A woman in her 20s has suffered with extremely tight vocal cords her entire life. She has been to two world-prominent medical centers in Baltimore and Philadelphia for evaluation and therapy without success. The doctors said that her vocal cords had now become chronically tight. Her mother, a massage therapist, said a friend told her I might be able to help.
The woman presented with severe fascial strain in her throat. When I asked mom about the birth, she told me that she was born blue with the cord wrapped around her neck. BINGO.
When I started to work on her neck, the typical red fascial ring appeared on her throat during the first few minutes. She said that she felt looser at the end of therapy. I expect further sessions will open a whole new world to her.
Four teaching points are presented:
- No one at these two centers asked her about her birth. What happens to a newborn during those 40 weeks can affect that individual for the rest of her or his life. For Gillespie Approach providers, when patients present with a specific problem, see if the dots possibly connect back to birth trauma.
- The fascial web can play a role in hundreds of conditions. For some, fascial restriction can be the missing link of correction, and for others, it can be part of the solution. Everyone needs to understand how important the fascial web is for health and well-being.
- Therapy schools need to expand their educational training into the fascial world. Her mother said that she could not loosen her chronically tight hyoid muscles. No wonder—since every muscle cell is wrapped with fascia, her neck fascial strain was still remembering her birth trauma years later by holding these muscles tight. I am now revisiting that trauma to help clear the layers of fascial strain.
- Let’s clear the effects of soft tissue birth trauma on day one of life for healthier outcomes. Let’s stop the needless suffering.
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