makes a huge difference in the comfort of your recovery.
Another common characteristic we find at this stage is uncomfortable swelling. By using just a little of the Bridging techniqueâs movements to support the circulatory pathways, most swelling diminishes quickly allowing for a faster overall recovery.
You donât feel right and may have symptoms that have nothing to do with the procedure so you arenât sure what is wrong. We also find many people still have some residual discomfort, pain, or lack of energy even once everything should be mostly healed. The Physical Therapy exercises you diligently did to regain strength havenât helped much with balance or stability.
Often people we see post-op have trouble with their sleep or energy levels; we find this relates to movement of the core being compromised by the surgery itself or the breathing support. Symmetry and flow of the core is stuck. Even though the body is healed, the movements in the core need some support and guidance to re-center and link correctly. This is the real magic of Bridgingâit’s quick and specific and gets your core movements on functioning effectively again.
The scar tissue is at fault they say ⊠Yes, the scar tissue can be a source of discomfort. Different than other professionals, we restore the movement to and across the area affected by the surgery. When the affected area can move freely, we find the scar tissue begins to soften on its own. The scar had an important job; now that job is done and the movement needs help returning to normal.
Does this sound like something you or a loved one are experiencing? We can help.
You can call 847-390-8348 or schedule online for a session to find out how we can specifically help you, or your loved one.